The art of living a happy, balanced life…they should teach fulltime classes in it…I bet Pascale Naessens would pass all of them with flying colours. For those abroad where the name doesn’t immediately ring a bell, she’s the best selling culinairy author in Belgium and for many years has been on a crusade to promote a simple pure lifestyle. Next to pure, simple ingredients and healthy living she’s a passionate ceramics artist, furniture and kitchenware designer and extremely keen on anything outdoors. For almost a year she had set her mind on throwing a huge garden party where all her passions would merge and could inspire others. Partnering up with selected like-minded partners and brands past weekend Kappelen’s Wolvenbos was the perfect green stage to host Pascale & Guests…
Spicy girls on cover! Photo credit Feeling Magazine
together with my friend Kathleen we immersed ourselves in the world according to Pascale…both chronic pain patients we both know how important it is to maintain a healthy body and mindset. We had every fibre, pore, and all our senses open to absorbe the good life…hope below photos give proof we did to the fullest!
Wolvenbos castle & event location
Lots of workshops could be followed, some needed pre-registration, some were free accessible like this ceramics try-out…had to post Kathleen’s work of art, mine was a disaster ;-)))
Throughout terrain plenty of cosy corners to relax, follow interesting lectures, have a healthy snack or drink,…
Sips of Grace water flavours
Hoogstraten Belgian tomatoes
Self organic beauty brand
Feeling hungry, time for apero and snack
Stands were implemented into domain with respect for existing green structures and great eye for detail and host and her husband took time to have a chat…
Pascale’s husband Paul, journalist and tv-maker, photo credit @kvbendeg
…and if you felt an afternoon nap was necessary after all that fresh outdoor air, nothing beats a Velda bed in open forest, right?!
Biggest wow to us was the ‘Secret Garden’ area, stage for the yoga classes and more zen and nature inspired sessions…we had a relaxing treat in the Rituals corner where hammocks and skilled hostesses awaited us…
Yoga classes with Evy Gruyaert
Need I say more? We had the most wonderful day and returned home with a big outer and inner smile!
These first days of the brand new year hold lots of hope and promises and looking forward, we can’t help looking back: to remember what’s worth remembering and to quickly dismiss what’s worth forgetting.
Join me on this little 2018 retrospective:
‘The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you’ve come’
Jan-Feb
Similar to nature, the hibernating months…also ‘let’s quickly forget’ months with lots of hospital visits, insecurity on the thyroid matter and ongoing back-related problems. Fast forward, shall we?!
Mar-Apr
Comes Spring, comes joy…and midweek breaks! We, that is husband and me, visited cosy Maastricht in the Netherlands and vibrant London and in own garden colourful bluebells reign
May-Jun
Refuelled we kept chasing sunshine with a trip to Belgian seaside, local food festivals and wonderful Valletta, European cultural capital 2018, on the island of Malta.
Jul/Aug
Returning from Malta brought feet quickly back onto the ground: in full Summer mode my inner cruise control broke down and some weird health issues (on top of the existing back problems) surfaced.
Only a short birthday trip to Utrecht, Netherlands, and a lot of trips to doctor’s office.
Son Nick went to Madrid with srps.me and had his wallet stolen on last day, drama, drama, though still mr cool guy here
Approching end of August, and luckily feeling a bit better again, in own country, sun was still spreading glorious warmth though the various tasting festivals at wine estates, and the daily growing in size of our own home grapes gently suggested Autumn was on it’s way.
And house cat Wiskie closely watches them shift colour…or not…those afternoon naps are important too, right?!
Together with shooting partner-in-crime Eddy I explored Tervuren…
…and joined EffenWeg on some inspiring nature walks.
Sept/Oct
Again most trips were to and from hospital, pain at full force peaking-level.
Had to check calendar, but had one (wow!) sort or less doable weekend/week in those two months, and we used that to explore Flanders Westhoek while staying at marvellous B&B ‘Ons Content’ and another shooting trip with Eddy…when I’m more or less well, or at least something that comes close to that definition in my book, it’s all about making the very best of those little getaways!.
