Ginger Vee My Chronic Life

I am a Trigeminal Neuralgia Warrior…And today, October 7th, is Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day.
But…What is TN??
It’s Permanent nerve damage to the Trigeminal Nerve, the nerve that runs from your temple/jaw, into your mouth, down to your cheek & face, front of your neck. You have Trigeminal nerve branches on both sides of your head/face. I have damage to my right side due to a Traumatic Brain Injury at 5 years old.

TN causes pain in my jaw, face, mouth, ear, cheek, eye, and down my neck & arm even affecting my hand, all on my right side only. I have had face pain and migraines since 1st grade, but was diagnosed only 3 years ago.
The pain can be sharp, lightening strike like sensations down from my temple, through my jaw, down my neck & into my hand, and cause swelling in my jaw, the inside of the right roof of my mouth, face, neck, and I lose hearing in my ear. It can be hot, stabbing, throbbing..but it’s mostly numb on the surface, though, sometimes it’s tingly, like when your foot falls ‘asleep.’ It can be difficult to speak, and to open my mouth to eat, to hold onto things due to the weakness in my hand, and cause the most intense pain episodes that I literally lose my memory.

I have some degree of pain every minute of every day. I have for most of my adult life. I’ve had c-spine surgery and removed/replaced my C-7, (the next step will be to do the same with my C-6), then had hand surgery to relieve a impinged nerve (which didn’t help anything), and countless medications, therapies, supplements have been tried. My TN isn’t my only significant pain issue, as a TBI at 3 years old caused me to have Occipital Neuralgia, which is the nerve behind your eye, up to your crown and down to the base of your neck. These 2 conditions rule my life. Unfortunately, nothing takes the pain completely away…at least, not yet. Most things have helped, at least a little, and I’ll never give up trying to lessen my pain and symptoms.
I live a full, happy, life that happens to come with some significant pain. I live as mindfully, spiritually connected, positively, and peacefully as I can; I mitigate my triggers as best as I can, and manage my pain as naturally & best as I can. I am a warrior and I’ll never give up.