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Category Archives: Living with chronic migraine
What am I here for?
I found it both humbling and terrifying to lose all the things that had previously given my life meaning and purpose. For me this came through illness but many people might experience something similar for a whole range of reasons. … Continue reading
Posted in Living with chronic migraine, Loss & Grief
Tagged acceptance, adjustment, change, chronic migraine, chronic pain, coming to terms with illness, confused, coping strategies, disappointment, expectations, grief, growth, Health, helpless, Hemiplegic migraine, hopeless, illness, invisible illness, learning, limitations, loss, meaning, migraine, purpose, self care
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A lament
Here is a post I wrote back in June 2015 but didn’t feel able to publish – now I do. It’s strange reading it how relevant it still seems, though a little less raw now as I’m becoming more adjusted … Continue reading
What does migraine mean to me?
It’s migraine awareness week and The Migraine Trust have suggested that people share what migraine means to them, so here goes… Migraine means regularly experiencing pain that made a broken foot seem so insignificant I didn’t even notice, but also … Continue reading
When choice gets taken away
Health warning: moaning post – though there is a Gandalf quote to make it all ok if you manage to get through to the end (or just skip straight to that if you like, no-one will know!) One of the … Continue reading
Posted in Living with chronic migraine
Tagged choice, chronic illness, freedom, frustrations, Gandalf quote, migraine, restrictions, spoonie life
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Post poach – secrets of successful chronic migraineurs
A post on migraine.com caught my eye today. It made some interesting points so I thought I’d share it. You can read it here if you’re interested: 10 secrets of successful chronic migraineurs If you don’t want to read the … Continue reading
Posted in Living with chronic migraine
Tagged acceptance, chronic life, chronic migraine, strategies
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The Code
After the Mystery Option C and Dilemma posts, my friend Tony had an idea – if I found it difficult to talk about how I was actually feeling, perhaps I could use some kind of visual symbol or code, like … Continue reading
Mystery Option C
Thank you so much to everyone who responded to the previous post Dilemma, either in person or online. I’ve really appreciated your honesty on how you talk about (or more often don’t talk about) invisible illnesses with friends and family. … Continue reading
Posted in Friendship, Living with chronic migraine
Tagged chronic illness, chronic migraine, invisible illness, migraine, spoonie, spoonie life
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Dilemma
Migraines are invisible. Which means no-one can see just how much devastation they cause. On the inside, it’s like a big-budget disaster movie. Tornados wreak havoc, tsunamis broil out of control, volcanos erupt sky-high. Everywhere you look the landscape has … Continue reading
Spoons
I tried to explain Christine Miserandino’s spoon theory to some friends the other day but it didn’t go so well. My explanation went something like this: “It’s about spoons… …well not really spoons, but yeah, spoons… …so you have these … Continue reading
Posted in About chronic migraine, Living with chronic migraine
Tagged chronic migraine, limitations, migraine, spoon theory
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My chronic migraine dictionary
We British are very good at responding to the “How are you?” question with a vague and general “I’m fine.” Usually it’s all that’s needed, but for those who’ve recently asked for more info, I’ve realised my response hasn’t really … Continue reading
The choice
I want to build a dark room with soft floors, padded walls and no chinks of light. I would spend all day in my room and I would be blissfully happy. But it wouldn’t be a life. I would have no … Continue reading
Posted in Hope, Living with chronic migraine, My story
Tagged choices, chronic migraine, doing things anyway, experiences, migraine, moving house
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Giving in, but not giving up (my story, part 3 of 3)
The last few months I think I’ve cried more than I ever have in my life. Not the usual snotty snivvles or temporary hormonal outbursts I can be quite partial to, but full-on, gut-wrenching, soul-tearing, heart-breaking cries that originate somewhere … Continue reading
London, Baby! (my story, part 2 of 3)
Earlier this year I decided enough was enough. So I made a referral to the National Migraine Centre in London (http://www.migraineclinic.org.uk), a charity that’s at the forefront of research and treatment and accepts patients from all over the UK. I was given an appointment … Continue reading
Have you tried…? (my story, part 1 of 3)
It seems I inherited a ‘migraine brain’ from my Mum and Dad – both of whom get migraines that I remember wiping them out at various points when we were growing up. You’ve got to love genetics – my brother … Continue reading