Nov/Dec
Short getaway nature break to Luxemburg’s inspiring Müllerthal. The below photo might seem idyllic and as far as surroundings and company it was of course but with balance and vision letting me down walking took a lot of effort and often needed a walking stick, fortunately branches à volonté in the woods 😉
Back home finally some answers on the health issues: got MS diagnosis and immediate start-up of the medication to prevent further deterioration.
Had a fun and inspiring photoshoot Life-Live, a project that you can read all about here Up, close and personal…
‘Everything has changed and yet I am more me than I have ever been’
And now what?
…We’ll set course for the good life and navigate around the obstacles as best as possible
no fixed plans yet this year holiday-wise, so all options are open, except for a fun and kinda last-minute trip coming up very very soon (read Febr): hubby and myself will be spending some time in Doha, Qatar, together with my aunt and uncle we’ll be visiting my nephew (their son) who lives there, so that will be a family reunion embraced by loved ones and warmth of the sun, the best kind!
Today, September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day and maybe suicide is something you have never ever been confronted with, well, count your blessings then. However, the sad and realistic statistics show that we will all be confronted with it in one form or another…how do you recognise the signs? How do you respond when you see someone you care about or know struggle? What to say or do and what not to say?
On this special day, all over the world awareness is asked for prevention of suicide and mental health problems. Highly necessary, as is appears, only in Flanders Belgium, every day 3 persons decide to take their own lives (we have about 6,5mio inhabitants here). The number of attempts however is 10 times higher, meaning in Flanders each morning 30 persons will not make it till the next morning sunrise because they decide to end their life by suicide. These sad numbers place us very high on the European scoreboard and that is not something to be proud of. It also means at some point in time, in life, you yourself will be confronted with suicide in your direct environment. According to WHO every 40 seconds someone commits suicide…now doesn’t that deserve some of our attention and time?!
Last week, by chance, I got the opportunity to do my bit to put suicide prevention in the spotlight as Flemish comedian and singer Els de Schepper was recording a single and clip here in my hometown Aartselaar and they needed some extra people to fill up the background (little did we know at the time we actually had to sing along the chorus!!!)
Els de Schepper welcoming us and giving background info on the initiative
The song is called ‘noodrem’, that’s Flemish/Dutch for ‘communication cord’, like in pulling the communication cord or emergency brake, and with it Els de Schepper and Centrum ter Preventie van Zelfdoding which is the organisation behind the call line Zelfmoordlijn wants to make this topic less heavy to talk about as it is still something that hides in the shadows, major taboo label on it. Over 30 Flemish celebrities joined forces with initiator Els and willingly participated. Kirsten Pauwels is the director of the Flemish Prevention Centre Centrum ter Preventie van Zelfdoding and she said (freely translated)”Through this song we can support people having suicidal thoughts and also their close environment; we let them know we care, giving them a message of hope and throwing them a lifeline, we won’t drop them.”
Els de Schepper herself lost two persons she cared very deeply about to suicide and strongly felt the need she had to do something, say something, step up…being a performer gives her the opportunity to raise awareness of this matter so close to her heart.
Why was my attention drawn? What’s my personal link to suicide prevention? Well, those of you who have been following this blog for a while know through some of my previous posts that I am a chronic back pain patient and this for over 35 years due to severe scoliosis. I have pain on three different levels with the acute pain attacks hitting randomly being the worst of the three. They vary from some hours to three days and needless to say I do not see the world as all wonderful and happy when undergoing a full attack. In fact I had an attack the evening after the recording ánd the day after. Luckily these heavier attacks disappear, to come back again, but at least it gives me some pause to recharge though it is often a very short break… I would be lying if I said that during such an attack I never thought: “Wouldn’t things be better if it all just ended?”, but I have never acted upon, in fact, those were millisecond thoughts, but still, they were there…it’s the pain you desperately want to end though, not your life, there is a, to me, very significant difference…I have a strong and loving husband and son, a cat giving little licks as if he feels when I need to be cheered up, caring family and friends, I try to focus on the things that bring me joy and positivity and that keep my mind distracted. However, through what I experience myself on a daily basis I think I can somehow relate how someone who is in constant pain, physically and/or emotionally, every minute of the day and who does not have someone or something to fall back on decides that enough is enough…The lyrics of #noodrem are very powerful, taken from real life and they might help you understand what someone having suicidal or mental health issues is going through.
