Category: Resilience

  • “Dr Linda”… at last!

    “Dr Linda”… at last!

    Woo Hoo! It’s done! At the wise old age of 54, I have officially graduated from my PhD studies to become a Doctor of Philosophy, Architecture. It’s taken me a little over 5 years, part-time, 3 of which I was living with diagnosed chronic migraine. Now that I’m on the…

  • “Be someone’s lighthouse”

    “Be someone’s lighthouse”

    Today’s title is shamelessly taken from the last line of John Malone’s (lovely, well worth a read) poem: The Last Lighthouse. I’ve mentioned before that there are moments in blog-land when words jump out at me… and attach themselves like beautiful burs on my fluffy-mental-sock… and then they linger there.…

  • Ice-curling and chronic pain

    Ice-curling and chronic pain

    A short time ago I reviewed a piece of writing about migraines, plants and pain, written by Tan Tuck Ming. There was a phrase that he used that stood out to me at the time of reading, and has stayed with me since – he mentioned his pursuit of a…

  • Seeking the Nemesis Bird… mindfully

    Seeking the Nemesis Bird… mindfully

    I recently watched the fictional murder mystery “The Residence” which is set in the White House during a visit from the Australian prime minister (played by Julian McMahon (whose father was the actual Prime Minister of Australia in the year I was born, oh, and he was once married to…

  • Aphasia armsand… what?

    Aphasia armsand… what?

    When you have chronic migraine, your brain doesn’t always brain the way it’s supposed to. Brain-fog is real. For me there are some days I feel as if I have lost several IQ points. Other days, the effect of migraine-overwhelm is more subtle… I don’t have complete confusion, I just……

  • Ellipses…

    Ellipses…

    On this blog, I tend to write the way I think. Sometimes straightforward, sometimes in a slightly jumbled way that zigzags cross-country as it were, traipsing into the occasional dead-end or cul-de-sac… ending abruptly or circling back on myself. I try to tidy it up as best I can before…

  • When the doctor is your trigger

    When the doctor is your trigger

    When discussing your migraines with the doctor, it is fairly standard to refer to your triggers at some point in the consultation. “Flashing lights definitely cause migraines,” you might say, and “I’m pretty certain fatigue, stress and dehydration are not good for me either”. And as you think back over…

  • Are you feeling paingry?

    Are you feeling paingry?

    There’s a phrase in Australia (and presumably everywhere that English is spoken) which is a play on words; hungry + angry = hangry. It defines the feeling of being grumpy and irritable because it has been a long time since you’ve eaten. I for one, am guilty of experiencing mood…

  • Three wishes

    Three wishes

    The other day I watched the movie “Three Thousand Years of Longing” (2022) because the title caught my attention. Without giving too much away, it spins around the ancient story of a djinn (or genie) who offers up three wishes. Visually impressive, filled with wonder and weirdness, there was something…