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HAWMC Day 26: Health Tagline

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Welcome everyone again to ‘Brain Lesion and Me’ for those just joining me, welcome. Throughout April I will be writing a new blog post everyday as part of WEGO Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge – ’30 Days, 30 Posts’. The posts will be inspired by the prompts given by WEGO Health. The prompt for today, the 26th day of the challenge reads as follows:

Health Tagline…Give yourself, your blog, your condition, or some aspect of your health a tagline. Make sure it’s catchy!

I have given this some thought about what to choose as a tagline, and have come up with the following:

“Once Upon a Dizzy Spell…”

Why have I chosen this tagline? Well, for starters, the dizzy spells at the age of 8 was the beginning of the journey of my condition and the fight it took to get a definitive diagnosis. It was to some extent the first sign that there was something wrong – especially as dizzy spells amongst children seems to be an unusual symptom even though the doctors seemed to just brush them under the carpet and sent me on my way without referring me for further testing.

And another reason why I have chosen the tagline is that I am enjoying the new series, ‘Once Upon a Time’. The show is an American fairytale drama starring Robert Carlyle, Jennifer Morrison and Ginnifer Goodwin in which the fairy tales from our childhood and our world collide. And what is the first thing you think of when you hear the words “Once upon a…”, a story, right? Well, that’s exactly what my blog is about – it’s my story of living with my health condition and how it affects me, so think the tagline fits in perfectly with what I am trying to achieve with writing the blog.

So, “Once Upon a Dizzy Spell…’ is my chosen tagline! What do you all think? Should I use it on the blog?

If you had to choose a tagline for yourself, what would it be? Again would love to hear from you – please feel free to leave any comments and thoughts…

;

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HAWMC Day 25: Third Person Post

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Hello Everyone!!  Welcome, it’s a brand new day and as it’s still April means it’s also time for a brand new post.  If this is your first visit then to let you know that I am taking part in the WEGO Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge meaning that throughout the whole of April I will be writing a new blog post.  The team at WEGO Health have provided all participants with a list of prompts for each of day of April which we then can incorporate into our posts.  Today’s prompt reads as follows:

Third Person Post: Write about a memory you have but describe it using the third person.  Use as many sensory images (sights, sounds, textures, etc) as you can.  Don’t use “I” or “me” unless you include dialogue.

For this challenge I have decided to use the memory of my first day at university:

The bright morning sunshine shone down on the vast university campus, the tall white buildings looking intimidating. 

The whole campus was alive, students pushing their way though the growing crowds, the air was buzzing with excitement of a new chapter in the lives of those in the crowds.  Rhiann felt it too, the excitement of what was to come, a new chapter allowing those of the past to be closed, and the beginning of a new story – hopefully a much happier one, where friends are going to be made and the ability to fit in with others with the same interests as herself.  

On the other hand , she also felt apprehension, anxiety of the unknown.  She brought the books and files she was carrying closer to her chest as if they were going to comfort and reassure her that it was going to all turn out alright.  She felt the pristine notebooks beneath her fingertips, not yet written with the words and notes of lectures to come, information important to her future and ambitions.  Her legs felt tired and weak with the waiting of being allowed into the large, bright theatre where she would spend the next three years of her life, studying, learning and being inspired.

Finally the students filed in, choosing seats and chatting amongst themselves, introductions being made.  The room was large, ceiling high, the brightness and intensity of the fluorescent lights beating down making her feel giddy and faint.  She made her way to the front with help from a support worker or “buddy” as they were referred to, and finding a seat, sat down on the blue fold down seat, feeling the softness of its padding behind her and settling her notebooks on the small desk to the right of her, opening to the pristine white, untouched page of the notebook, placing the pen beside it, waiting with butterflies for the tutor to arrive signalling the start of the her very first lecture. 

After several minutes, a short man with graying curly hair arrived setting up a PowerPoint presentation on the large projector screen which hung overhead, reminding Rhiann of the large screens found at cinemas, its presence looming above her, its dominance and importance felt.  After a few short minutes, the lecture introduced himself, “Welcome, my name is Martin Graff and I will be taking this lecture for this year…” 

And so it began, the first day of the next three years….

What did you guys think of my attempts at writing in the third person?  I have to say although it sounded exceptionally easy, it was quite tough writing a personal memory and then writing it in the third person as the first instinct when writing about yourself is to use words such as “I” and “me” and so on…

Again please feel free to leave any comments and suggestions below…

Until Tomorrow…

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HAWMC Day 24: Health Mascot

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Hello, to all my readers.  Welcome to Day 24 of the WEGO Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge – 30 Days, 30 Posts.  The prompt for today reads as follows:

Health Mascot…Give yourself, your condition, your health focus a mascot.  Is it a real person? Fictional? Mythical being? Describe them.  Bonus points if you provide a visual!

I found this prompt difficult.  With any invisible conditions, it is hard to come up with any visuals to describe the condition, its symptoms and the effects it has on the individual.

However, one of my favourite things in life is butterflies.  I love the symbolism of them – the freedom they have, flying freely.  I also think they are beautiful with their bright colours and different patterns on their wings.  It can also symbolise change – as a butterfly emerges from a cocoon.  I have butterflies on a range of items I own, they are on my wallpaper in my bedroom, pendants on necklaces, on t-shirts and tops I wear, and so on.