Tough subject, right?!, Yes, well…it is after all Monday today 😉
Let’s throw in some light: pull the communication cord and pause, that is after all the message in #noodrem…
For my English-speaking followers who kept reading till this far, on a post about a Flemish song, big thank you…will try to give you an idea of what the song is about, so you get a general feeling of what they sing about when you click on the link below.
Where the verses try to captivate the struggle, sadness, desperation, the pain, that feeling of losing control, feeling of isolation, not being understood:
living every single day with this intense pain…
sorry for me pulling the communication cord…
The bridge and chorus on the other hand emphasise the hope, the lifeline, that ray of light how small it may be and, most important, knowing that asking for help is nothing to be ashamed of:
Above are some behind the scenes shots from last week’s recording day. We were welcomed and registered in by lovely Anneke, Els thanked us for our willingful participation and filled us in on the project, we got a glimpse of singer Barbara Dex and producer/director Dirk told us when it was a wrap 😉
Could not take pics inside the recording studio for obvious reasons, but studio and organisation kindly sent us all this group shot…for the curious ones, I am very hidden, on the second row, last one on the right side.
Group shot, a big heart for those who need it
Now what you’ve all been waiting for, below is the song and clip. Feel free to share and if you’re thinking: “I don’t speak or understand Flemish, what’s the use?” Just remember: music is universal, caring about each other is universal, lending an ear, a hand, opening up your heart and giving a hug or some minutes of your time just might save someone’s life!
When sharing, and please do, please use #noodrem #ikleef (that means I’m alive) #1813 #zelfmoordlijn1813
When living in Flanders Belgium, thinking of suicide and in need of someone to talk to, you can find help with Zelfmoordlijn to be reached calling 1813 or through www.zelfmoord1813.be
(in Dutch that is) Denk je aan zelfmoord en heb je nood aan een gesprek, dan kan je terecht bij de Zelfmoordlijn op het nummer 1813 of via www.zelfmoord1813.be
When living outside Belgium, please check out local initiatives as actions are held worldwide today and give them your support or check how you can lend a hand and you are of course very welcome to share this post!
When is too much too much? When do you throw in the towel? Am I being selfish for thinking ‘why don’t you just bundle all this **** and dump it at someone else’s door…not that I wish anyone that much misfortune…
Just indulge me this little intermezzo in self-pity and I’ll be back to my usual smiling and ‘taking it one day at the time’ soon!
Somewhere on this blog you could already read about my health issues…I’m a chronic backpain patient due to severe scoliosis.Crash and reboot, the chronic back pain tales and Don’t you breakdown… I have chronic pains, radiating pains to legs, neck and head and what I call my random pain attacks…the worst…that’s pain on three levels only from one condition and with all this my ‘backpack: this is life, deal with it’ is pretty much full as it is. I know backpacks have those little side pockets and are super flexible…but there’s a weight limit right?!
