Play That Horn

Today's challenge is: "Play that horn. Want to hear a secret? You're awesome. (It's actually not even really a secret). This is going to be hard for you, O Modest One, but you gotta give yourself props today. Write 3 things you love about yourself - things you're great at - or just want to share."

Yikes! I'm not good at complimenting myself, or "tooting my own horn," so this is a quite a challenge.

First, I have to give myself props for successfully completing the National Health Blog Posting Month (NHBPM) - 30 posts, in 30 days. I tried to take things in stride... writing whenever I was feeling well enough to, so that I could try to rest more on the days I didn't feel up to doing it. I'm learning to adjust to living with chronic migraines... I'm still not good at it, but I'm learning.

So, here are 3 things that I love about myself:

• I am determined. Living with chronic illnesses, I'm faced with a lot of obstacles. But, even if they are tiny and slow steps, I continue to put one foot in front of the other. I am determined to remain steadfast in my faith, and to make the most of my life, despite chronic pain. I may falter, but our God is forgiving and merciful.
• I am honest. I try very hard to be an honest person. It was a very difficult, though invigorating, decision to start a blog and share my experience, openly and honestly. I have no reason to be dishonest because I have nothing to hide... not to mention, it takes a lot of energy (that I definitely don't have) to keep up with lies. LOL.
• I am smart. Sometimes, it's difficult for me to remember that I really am smart. I did so well in school, all the way through to earning my Bachelor's degree. But, the cognitive difficulties that I've faced with my chronic migraines has had me questioning myself so much. I've always been my worst critic and had a fear of failure, but I've been given a great gift.

Thank you, WEGO Health, for hosting this inspiring month-long challenge that helped me get back into my writing. I'm looking forward to the next challenge!

This post was written as part of the National Health Blog Posting Month (NHBPM).

Greeting Card

Today's challenge is to write a greeting card for someone in my community to help them express themselves about a new diagnosis, treatment, or experience.

Front:

Everything can seem so confusing and overwhelming,

but there's always HOPE!

Inside:

Look up,

Reach out,

Never quit!

This post was written as part of the National Health Blog Posting Month (NHBPM).

Say What?!

Today's challenge is to write about the most ridiculous thing I've heard about health or my condition.

Image by Migraine Chick

I really hate when people say things out of ignorance. There are MANY ridiculous statements / remarks that people say about Migraine.

• "It's just a headache" - Oh, how I wish this were true! I have Chronic Migraine, but I think that even the days that aren't full-blown migraines are more than "just a headache." Aspirin, Tylenol, Advil... it's not going to cut it. And, that's just the head pain part of it... I have all kinds of other symptoms that accompany the throbbing head pain.
• "You're too young..." - This one has been completed with "...to be in so much pain / to hurt so much / etc..." Migraine disease doesn't care how old you are! Not to mention, my chronic migraines started due to a car accident... that just so happened to occur when I was "too young" (i.e., 23 years old).
• "It must be so nice to not have to work" - I've written about this before (Apartment Hunting), but it continues to come up. Yes, it would be nice to not have to work... but to not be able to work is horrible!
• And, some of the stellar advice that I've received for my chronic migraines... "Get pregnant / have a baby" - It's true, pregnancy sometimes reverses the symptoms of migraines... BUT, it sometimes doesn't (I think it's a pretty even split: reduced and same/worsened migraine pain). Plus, what am I supposed to do AFTER the pregnancy with migraines and a baby?! I don't think it's fair to roll the dice on having a baby, just in hopes of a few months of relief.

Overall, I know that much of what is said is due to people being mis- or un- informed. That's one reason I try very hard to share some of my knowledge and experience about migraines with others.


This post was written as part of the National Health Blog Posting Month (NHBPM).

Quote Unquote

Today's challenge is to grab a quote and use that quote to set you for writing.

Life has been knocking me down quite a bit. The past few days have been horrendous. I'm trying hard to keep getting a blog post up each day, so that I can complete the NHBPM. I need to finish something I start. So, I'm trying to remember that "When life knocks you down on your knees, remember you're in the perfect position to pray."


This post was written as part of the National Health Blog Posting Month (NHBPM).

Black Friday

Continued from yesterday...

Jeremy and I decided to stay up and do a little Black Friday shopping at midnight. Jeremy napped some, and I almost fell asleep, while waiting to head out... it had been a really long and exhausting day. But, we ended up going. Now, I don't think I've ever done Black Friday... at least not when stores open (I normally try to stay in on Black Friday, at all costs). Let's just say, it was INSANE!!!

We went to Target first. YIKES! The amount of people that were waiting outside, and continually streaming into the store was incomprehensible. We stood and just watched for a few minutes, and then we hiked to the end of the line. We knew exactly what we were there to get, and we were able to get in and out surprisingly quickly; but I hated the crowds. Target had everything set up very well for Black Friday. I was impressed that everything moved (relatively) smoothly and orderly. And, it was the first time I've ever seen ALL of the checkout lanes open. From arriving at Target at midnight to returning to our car, was only 50 minutes... it just seemed longer because of all the craziness.

Our next stop was Kohl's. My head was getting out of control bad, at this point. Thank goodness my husband is so encouraging... it really helped me a lot (it always does). We knew that there was no way that we were going to shop and checkout, from the moment we walked inside and saw the line of people waiting to checkout... we don't actually know where the line(s) started, but it was OUT OF CONTROL! So, we looked at the few things that I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted (double-checked colors, made sure I like the items in-person), I wrote down the information, and we went home so I could order online. GENIUS! I will never stand in a Kohl's line like that! Online is the way to go (and with the same perks... well, more because I didn't have to wait!).

It was quite an experience... It's definitely NOT my kind of thing, though! I can only see us doing it again, if there's just an amazing deal that there's no way to pass up. I'm glad that we were able to get what we did, but it came at a price. I had a migraine all day Friday (up and down head pain) - I put up the Christmas decor that we have (we don't really have a whole lot, but I like the feel in the apartment). Other than that, Friday was a take-it-slow kind of day.


This post was written as part of the National Health Blog Posting Month (NHBPM).

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving with family! I had a few productive days leading up to Thanksgiving day (thankfully!). I tried to be mindful of my stress and pain levels - this included frequent rest breaks. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I got done (I'm starting to really re-define my definition of "productive"). I rested quite a bit the days before Thanksgiving, so that I could make it through the long day (spent several hours at my family's house, and then the rest of the day at the in-law's house).

I actually did pretty good at my family's house. I wore my sunglasses, made sure to stay hydrated, stayed away from the loud football games on TV, and snuck away to my old bedroom for some quiet time away from all of the people / action. My head was slowly starting to get worse through the day (though still bearable), but it worsened quickly a little later in the afternoon. I ended up taking my migraine meds (when we got to my in-law's house). Thank goodness! My head got significantly worse, off and on through the rest of the evening / night. I was able to really enjoy visiting with everyone, though (there were a lot fewer people at my in-law's, so it was easier to visit and not feel overstimulated and overwhelmed).

To be continued [here].


This post was written as part of the National Health Blog Posting Month (NHBPM).