The Other Me
‘Looking For Answers’ i. One evening, I was watching TV when my sinuses spasmed, then closed-up. It became almost impossible to breathe through my nose – possibly hayfever. Dr Warren tried various medications: sprays, which did nothing; and an antihistamine, which simply made me insatiably thirsty. Hayfever had begun to affect me the previous year, the year of Black Saturday, when horrific bushfires had razed Kinglake. I wondered if the loss of trees, or all the soot in the air, were perhaps somehow the cause, as I knew others who’d never had issues with hayfever but had now begun to suffer from it. Sometimes, I also began to feel a…
The Other Me
‘That Same Old Feeling’ ii. During the next week I adhered to a strict regime: I’d wake up, do some editing or writing, finish at 5.00, and then around 6.00 I’d take an hour walk. In the evening, I would totally relax – no writing, no editing, not even any reading; I’d just lay back and watch a movie and switch off. A week later, the head pains went. Even Dr Warren was surprised by my improvement. My victory was short-lived. Whilst the headaches didn’t return, the low mood creeped back in. Sometimes I’d feel bleak. Another night, I was drifting off in front of a courtroom drama on television…