Three years ago I got tinnitus, not exactly a fun gift, I can assure you, as it affects my sleep a lot, but hey, there are worse things. Two years ago they discovered I had a leaking heart valve. Then last year, and still ongoing, a thyroid condition and nodule came in the picture and since last week there’s a new kid in town: a balance disorder. Had been light-headed for a while but since a few days now I can’t go outside without getting dizzy, nauseous, loosing balance and feeling very insecure. My eyes don’t follow my own movements or environmental movements as rapidly which makes it hard to focus and very exhausting. Even typing gives me headache as the eyes moving from the keyboard to the page gives a blurry and delayed sensation. The London and Malta posts will come with some delays because of this, bare with me…
Already consulted a doctor and there is indeed a disorder on one side of the balance system…however, more tests needed to find out by what it is caused and exactly which part is affected…in the meantime…it’s an unbalanced life and trying to stay on my feet, literally…oh and trying to find ways to pimp that backpack too😉
Looking back on last week, what a rollercoaster that was, pain attacks were already at peak level for some weeks, add to that the pain clinic treatment, some bad side-effects to it and a rollercoaster of emotions and you have the perfect cocktail that would knock out any normal sane person…whish it had, than at least I would have slept and could have recharged some batteries…How did it all start, well, long ago of course, with the scoliosis, the fusion, the bad luck of having an infection, six more surgeries, since then chronic and acute pain attacks linked to back and radiating pains and a whole truck load of other severe and some less severe conditions as a result of the back issue, you name it, I have it!
However, that is not what had me upset on the emotional level last week…let me explain…A random conversation, about ten years ago in pain clinic: “if we can take away 10% of your pain, that is already a success, that’s why we do it”. Last week’s conversation, when having my treatment (three times a year): “if the treatment is only giving you relief 2 or 3 months out of four ( in my book that is a lot more than 10% and it is what keeps me going) maybe we should stop it, many of my colleagues wouldn’t treat you anymore.” I had discussed this with her many times, the final month the effect is declining raplidly, facing more attacks, elevating the oral pain meds, more stomach problems, etc but they never search for an alternative or solution on how to cope with that last month…so, again, I ask her what the alternative is, she replies “I don’t have any’ and again points out that it would be more advisable to stop!?! In who’s favor is that? Certainly not in mine, I accept two or three months out of four with open arms. That doesn’t mean I am pain-free in those months, far from it, but it is somehow manageable…
I started crying, I have never felt that alone, that angry, so helpless in my whole life…there was no further communication with doctor, she left…I didn’t see or hear her anymore, thank God for the two caring and understanding nurses. I got a report home for my general physician in which doctor wrote she discussed psychological pain coping sessions with me!?! First of all she didn’t discuss anything with me as she just left the treatment room without saying another word to me or goodbye or best of luck or whatever, and secondly, well, I have been coping with pain since 13 years old, that is 32 years now, think I pretty much know how it works and if anyone can give sessions I can relate and understand so much better therefore stand in front of the classroom myself!
It’s just a ride, it’s just a ride No need to run, no need to hide It’ll take you round and round Sometimes you’re up Sometimes you’re down
(lyrics ‘It’s just a ride (Jem)
Little ‘Forget me not’ treasures in the garden
I try not to hide away in a corner, even in my pain filled days, I never stay in bed, try to keep my head up, I read, blog, enjoy nature, photograph, dream, have a caring husband and son, family and friends, what I still haven’t learnt coping with is having to defend myself to my doctor who is supposed to understand, to help, to listen, to look for alternatives, to transfer me to a colleague if she doesn’t know the answer, not write me off!
The pain treatment when already having pains at peak level is no fun and I know from experience I can expect a major attack that same evening and night, however in general, when I can manage to catch just a little sleep, I can recharge my batteries and bit by bit there’s progress soon…well that was definitely not the case last week…have only had one or two other pain attacks falling under the category ‘mother of all attacks’ where husband had to rush me to er and this time was pretty close too. Had doctor on call over twice and finally after two days, finally, finally there was this sparkle of light and hope again! Am better now, chronic pain stays however, can deal with that, the acute attacks are gone for the moment, as they appear irregular, unfortunately, but I still feel tired and mentally a bit exhausted, though force myself to hold on to all the positive things!
As for the utmost patient-unfriendly treatment, have already made an appointment in another nearby hospital to see if they can take over my case and treatments, hope to be able to close that door and chapter soon and hopefully onwards to an approach where they do listen and are wiling to search for solutions or alternatives!