Therefore, I immediately knew that due to my love of butterflies, I had to somehow incorporate a butterfly into my ‘mascot’ for my health condition.  So, I have decided due to my condition being caused by a lesion in the brain stem, I have used a brain stem as the body of the butterfly and then have used wings to surround the brain stem.  I have attempted to draw what it would like, which I have found exceptionally difficult as I am not artistic at all, and even more difficult with the tremors in my hands which I am experiencing today.

But this is my attempt:

I know it’s not very good, if someone out there is artistic and could up with something even better which I could use for the blog I would be most appreciative!!  Maybe even producing a banner for the blog instead of the one I have of the willow tree and the sea.

Again, if you have any suggestions, comments, I would love to hear from you.

Until Tomorrow…

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HAWMC Day 23: The Mysteries and Secrets of the Brain…

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Welcome again everyone.  A brand new week has now started, another Monday morning – everyone talks about the ‘Monday Morning Blues’ however I tend to love Mondays as it means a day to get out of the house to volunteer for a local charity.

If you have never volunteered before, I would highly recommend it, the satisfaction you get helping others is fantastic, and if like me you suffer with health problems, helping others is a great way to forget your own troubles for a couple of hours immersing yourself into doing something for someone else.

Anyway, back to the ’30 Days, 30 Posts Challenge’ – today is one of the ‘Health Activist Choice’ Days, meaning that we can write about anything we want.  I have been here in front of my computer for a while trying to decide what to write, so I have decided to choose a topic which I personally find fascinating….

The Brain!!

It is amazing that this muscle, weighing an average of 3 pounds defines who we are, what we are capable of.  Without it, we wouldn’t even be able to survive, with the brain stem responsible for basic vital life functions such as breathing.  Within the structure of the brain is where memories are stored, where our personalities are defined and so on.

However, it is also amazing that while our brain is responsible for us, well being us, there is still many things which are not fully understood by neuroscientists and doctors alike, even considering the advancement in medical science.  In Rita Carter’s fascinating reference book, she writes “the brain is the last of the human organs to reveal its secrets” and also reveals why the brain is so complex and often misunderstood, “the brain is particularly difficult to investigate because its structures are minute and its processes cannot be seen with the naked eye.”

That isn’t to say medicine hasn’t made any advancements concerning the brain – as of course, it has.  The development for example of imaging technology has made it possible for doctors and researchers to clearly view the different structures within the brain.  And what’s more functional imaging reveals even more of the brain’s secrets – as it shows which areas of the brain are active, meaning that researchers are now able to identify which part of the brain are responsible for different functions such as movement, rational thinking and memory amongst others.

Even more fascinating is the mysteries of brain disorders and what can go wrong when a part of the brain is damaged.  There are many disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease and so on that are more easily recognised and much is known about what has gone wrong within the brain and central nervous system resulting in the specific disorder.  However, there are a great many which are not known to the general knowledge, and which is even a mystery to the doctors.  Take, for example ‘Alice in Wonderland Syndrome’, an extremely rare form of migraine which results sufferers to see their own bodies or those of others or even inanimate objects askew.  Meaning that objects or body parts looking either bigger or smaller than they really are.

Another fascinating brain condition is something which I encountered during my time studying for my degree in Psychology.  It is called the ‘Capgras Delusion’ in which a person exhibiting the syndrome believes that a close friend, spouse, parent or other close family member has been replaced by an identical looking imposter.  Although there have been several theories to why this particular syndrome occurs, its exact cause still remains a mystery.

The fascination and interest in neuroscience and the brain may stem from my time reading about some areas of the subject as part of my studies at university.  Or because of my own neurological condition – which also to some extent remains a mystery, such as how or why the brain stem lesion has occurred.  Whether the reason I believe that the brain is still the most mysterious and interesting organs of the human body…

So, there you have it, some of the secrets and mysteries concerning the brain.  Again, I hope you have enjoyed today’s post, please feel free to leave any comments you may have, or any questions, suggestions are also welcome.

Recommended Reading 

The Brain Book by Rita Carter

The Brain that Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science by Norman Doidge

The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks

The Neurotourist: Postcards From The Edge of Brain Science by Lone Frank

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HAWMC Day 22: The Things We Forget…

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Welcome to a brand new post on ‘My Brain Lesion and Me’ it’s now Day 22 of the ’30 Days, 30 Posts Challenge of WEGO Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge.  Today’s challenge is a nice and short one day, perfect as I’m not feeling the best today.  The prompt reads as follows:

The things we forget…Visit http://thingsweforget.blogspot.com/ and make your own version of a short memo reminder.  Where would you post it?

The site ‘Things we Forget‘ is a series of photographs depicting thought-provoking quotes and other uplifting messages on post-it notes and then placed and photographed in public places all around the world.  If I had to contribute one then I would share this:

I find the above quote inspiring, and was written by an American author, historian and Unitarian clergyman Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909).  It reminds me that even when I am feeling really bad, when the dizziness is so intense, and my legs are very weak and virtually unable to stand that I am still important, and still have something that I can contribute to society at large, or my community, or even a little job to help my parents.

It is also important to remember, and the quote reminds me of the fact that the struggles that we may face shouldn’t stop us from achieving what we want from life, or things that we may want to do like travel or further our education, and so on.

Where I would place the memo reminder? Well, I would definitely put this in my bedroom, sticking it to the computer – a place where I would see it everyday and remind me to battle on through all my struggles and illness.  I may also share it in the Mental Health Centre, a place I volunteer at once a week, to remind others going through major difficulties and ill-health, something to inspire them to achieve their goals and to travel their long and hard road to recovery…

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