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Recs for the Medically Complex: The Stuff That Actually Helps
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items If you're anything like me, you probably have a sensitive and fragile body too. These are my chronic illness essentials — the books, symptom tracking help, gentle foods, and little must-haves I've found that make surviving feel a bit closer to living...
Map
Sections
4
Books/Edu.
Chronic illness must haves
Tracking and monitoring symptoms
Foods
Books/Edu.
Books and learning stuff that actually helped me feel less alone in this. If you learn better from real people than dry medical pages, start here.
Incredible place to start your journey into herbalism, with plenty of simple recipes that don't feel overwhelming. And if you want to go deeper with it, there's a whole platform there for that too.
Herbal Academy
I've never felt so seen by a medical professional as I did by the author of this book. She has an amazing TikTok platform that inspired it, and so much of it comes from her own life experience too.
Little Miss Diagnosed: A Surgeon's Guide to Breaking Bones and Bending ...
This is book 1 of the series, the introduction one. I like that the author actually has a formal education in herbal medicine and nutrition, so it feels trustworthy — and it's all herbal aides and remedies that may be easier on a sensitive body, expl...
An Introduction to Herbalism: Growing & Crafting Herbal Teas
This is where I look for herbal aides and remedies that may be easier on a sensitive body. It's written for beginners so I'm learning it properly instead of just guessing with stuff that might make me feel worse.
Herbal Teas & Remedies: 100+ Infusion Recipes
Book 3 of the series I use for herbal aides and remedies that may be easier for sensitive bodies. Having the whole series means I can actually look things up properly instead of just guessing.
How to Grow Your Own Medicine: Beginner's Guide
This one's part of the same series — more herbal aides and remedies that may be easier on a sensitive body. I wanted the whole set on here because I use them together, not just one book by itself.
Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Herbalism: 200+ Remedies
Book 5 rounds out the series for me. Same reason as the rest of them: herbal options that may be gentler for sensitive bodies, explained for beginners so I can learn it right.
Growing Your Own Medicine: Herbalism 2-in-1
This is another great book rec — it's especially helpful for late diagnosed autistic adults learning how to live without the mask. It's a workbook with sensory tools, practical advice and interactive journaling, and it's written by someone who was ac...
I Am Autistic: Workbook with Sensory Tools & Advice
Chronic illness must haves
The little everyday things that help on rough body days. Nothing fancy, just stuff I reach for when my body is being difficult.
For those pesky days when the barometric pressure is all over the place. A little thing worth keeping on hand for flights and weather-change days too.
Mack's Flightguard Airplane Pressure Relief Earplugs 26dB
Clean air isn't a nice-to-have for me, it's essential with mast cell activation syndrome. This HEPA tower filters dust, pollen, pet dander and smells, and having it running helps me keep the air in my space cleaner day to day.
GermGuardian HEPA Air Purifier Tower 22"
This is great for overnight hospital stays. Instead of a pile of separate chargers and fighting over the one outlet, this one block charges everything at once — it's got 8 ports and comes with its own cables, so my phone and everything else just char...
380W USB C Charger Block with 4 Cables
Tracking and monitoring symptoms
Because "how have you been feeling?" is basically impossible to answer from memory. This helps me notice patterns and have something real to point to.
Epilepsy monitoring and information for patients and caregivers. It gives you one place for it all instead of trying to remember everything later.
Epsy Health | Leading Epilepsy App & Community
With my POTS, knowing when my pulse is too high is essential — this is what I use for tracking my heart rate during exercise. It's a chest strap sensor, so it stays put while I'm moving and I can actually watch my heart rate instead of guessing.
Polar H9 Heart Rate Sensor
Foods
Simple foods that work better for me than a lot of other stuff does. Easy, higher protein when I can manage it, and not a whole cooking project.
The only protein shakes that I have been able to tolerate with gastroparesis. If a lot of shakes sit heavy or just don't work for your stomach, these are the ones I'd tell you to try first.
Plant Based Protein Shakes
For a simple high protein breakfast — or whatever meal works best, because real life doesn't always do breakfast at breakfast time. It's flapjack and waffle mix, so it's easy without feeling like a whole cooking project.
Kodiak Flapjack & Waffle Mix | KodiakCakes.com
I use this for an extra protein boost — it's peanut butter protein powder and I stir it into my oatmeal and smoothies or whatever else I'm making. It's an easy way to get more protein into stuff I already eat, without adding a whole extra meal.
PBfit Classic Peanut Butter Powder 8 Oz