Sorry, hope I didn’t bore anyone, this is part of me too and can’t all be posts on yummy foods and relaxing trips, but hang in there, am resting, nose in the garden and have my batteries in the charger and feet up rest of this week week as a trip planned to The Hague next weekend!
Well usually there’s not much point in looking back, with this new year in full swing now, we should look ahead and hope for a year of light, laughter, respect and kindness in the way we live, in the way we treat our planet and the way we treat others. A warm pair of arms like the warmest blanket to comfort us when we need it most, a listening ear to tell our story without being judged, whatever that story may be, as every story is unique and deserves to be told. And maybe, maybe, that story gets a happy ending or closure, just because there was someone to listen or just be there, to help, to not judge, wouldn’t that be great?!
When new replaces old, it’s a strange mixture of hope and melancholy and I allow myself just for once to look back on what the past year has brought us, to me personally, and to our little family, being my husband Bert, son Nick and our stray cat Wiskie, living with us for more than five years now.
The year started off for me personally in January with lots of medical examinations and hospital visits: the ongoing tinnitus, which I am still coping with, sometimes ok to deal with, sometimes a burden, stomach problems and examinations, and no, not as a result of too festive meals… blame it on too many pills for the chronic back pain, but as I can not alter that situation…onwards we go…
February was a month were nothing really happened, that twilight zone, were your heart and the shop windows make you long for Spring but looking outside only brings grey, cold and wind to freeze your brain. That meant seeking refuge inside and luckily had my hands full and mind distracted with the planning of our Summer holiday road trip.
In March we were fortunate to spend a weekend in lovely romantic Bruges, weather wasn’t that great but had a wonderful time exploring tiny streets, new restaurants and coffee houses. Life was wonderful and we were all starting to dream of Spring when time and life were abruptly stopped on the 22nd when our capital and hearts were under brutal attack.
Was counting down in April to have a pain clinic treatment, which meant a lot of ‘bad’ days in that month prior to the treatment and just after, a lot of staying inside, resting and dreaming of better days.
It’s just a ride, it’s just a ride No need to run, no need to hide It’ll take you round and round Sometimes you’re up Sometimes you’re down It’s just a ride, it’s just a ride Don’t be scared Don’t hide your eyes It may feel so real inside But don’t forget it’s just a ride
(just a ride – Jem)
Early May brought better weather, which my back and joints were extremely thankful for! Lots of things to do in the garden, my head full of plans and ideas, some seaside trips, Spring at it’s best.
June meant tiptoeing through the house with a student hitting the books, or pretending to be…all ended well and finally ready to start that last year of secondary education after holiday break. If not tiptoeing or baking something as a treat for the above one I hit the books myself, tourist guides, websites, whatever I could lay my hands on to prepare ourselves for our upcoming southwest USA trip.
July was all about that big adventure, a three week trip, bringing us from San Francisco to Phoenix with stops in Monterey, Yosemite NP, Mono Lake, Death Valley NP, Las Vegas, Valley of Fire, Zion NP, Bryce NP, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and Grand Canyon.
The trip was on all levels wonderful but exhausting, so August meant rest, rest, rest and another pain clinic treatment. With husband back at work and son joining him making some money as a working student the house was empty, leaving me plenty of time to go through and edit the more than 5000 photos we had taken.
September meant back to school for Nick and I started taking yoga classes…still haven’t figured out if it’s my kind of thing considering my back condition and history. A smaller group with more focus on the limitations some people are facing would be more favourable. Have raised the issue with the physiologist of the pain clinic, maybe they are aware of other programs more suitable for me. We celebrated Nick’s 18th birthday, another page turned and new chapters to write.
October and November granted us the most perfect Indian Summer, we did some re-arranging in the garden and had a lovely relaxing Halloween break in Durbuy.
Early December meant another trip to the pain clinic and some unexpected and at first upsetting news after some random cardio tests. Further tests luckily meanwhile showed the problem is existing though minor. Step one, as not completely out of the woods yet, trying to determine the cause and reason why I went to a cardiologist in the first place. However, needed a break of the whole doctors and hospitals world that was becoming weekly business, will deal with that one of these weeks to come!
