March Linkup from a Narrowboat

Here I am again with a monthly link up with A Chronic Voice.  As always, these prompts often ‘allow’ me to write a few things that don’t make a whole blog, but feel good to talk about. 

Staying

Well I’m staying bored of the news, that’s for sure. I thought Brexit was bad but this Coronavirus is taking up so much of the airwaves it’s like nothing else exists. I’m not saying I want to stay away from this in the news completely, I’d just like a bit of balance. I’m also easily staying away from lots of people as I do anyway, living on a narrow boat out on ‘the cut’ – not in a marina or a permanent mooring at any time of year. I’m not ‘high risk’ with my health but I’m always keen to not be extra ill if I can help it. 

Doing 

I’ve half done a thing. It was once (ok several times) suggested to me that caring about so many different things, as I once did so passionately, was a tiring way of living. I’ve managed to reduce my enthusiasm since chronic migraine showed up which can make me feel a bit detached from the world compared to my once full-force engagement. But it helps me survive. I’ve known for a few months I could probably manage to do something more but everything I came up with was so easily dismissed. Most things were too accountable, with too strict time limits, risked too much disappointment at not achieving it, or just required too much time.  And then I was on Twitter and it was suggested I could apply to be a volunteer at the Migraine Trust. One of their key aims is to ‘campaign for and support people affected by migraine in the UK’ which sounded right up my street. They write that they will need you for 1-2hrs per month looks to be mostly stuff you can do when it suits you.  So now I’m a volunteer! I say I’ve only half done this as I’ve not actually done anything for them yet but at least now I’ve mentioned them to you folk and I encourage you check them out.

Being

I’m being messed around by drugs, yet again. In the last linkup I wrote about discarding expectations and I am attempting to hold to this but my being is still responding as a human. I’m not yet two months in and have the luxury of very gradually increasing the dose which I think is helpful – I’ve even cut the drugs in half at some increments! I’m now on 62.5mg (ish) and my aim is 100mg but the tingling in my hands and feet is already driving me crazy as well as the tiredness but that does seem to ease a bit with time. It also seems an exciting time for migraine with lots of new remedies and understanding happening, and compared to other much less well understood conditions, I am grateful for what progress has been made. Keep on, keeping on. 

Targeting 

I’m coming into my second year of living on a narrow boat and I’m starting to understand what is possible. About lots of things really but specifically about seeing people in relation to getting about between the boat and them, and my health in relation to this travel.  I’m learning to give myself more of a break for not being able to see people for a few months- even a year! – because stressing about where we’re going to be when generally isn’t worth the pain. However, the target of seeing my family more has kind of crept up on me. Our cruising pattern is settling down a bit and I’m about to experiment with getting the train to my Mum’s. I’ve probably seen her the least out of my nuclear family since being ill just because of geographical logistics so figuring out a doable train route to her has been a bit of a break through. I will try this for the first time in a few weeks and I’m really looking forward to spending a few days with her and her partner.

That’s it from me for now, please do have a look at some other linkups from other fabulous bloggers (scroll down to below the prompts) and you will hear more from me in a week or two. As always, comments below are welcomed.