Anything But This: Dealing with Migraine Sans Medicine

Contents

Part A

1. Just the Beginning

2. Decoding Myself

3. Born With It?

4. Decoding Migraines

5. When the Threshold Breaks

6. The Law of Uncertainty

7. A Message to My Beloved Nightmare

• When I Arrive.............................................................

• Punching Bag .............................................................

• Abuse and Use.............................................................

• Handicapped ..............................................................

8. Improving Life by Removing Addictions One at a Time

9. Good Things Don't Last Forever

10. Anything but This

• Anything but This .......................................................

• A Burst of Yawns .........................................................

11. The Many Shades of Migraine

12. Necessity Versus Choice

13. When a Simple Task Becomes Unassailable

14. Reckless Driver

15. Movie Theatre Horror

16. Trekking Faux-Pas

17. The Forgetful One

• The Laggard Brain ......................................................

18. The Fearless One

19. The Irritable One

20. The Inefficient One

21. The Sleepless One

• Nature Is Still With Us ................................................

22. The Feverish One

23. The Exhausted One

• Like a Waterfall...........................................................

24. Phase in, Phase out

25. Absurd Migraine

26. Hang out Solo

27. Migraine Jokes

28. Misunderstandings

29. When Will I Stop Living in a boat?

• Captain Drunkard ......................................................

30. Sleep Thief

• The Morning Chirp .....................................................

• The Chirps at My Window...........................................

• Bedtime Bedbugs .........................................................

31. My Reply to a Friend Asking Me About My Condition

• Drain Me Out ............................................................

32. The Need for Processes in Place

33. The Best Things in Life of a Migraineur

• The Best Distraction Is... ..............................................

34. The Biggest Question of My Life

35. The Sane Train

• Stories—The Most Important Thing in Life...................

• Writing Changed My Life… ........................................

36. Migraines Begets Poetry

• Writing on the Go .......................................................

• Foggy Day...................................................................

• Buried in the Ground ..................................................

• Keeping Abreast of These Stupid Times ..........................

• Disoriented Soul..........................................................

• A Little Boy's Dream ...................................................

• Spinning With the Earth .............................................

• Insomnia ....................................................................

• The Tick-Tock Clock ....................................................

• Eyes Gone Wild With Sleep ..........................................

• A Blank Stare Into the Void .........................................

• They Can't Help It ......................................................

• I Flow ........................................................................

• Attack From Inside ......................................................

• The Hiss of a Snake .....................................................

• Handicapped ..............................................................

37. The Unsolicited Comments

• An Open Letter… .......................................................

38. Minding My Mind

Part B

39. Facing Migraines One Step at a Time

• The Enlightened Kid....................................................

Step 1

40. Is It Really Migraines?

Step 2

41. Observe, Observe, Observe

• Triggers.......................................................................

Step 3

42. Preventive Measures

• Nepali in the USA ......................................................

Step 4

43. Causes Versus Symptoms

• Symptoms, They Rock ..................................................

Step 5

44. Acceptance

• Control Vis-À-Vis Creativity ........................................

Part C

45. Some Journal Entries