So here we are, we made a full circle again, from pain clinic to pain clinic, from season to season, from end to beginning.
curl hazel tree
Let’s start dreaming again and hope this year brings lots of pleasantries on our path, the small ones, the big ones, the unexpected ones, the ones that make our hearts jump, our eyes twinkle and put a smile on our faces!
This week, two days in a row now, keeing an empty belly for some blood and health checks…not my thing…I am the kind of the person only mentally and physically functioning on a breakfast: a little bowl of oatmeal, some fruit, some tea or juice and my pain medication, that get’s me started!
The blood check was done yesterday, nothing painful there, though you never know in advance with my veins. They are very tiny, invisible and jump away when a needle gets close, a nurse’s nightmare!
The examination scheduled this afternoon then again is not my idea of fun. They need to have a closer look at the mitral heart valve as there appears to be a leak. I already had a normal echo last week, that’s how the valve problems and leak were discovered, but to determine the severeness they need to examine through the esophagus to have a better view on the heart, valves, and the veins leaving. My cardiologist explained the procedure could be somewhat compared to a gastroscopy, which I had earlier this year,and not a big fan by the way, but this should be somewhat more comfortable as they do not have to reach down as far as to the stomach…comfortable is not exactly the word I associate with any of these examinations, it always seems so much easier sitting on the other side of the room and wearing that white coat!
early morning frost in the garden to warm the hart
I initially went to see the cardiologist as lately I start to experience more and more shortness of breath in daily activities, which are already limited in my case due to my back and chronic pain condition, by activities I just mean doing stairs, riding the bike, lately they all left me gasping for air as if I had just finished a one hour extensive workout! Besides the valve leak some other issues were discovered too, when in activity modus, my heart rate goes sky high too fast, that could be just a separate thing and no link to the valve issue but depending on how great the leak is and how the valve exactly behaves when in higher activity, there might be a link, so at this point this seems like the most urgent thing to further examine, so I just follow and listen…
…for when it comes to matters of the heart, I still want mine to continue to beat normal, feel, love, explore, wonder for a very very long time!
Namasté, aaah, if only I had nature’s souplesse and way to adapt to any given situation! The power to re-energise en to be a able to shut myself and especially my mind down whenever I feel the need to.
I had my very first yoga session yesterday but deliberately waited until today to write down any ‘yay or nay’ experience…surely giving it some time I would be more able to evaluate how I would feel…wrecked, in pain or just the opposite, more energetic or more at inner peace?
So, let’s flash back to yesterday and give you some background info…I have been playing with the idea to give yoga a try for some months now. With the start of the new school year, so did many activities in our local sports centre. I did some research and mailed the yoga institution for more info especially regarding my medical history and whether yoga would be a great idea or not. I have a back condition called scoliosis, have had multiple surgeries, major part of my spine is fixated and I am in daily pain, backpain, as well as radiating pains. More info on that on one of the earlier posts here Crash and reboot, the chronic back pain tales
As it turned out, next class was scheduled the next afternoon and I was welcome to join in and just give it a try.
I must admit I was not sure what to expect, my knowledge of yoga was what I had seen on tv or read in magazines and it all looked very complicated and technical, that is in my particular case as I am on sports level and more general any movements level rather limited!
I explained the situation to the teacher and found myself a spot front row next to two lovely ladies who made me feel very welcome and told me to just take it slow, not to worry if things seemed difficult the first time and not to over-do. I felt confident to start…and then we had to do the so-called ‘sun greeting’ and I just thought: “What am I doing here?!” Is that to scare off any newcomers or is it just me being not that flexible? Greeting one, I was still ignorant of what was coming…my fellow yogi were already at sun greeting three when I was still trying to figure out all the different positions, realising technically I couldn’t do them all, so I just sat down and felt really really stupid, had that “What was I thinking” moment while I was in a ‘sitting bear’ pose…does that one exist?
