So far, this has been a three-bears summer where I live in Lafayette, swinging from a too-cold foggy chill to a too-hot swelter with the sun beating down and the temp pushing past 100 degrees. I’m missing those “just-right” days we usually count on at this time of year. The chill is easy to […]

A research team at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has identified a genetic mutation that is strongly associated with a typical form of migraine headache—migraine with aura.  The research “puts us one step closer to understanding the molecular pathway to pain in migraine,” according to Louis J. Ptáček, senior investigator on the study […]

I want to scare you out of your wits. I want to shake you and make you sit up and listen. Because I don’t what happened in my family to happen to you. One uncle was blinded by stroke. Another died.  I was luckier: I survived my stroke, but not intact. May is Stroke Awareness […]

As  stroke survivor with impaired dexterity in my hand, typing on the computer is one of my greatest frustrations. Emails and web posts are measured in hours, not minutes. So I’m always looking for ways to save time. I think of myself as decently tech-savy, but I learned several new time-saving tricks today from New […]

I never thought much about my brain until it went haywire on me. I’d ignored a few months of irksome forgetfulness–just approaching menopause, I thought; nothing serious. And, with perfect blood pressure, low cholesterol, regular exercise, and a healthy weight, I had no idea I could be at risk for stroke. I was home alone […]

Packing for Paris is not just clothes. What about all the electronic “gear” we’ll need for a working trip? Packing is always hard for me. With memory loss and attention deficit from my stroke, it sometimes feels as though I’m running around the house for days trying to determine what I’ll need. Making lists helps. […]

My French friend, Antoinette, has been advising me on what it takes to be stylish in Paris, where she and I will be traveling this fall with a group of friends. Jungle Pants are out, out, out! As are waist packs, fanny packs, and­–mon Dieu!–tennis shoes. Instead, we’re to put on bright lipstick, stash all […]

The proliferation of medical information on the web makes it easier than ever for patients to be informed about their health. It’s also easy to be misinformed and confused by page after page of Google results that are often confusing and contradictory. Last week I posted on Ten Reliable Sources of Health Information on the […]

Losing the ability to communicate well is one of the most devastating effects of a stroke. It was to me, when I had a stroke in 2002. One day at the drugstore, shortly after my discharge from the hospital, the pharmacy clerk asked, “Is that Anne with an “e” or without?” I hesitated, confused by […]

The Australians call them ‘mozzies’–such a cute name–as though mosquitoes were just pesky little creatures that buzz and bite, one of the minor annoyances of venturing off the beaten track. I used to think of them that way, too, until I started traveling to the tropics and meeting people who’d had malaria, dengue fever (its […]