Category: Chronic Illness

Chronic illness can be hereditary, environmental, and a result of trauma both physical and emotional.

Volunteer for the 2020 Migraine World Summit

A few years ago, I volunteered for the Migraine World Summit, and I’ve never looked back.

During a time when I was just beginning to climb out of a decade long chronic migraine cellar, I saw a call for volunteers on a migraine website I follow. At the time, I was unemployed and in the middle of an unplanned career change. I figured volunteering would give me some much-needed experience to help me find a job in my new career field. Looking back on that time, I had no idea how valuable this experience would be for me.

Yes, I now have some career-related experience under my belt, but I also have so much more than that. At Migraine World Summit, I am embraced by those who not only understand, believe, and support my chronic migraine journey but also value me for my strengths. On top of all that, I learned much more about migraine than I ever thought possible, and I continue to learn. Add in the feel-good vibes from helping get important information to other people with migraine, and it is a win-win situation.

In preparation for the 2020 summit, the Migraine World Summit is looking for volunteers in multiple roles including:

  • Social Media Manager
  • Community Support Ambassador
  • Content Editor
  • Copywriter
  • Website Developer
  • Graphic Designer
  • Partnership Manager
  • Live Event Planner
  • Video Editor
  • Executive Assistant

If you are interested, just fill out a short application form before November 1st, 2019. You can also visit the Join Our Team tab on the Migraine World Summit web page for more information.

Escape to Slumber

Woman sleeping in bed


Escape to slumber in the darkest night.
Heavy blankets help hide the fear inside.
Moonlight hidden behind thick clouds, contrite.
Their eyes weighed heavy, blurry with bromide.
 
Racing in circles, their thoughts fight and flight.
Replaying the past, like a movie slide.
Still frames, close-ups, emotions amplified.
Escape to slumber in the darkest night.
 
The movie plays on all covered in blight.
Each character struggling to face what died.
She covered them up and tucked them in tight.
Heavy blankets help hide the fear inside.
 
They woke in the morning and grinned, bright-eyed.
But then he broke in and unleashed his might.
She fought to save them and keep them bright-eyed.
Moonlight hidden behind thick clouds, contrite.
 
She schemed and planned and plotted for their flight.
He screamed and yelled and cursed them.  Amplified
by triggers and flashbacks that play despite
their eyes weighed heavy, blurry with bromide.
 
Safe now from him the future should be bright,
but his ghost invades. A demon bestride.
We carry him with us into twilight.
Never without the dead feeling inside.
                     
Escape to slumber.

Loss and Found Treasures

Loss and Found Treasures 

Chronic illness took away my health, my income, and my security. It also forced me to focus on my family – something I took for granted when I was healthy. After losing so much, I now realize that I have so much more of what matters. I have my loved ones, and I cherish them.  They are a treasure worth more than wellness, fortune, or invulnerability.

The 2019 Migraine World Summit

The 2019 Migraine World Summit

Claim your FREE ticket now at The 2019 Migraine World Summit

The largest patient event in the world for headache returns this March 20-28.

The Migraine World Summit will bring together 32 experts including doctors and specialists to share new treatments, research, and strategies to help you improve your migraine and chronic headache.

WHY ATTEND?

  • World-Leading Experts: At the Migraine World Summit, you’ll learn first-hand from 32 of the world’s top migraine and headache experts from leading institutions including the Mayo Clinic, Harvard Medical School, John Hopkins Hospital, Stanford Medical, John Hopkins Hospital, and the International Headache Society.
  • Full Access: Many of these world-leading experts have long waiting lists and fees that are beyond the affordability of the average insurance policy. Skip the waiting period and get straight into the room with these experts.
  • Free: The event is entirely free whilst live from April 18-26. Visiting dozens of specialists in one field would take years and costs thousands of dollars. This is an incredible opportunity to hear from dozens of leading experts in migraine for free during the week. After April 26 transcripts and interview copies are available to order.

Claim your FREE ticket now at The 2019 Migraine World Summit

Join more than 100,000 informed attendees and tune in to 32 NEW interviews to find the answers you need to help better manage migraine and chronic headache. Questions answered include:

  • What new treatments are available or coming soon?
  • What can I learn from successful patient case studies?
  • What new non-medicinal alternatives are recently available?
  • How can I break refractory chronic migraine?
  • When I should get a scan for my headache condition?
  • How are neck pain and migraine related?
  • How important are sleep and exercise really for those with migraine?
  • Are supplements or vitamins worth considering?
  • What are some common drug interactions and side effects we should know about?
  • How do I need to know about hemiplegic and vestibular migraine?
  • How important is diet for migraine and headache?
  • How can I interpret migraine research?

The virtual Migraine World Summit is free from March 20-28, 2019.

Register now for your complimentary pass.

Claim your FREE ticket now at The 2019 Migraine World Summit

See you at the Summit!

Break in the Fog

When the brume clears, no matter how brief the reprieve, capture the moment. Hold it dear and remember there will always be another break in the fog. ~Undeniably Sara

When the brume clears, no matter how brief the reprieve, capture the moment. Hold it dear and remember there will always be another break in the fog. ~Undeniably Sara

Supermodel in an Alternate Reality

That’d be me.  Call me by my supermodel name, Chronic Migrainelle.

Fancy Men and Women

Today, Yesterday, Last Week…

Its been going on for weeks now. Every day feels like an attack from one side or the other. Just when I think there will be one calm day with somewhat reasonable expectations of me, then I get hit again.

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The Map

I remember planning my future, where I’d go to college, what I’d study, and how my future career would allow for some flexibility for the unexpected.  It was a logical, researched and well-thought-out plan.

I’ve come to realize much of the anxiety, distress, and ultimately dis-ease in my life originated from my stubbornness to follow this plan at all costs.  The amount of energy expended trying to control my life depleted my ability to respond to the inevitable “shit show.”

It takes great restraint to focus my efforts on what is happening right now rather than attempting a stranglehold on the cornucopia of “what ifs.”  Now, my plan is like following a map to a destination unbeknownst to me.  The map helps guide me, but I must find my own way.

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The Tangled Mind

The tangled mass of vibrant colors shooting out of the head makes visual the struggle to explain the traumatized mind.  Surviving each day is challenging enough, but then we face trying to describe the sensation to others.

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Breaking Point

Burning stress, piercing hurt, and crushing fear
Pile on, forming a jagged mountain of pain.  
Then, a feather lands atop with a whisper of breath. 
Giant boulders crash down, roaring like a freight train.
The taste of blood in my throat, a migraine of molten lava, 
And my heart, pounding out of my chest, beating in my ears.
The breaking point smoulders from holding it in too long.