But hey, I’m no quitter and I must admit of the entire lesson, that lasted one hour and adding twenty minutes of relaxation, those first minutes were the most challenging. Sure, other poses came along were it seemed my two lovely neighbour ladies (of whom I if I would have to guess their age would say somewhere between seventy and eighty) ignored all laws of gravity: their legs and body high up with the candle pose and switching between different poses with a flexibility and smoothness I could not help admire and be jealous of!
Namasté…my soul honors your soul. I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides. I honor the light, love, truth, beauty and peace within you, because it is also within me. In sharing these things we are united, we are the same, we are one.
During class the teacher helped me out or handed me some alternatives so in an overall sense this try-out got a ‘yay’ and yes I do feel a bit more pain today but not in a bad way.
I didn’t put too much pressure on my body, after all these years I tend to know my limits, but even more, there was no need…everybody just did the poses on their own pace and level. Aside from the sun-greeting I must admit the relaxation part turned out rather difficult, curious if after a few weeks or months I can see or feel a change there…
So yes…am gonna give it a try, though there might still be a ‘sitting duck’ or ‘hanging bear’ once in a while!
Making notes for this post I wasn’t even sure if I would ever publish it…it’s not a ‘happy’ topic, but it’s part of who I am, right, so why not?! I promise it will not be a depressive or even too long post!
Just to fill in the blanks for those who do not know me, or those who didn’t know that part of me yet: I have been a chronic back pain sufferer for more than thirty years now after several surgeries between the age of 14 and 19. I take tons of medication daily, have regular treatments in pain clinic and stopped working years ago as physically no longer manageable though I left many tears for giving up my job, and still do.
Daily meds
End of story right, take your meds, physio once in a while, lots of resting, respecting the boundaries…oooh I wish it was that simple!
I have a lot of radiating pains, to my legs, to my arms and neck and sometimes to my head leading to migraine. I call them my ‘attacks’: they vary in severeness and in duration, from a few hours to two days. They come on top of the usual daily pains I have and to which I have grown accustomed. They start at random, not triggered by anything specific, though I should not start vacuum cleaning the whole house😉, I can only do one room, or cleaning windows, etc,…things I have all learnt to work around or find other solutions for.
My days are planned based on how I feel, after doing groceries I rest, I sometimes leave them downstairs to unpack half an hour later because I need to lie down first. When cooking dinner I start my preparation in the afternoon so I can rest before doing the actual cooking, that means if dinner is something more elaborate than just cooking pasta! I split up nearly every activity, so I can rest in between. When having a party or invitation by friends or family we try to avoid two evenings in a row, as I know that is asking for trouble. When I know in advance we go out, the schedule is extra cleared the days in advance and resting is doubled. Luckily I have two lovely, understanding men in my life and here in the house helping me out, my husband and son, I honestly would not know what I would do or who I would be in all this without them! I feel blessed with the lovely friends, family and neighbours stopping by concerned and offering their help, so warms the heart!
Though I have learnt these attacks don’t last, every single time they knock me out big time, it’s not only my body that crashes, it’s a mental thing too and takes time and a lot of inner power to reboot every time again, over and over again. Sometimes I’m lucky and I am only overrun by such an attack once every two weeks, sometimes it’s two in one week!
During those attacks, depending on their severeness, visualisation usually helps me…oooh the beaches I’ve been on, and mountain streams, feet in the splashing water, or recalling happy memories from past holidays…I have a happy song too that goes over and over in my head: Katrina and the Waves’ Walking on Sunshine😀how bizarre is that, but it helps…
The most difficult thing still is to let go: letting go of the plans made for that day or evening, my social world has already been reduced and changed, so I do want to hold on and cherish the people and the things I still have or can do but on the attack days I have no choice: it’s letting go, hoping for better hours, days to come, finding that inner strength to reboot again and focus on the many things I can still enjoy like cooking and baking, reading, gardening, photography, holiday planning and dreaming, making new friends, so once I’m up and running again, well, figuratively, don’t it feel good!
The Back Road Chronicles 