13 Comments

Thank you so much for the mention, Vicki! My piece on Rolanda Polonsky was my very first on Substack. I felt a pull, as if I simply had to tell her story. I’m glad you watched the short BFI film, too. Profound insight into the art she created within the walls of that psychiatric hospital.

So glad to have found you here.

Re HRT, have you tried combined patches? I struggled a lot with headaches, but everything settled down once I switched to those.

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It's a great piece - and I loved the film. Her voice! I can totally see why you wanted to pull on the threads and find out more about her.

I'm on patches with the mirena coil for progesterone. When I first started the patches the headaches dropped from three or four a month down to just two in the first 3 months. The doctor said she thought it was a realistic ambition to cut them out completely and prescribed a higher dose but that seems to have made them even worse than before I started at all (have just spent most of the past 48 hours knocked out by yet *another* migraine and even had hot flushes which I've mercifully not had up to now). We're definitely going to have to reassess as I don't want to carry on losing days out of each month like this 😳

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Yes, her voice and manner is mesmerising.

So sorry you’re having such a tough time with the migraines, Vicki. I really hope you can find something that works.

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My daughter has a jellycat rabbit (and a real one) and I can relate to that picture. As a fellow migraine sufferer mine are very much hormonal. In my mid-late 40s I really suffered with them. I am on a HRT Oestrogen gel and Progesterone pill and that has most certainly helped. Take care.

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Ah we are BIG jellycat fans in this house - my son is rabbit obsessed and has got well over 20 of them, probably half of which are jellycat and my daughter is devoted to her jellycat lion. They're so gorgeous, it's just sad how they lose their delicious softness and end up all bobbly - the price of being cuddled I guess!

Yeah my migraines are definitely hormonal too - they used to come like clockwork on the last day of my period each month and they disappeared completely both times I was pregnant. The lower dose patches I started on (alongside mirena coil) did help so I think maybe it's this higher dose that's making it worse. Hoping the GP can find the best path through for me 🤞It's definitely encouraging hearing others having got some respite.

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I’m hoping those migraines get kicked into the long grass 🐰 x

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Sorry to hear about the migraine. I suffered quarterly “knock me into bed” migraines for half a decade. Nothing alleviated them, the only “answer” being to retreat to bed as soon as I sensed them. But then they mysteriously disappeared and have never recurred. I put that half decade of anxious migraine anticipation down to stress but who knows? And well done in getting the domains. I know it’s a wrench: the name is so important and the cost of more than a couple of domains soon builds up.

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Sorry to hear you were a victim to the nasty Mr Migraine - but very glad you've come out the other side.

I'm not even sure the name I ended up going for is quite right, but decided I should follow the advice of not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. Can always change later if I decide I hate it.

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Ugh, germs! Poor you and poor little 'un. And Pipin is adorable.

I've heard great things about the Saltdean Lido - my folks told me last week that they'd been - not to swim, but for lunch!

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Pipin is a legend. He once had a pop hit called Banana Bopping Party and is the head honcho of Cuddlyland's biggest conglomerate Pipin Chain...

Saltdean Lido is so lovely. I wanted to eat in the cafe afterwards cos the menu looked amazing but there really was nothing suitable for a 4 year old so we ended up in the carvery/pub next door. The vegetarian option they brought out for me was honestly a total abomination - but it was very cheap 🤣

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🤣 So many accomplishments, AND very handsome - Pipin has it all! 🙌

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He really does. One of his many accomplishments was making a podcast series in lockdown called 'Chillax'. Negotiations with the rights holder are currently ongoing as to whether I can share a few clips from that 🧘🏻‍♀️😎😆

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🙌

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