I have a chronic pain condition called Trigeminal Neurgalia. Recently, I shared on Facebook that I've just had my three year neuralgiaversary and asked how long everyone else had been living with TN for. People commented who hadn't yet been diagnosed and people commented who had been living with TN for 20+ years. What struck me most is that, as far as I could see, everyone could remember exactly when they first were struck down with neuralgia.
Category: Trigeminal Neuralgia
Tips For The Week You Reduce/Stop Your Medication
I have recently stopped Amitriptyline and reduced my Pregabalin down to 25mg twice daily, which soon I'll be stopping completely. Whenever I reduce a dose in medication, the side effects hit me hard and I feel very unwell for around five days every day, before I start to see any improvements. I'm getting pretty good at withdrawing from medication now, so I have a little system for whenever this is about to happen. This is how I do my drug withdrawal week!
Doing Things Differently: Why I Brush My Teeth At Strange Times
I see why you're supposed to brush your teeth morning and night. I love the fresh feeling in the morning and it definitely is good to give your teeth a good clean at the end of the day, but it's okay to do things a little differently.
5 Chronic Illness Myths Debunked
I have to admit, before I got ill, I didn't really pay attention to if chronic illness myths were true or not - I just didn't really think about them at all. I didn't take them as gospel, but I didn't question their accuracy.
Taking Steps Towards Being Medication Free
Coming off medication is so difficult and weaning myself off this time feels like hell on earth, but I'm looking forward to being side effect free!
What To Expect From Your First Appointment With A Neurologist On the NHS
I was officially diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia by a neurologist, but I already knew I had TN the day after I experienced my worst symptoms. My first point of call was my dentist, as my pain seemed to be coming from my mouth, and within an hour of me seeing him, he said he was very sure I had neuralgia and to make a GP appointment ASAP. When I told my GP what my dentist had said, she sent a referral through for a neurology appointment. Sometimes your dentist really does know best.
What To Expect From Free Counselling In The UK
I have never been ashamed to admit that I've needed counselling before. To be honest, I'd think it was pretty strange if someone was diagnosed with incurable chronic pain and didn't feel depressed, or scared, or something along those lines.
