The Bane of my Life

There are many things that can make life hard going but there is really only one thing that can totally stop me in my tracks:

Migraines.

Yesterday I had planned to sit down and write… just 300 words, in an effort to finish a flash fiction story that was officially due today. Just one small segue scene. Not much. How hard can that be? Then there were be a quick re-edit of the full story.  No such luck. Early  in the morning I was struck with the bane of life – migraine.

First there is a tightness in the scalp. This grew into a dull, almost numbness, but with a nagging pulling on the ear and eyelid. Eventually the dullness travels down the facial nerve; one side of the face feels like it is icing on a hot cake. By now I am sure my skin is slowly sliding off the bone. The skin feels heavy. Headache and nausea follow, sometimes with visual disturbances. The clincher is the drooping upper eyelid. With this my whole family knew I was pretty much out for the count. Even my young daughter starts walking on egg shells and whispering at this stage.

I did try valiantly to get some words on paper. Two pages later I was confronted by utter crap. I knew what I wanted to say but my brain was betraying me, yet again. I grumphed and moped and watched some Rom Coms on DVD – something that did not require a great deal of mental exercise. Thank goodness for painkillers.

Today I am feeling a little more human but deprived of those 300 words that were required. I will most likely miss the email submission deadline, as I am at my ‘day job’ until after the allotted time. However not all is lost. There is another flash fiction competition looming later in October (700 words) so all I have to do is add another 200 words this time.

How hard can that be?

The Bane of my Life