If ever there were a perfect highlight reel that prevented you from scrolling through the lengthy archives of my blog, it would look something like this.
So far in my journey – with migraine and my blog – we’ve moved through three incredibly unique chapters that all take on their own tone and purpose. Here I’ve broken down the key points in my story to help you get to know me a bit better so that no matter when you decided to hop on this train, you can feel connected and know the whole story.
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Chapter 1
Chapter One captures the individual who was sick, while being sick and tired of everyone else and their assumptions. The posts were angry, and closely followed the original intent of the blog: black and white photos with words used to fill in the grey to help people better understand migraine. They follow my journey through my final semester and final job, and deciding to allow my health to be my priority upon moving home. A lot of change occurs through chapter one and the transition occurred from “angry and needing space to vent” to recognizing where educational opportunities could be found and spread to those around me.
May 2018 ~ The first time I really stepped back and created a story describing what my symptoms and experience was like. This post captures how migraine impacts all of my senses.
May 2018 ~ A piece that looks back a bit and reflects on where I’ve been and where I want to be.
July 2018 ~ Digging deeper into how difficult living with chronic migraine is when it is truly an invisible condition.
July 2018 ~ After spending months working my hardest at a job I loved, I had to face the reality of deciding between work, school, and my health.
August 2018 ~ Digging back into my past and recognizing what fortitude meant to me then and the powerful meaning it holds alongside my health journey.
Home.
August 2018 ~ The pivotal moment where I recognized that leaving Wisconsin and coming home to Charleston was right for me.
Here’s My Advice, Take It or Leave It
August 2018 ~ My first collaborative piece that combines both individuals needing advice and those giving it. A wonderful exploration into how we perceive advice and how we can always work to improve.
Ravi D’avior Fait Votre Connaissance as They Say in France
November 2018 ~ The day I decided to step back. To close the book and re-evaluate what my purpose was, specifically related to my migraine journey and how I shared it.
Chapter 2
Chapter Two brings an entirely new life to my life and this blog, it captured both aspects of my life and my migraine and allowed them to build off one another while being separate entities. Although this was an incredible time full of growth and development, it was also a time where I hit rock bottom emotionally and had a lot of learning to do.
December 2018 ~ After stepping back and reflecting, I came back. I reinvented what this space would be and how it would be utilized. This marks a new start in my journey and really introduces who I am beyond my migraines.
December 2018 ~ reflecting on the year and deciding how to move forward. New Year’s Resolutions were thrown out and a theme took it’s place.
January 2019 ~ After finalizing all of the paperwork and officially being “disabled” this piece digs into how I got here.
To The Best Friend, Who Gets It
February 2019 ~ This piece is incredibly special to me because it focuses in on the one person in my life who truly understands what I’m going through and has been constant support since the day we became friends.
February 2019 ~ One of the hardest aspects of migraine and disability was not being in school anymore. However, not being able to be in school doesn’t take away the fact that I’m still a student.
March 2019 ~ Although focusing on Recovery for the year came with good intentions, recovery is a bumpy road and it takes a lot. After 3 months, I had to sit back and really fight for my recovery.
March 2019 ~ In accepting my health and taking a risk on a more lifestyle based approach to healing, I had to address the question “what is my migraine story?”
Why Migraine Doesn’t Impact My Mental Health
April 2019 ~ After having struggled with the concept of “positivity” and defining why I could remain so happy despite my pain, I was able to connect the dots to my mental health and the choices I had made that lead me to this point in time.
My Affirmations Are Present In My Spaces
May 2019 ~ Being an interior designer and having a passion for creating meaningful spaces had surprising translations into the spaces I created to best suit my health and needs.
May 2019 ~ A pivotal point in my journey came when I made the decision to stop relying on abortive medications to dampen the pain or side effects of my migraine attacks.
Chapter 3
Chapter Three is really just getting started, but at the very root of this chapter is a dedication to healing and discovering who I want to be. This chapter comes out of recognizing that healing is possible and that it is inevitable, and most importantly that it is not a pain free type of utopia.
June 2019 ~ A new journey and a new focus on finding life and really being intentional with the healing process.
June 2019 ~ On my journey, I’ve come to recognize that I am an advocate. However what I consider advocacy is quite different and this piece breaks down what I think proper advocacy looks like.
July 2019 ~ Healing while acknowledging that pain is still very present is a complicated area. This piece touches on an area I’ve struggled with for years: Impostor Syndrome and how I can take my understanding and reframe to not let those thoughts and feelings control my narrative.
July 2019 ~ Healing is a subject that many people are uncomfortable with. To me, breaking through the concept of what healing “is” and what it means to me is an incredibly important step in allowing others to understand that in my world healing doesn’t equate to finding or even looking for a cure.
Sometimes It’s More Than a Speed Bump
August 2019 ~ Healing is something that is far from linear and although many bumps are really just bumps that we learn to take differently, August could be viewed more as a setback on my personal journey.
I’ll Have My Brunch, And Eat It Too
November 2019 ~ An important follow up to my piece “Disabled On Paper” where I discuss where my thought process and life has changed since being approved for disability.
Checking For Fibromyalgia as a Migraine Patient
November 2019 ~ Discussing the implications of a diagnosis of fibromyalgia and the continued search for answers regarding undiagnosed abdominal pain.
Two Years Into My Life My Migraine
February 2020 ~ An examination of how far I’ve come in the two years since starting this blog.
Seeking Diagnosis Through Remote Care
April 2020 ~ Continuing the search for understanding widespread chronic pain and associated symptoms.
I’d Like to Introduce You to My Friend: Psoriatic Arthritis
August 2020 ~ Following a journey beyond migraine towards define other inconsistencies, I moved from undiagnosed to having to contend with an autoimmune disorder in the middle of a global pandemic.
Rejecting What Recovery Should Be
December 2020 ~ A dose of reality of being disabled, and how living my life as designed within the boundaries of my body is an act of rebellion, and how rejecting society’s expectations is freeing.
Slipping Through The Cracks: When Doctor’s Don’t Address Health Risks
April 2021 ~ While slowly settling in to a new routine after a terrifying few months I felt unsupported in my Arthritis journey.
Recognizing Mild and Severe Cases of Serotonin Syndrome
September 2021 ~ After starting the year with deadly medication side effects, trialing a new drug gave me insight into these experiences.
October 2021 ~ After feeling lost to arthritis, my biggest fear came to light further complicating all of my health conditions and stealing my summer.
Repairing The Relationship With Food That Migraine Took From Me
March 2022 ~ I am constantly in a state of reflection and friction when it comes to food and diet. After many years and many obstacles, I am now in a more consistent state of repair.
Navigating Menstrual Migraine for the First Time in My Mid-Twenties
April 2022 ~ For years hormones didn’t play much of a role in my migraines, but in early 2020 things started to get more complicated which led to many hormonal changes and an introduction to a new kind of migraine.
How I Learned to Love Myself Again After Hair Loss
September 2022 ~ One of my worst complications with my arthritis diagnosis was the hair loss from my medication. My hair has always been a cornerstone to who I am and this piece follows the emotional journey as it grew back.
This page was last updated in December of 2022.
A.
My Life. My Migraine. 