Opening up

Most people who have trigeminal neuralgia and other types of neuropathic facial pain have experienced quite a bit of rejection. It happens because people who have not experienced such mysterious and excruciating pain find our explanations to be incredulous. They just can't believe it's possible.

Here's something else to consider. If this is terrible thing happening to someone else, it could happen to them. Denial is easy.

Think back to your earliest days with this disability. Was it difficult for you to believe that such pain could come out of nowhere? So difficult to describe? Mere talking can cause the electrocution-type pains to erupt, making it easier and easier not to talk about the terrible predicament.

We withdraw. We go into our own world, and we feel alone but we aren't. It's not just us and the television.

Today I am watching Julie and Julia, a movie I've seen before. I've seen it before, and I love the story. Julie blogs away while she works through Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. She starts with no followers, but she quickly gathers an audience. It's the beginning of Julie's success.

If we take a look back, though, we see that she opened herself up to anyone who had access to a computer and could read in English. That's risky, and it's what we bloggers do.

When I wrote With Great Mercy, I opened myself up, telling how I thought the Lord had forgotten me, and then later learned how He much He cares. I really hadn't known the extent of His love until I reached out for His mercy.

At the time I didn't know others who have trigeminal neuralgia, but I knew they were out there. If I wanted to write something to help others, I would have to be transparent. It's a scary thing, but transparency is makes someone believable. The author's authenticity gives the reader someone to relate to. 

If you have no one who understands the depth of your pain, I encourage you to open up to someone. Step out of the box of isolation that often defines the world of someone who experiences so much pain. There are ways to do this: a support group, a prayer group, or a professional counselor. If you don't have a trusted friend, feel free to contact me via email.

Trigeminal neuralgia turned my life upside down. It turned a drama teacher into a rehabilitation counselor, and lukewarm Christian became one who wanted every day to get closer to God.

Has illness caused your life to change? Did something good result from it?

In the midst of the storm

We had a long, cold winter and so many people who have trigeminal neuralgia and neuropathic facial pain really suffered. Now that warmer weather allows these individuals to enjoy lower pain levels, barometric pressure threatens to deliver more discomfort.

When barometric pressure shifts suddenly, many people notice that their pain rapidly increases. No, it is not in your mind. No, it’s not fair. One summer Florida experienced four hurricanes. Three of them came through my area, and the symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia raged.

You may want to have a plan of action. Don’t hesitate to report the summer pain to your health care provider. It may be that medication can be adjusted or additional treatments can be given. Keep an eye on the weather report to help you know what to expect.

It’s not easy to remain calm in the midst of a storm, especially when pain is at its center. This is where the challenge lies.

So long ago when my pain got bad, I was unable to talk. I’d call my mother, and press three keys on the phone pad. She knew my signal, and she would come over to say a prayer with me and to sit with me.

It may help you to prepare for pain caused by weather fronts. Store your storm stash together:

Favorite Bible verses

Encouraging Quotes

Medication

Phone numbers of people who will offer you support

If you wear glasses, a light weight pair

No chew Fish de Lish recipe

Nutrition can be a concern for people who have pain in their jaw areas, whether it is from trigeminal neuralgia, neuropathic facial pain, or a jaw disorder. We hear about spices and how they are great for our health, so I developed this recipe that’s so soft and requires little chewing. I use thawed cod loins, but tilapia and other types of fish are suitable. If you use another fish, the temperature and time may need to be adjusted. The marinade becomes a sauce, making this dish easy.

Fish De Lish

1 juice orange squeezed with pulp or 1/3 cup orange juice

½ teaspoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon dried cilantro

pinch of ginger powder

1 tablespoon Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread

Bring the items above to a boil in and remove from heat. In a pan to be used for baking, place the thawed fish and cover with the marinade. You’ll need to keep it in the refrigerator marinating a couple of hours or longer. At some point, you’ll want to turn the fish over so both sides will be flavored with the marinade sauce.

When it’s time to cook the cod, place it in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees F. It will need to bake 10-15 minutes, until it is flaky. I turn mine over in the marinade sauce after 5 or 6 minutes.

Then it’s ready to serve. The sauce is enough for 3-4 cod fillets.

Information below about the herbs and seasonings come from http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail18.php

It is believed: *

* When cilantro is taken in a lightly cooked form it causes the body to excrete excess mercury.

* Ginger is an excellent digestive, aiding in the absorbtion of food, and elimination of gas and bloating. Ginger stimulates circulation so it is good for cold hands and feet.

* Garlic helps to lower hypertension, serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Both garlic and onions help thin the blood by discouraging platelets from sticking together.

I hope you will enjoy this nutritious recipe. Use the google search bar at the top of the blog to find more recipes on this site.

The sting

…It stings like a viper. Proverbs 23:32

When the pains of trigeminal neuralgia began to invade my body, I thought it was a tooth. I knew nothing of cranial nerves and had never known anyone who has facial pain. Besides that, it felt like a tooth gone wild, a tooth with a evil in its pulp.

If you’ve experienced this sensation, then you know what it’s like to wonder what in the world has happened. Many people have root canals or a tooth removed trying to “fix” the pain. Often times, though, more dental work makes the pain worse.

Having no name for the pain makes it difficult to explain the severity of it to others. It’s common to be frustrated with others’ lack of understanding. What’s even more universal is for someone to be upset with the individual who is experiencing trigeminal neuralgia or another type of neuropathic facial pain.

In the earliest days of TN, my (ex) husband told me that if I would just gargle with Listerine, the pain would subside. He may sound like a cruel man, but he’s not. He simply didn’t understand.

The very act of swooshing something around in the mouth caused my own pain to get worse. It hurt because an unhealthy trigeminal nerve can be disturbed by facial movement. And until a person has had this disorder, facial movement (smiling, talking, chewing, etc.) isn’t something we think about. It’s automatic and painless.

The pain caused by these simple activities is impossible for someone else to understand, at first that is. After all, it’s difficult to comprehend even if you’re the person who is experiencing it. Spouses, family, and friends need time to process what’s happening to the person they love. Education is a key.

One key to dental hygiene is finding products that don’t contain alcohol. It can cause a terrible sting, worse than a viper. If you are looking for a way to accomplish daily oral health activities, there are several brands of alcohol-free mouthwash. That doesn’t mean that swooshing isn’t going to hurt, though. Be careful, and take good care.

Care for me, feed me, visit me

I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me. Matthew 25:36

I’ll never be able to thank God enough for the way my mother took care of me when I had trigeminal neuralgia. She wouldn’t let go of me; my mother was determined to defeat the pain. Her determination and faith spread to me, and that is how I got well. Although the process wasn’t simple, the premise is: Lord, I believe You will make this pain go away. How can people believe such a thing when it feels as though the face is being electrocuted over and over and over?

As I fought the good fight of faith, I remember feeling as though my body had imprisoned me. I wanted to escape it, but I couldn’t. I found solace in a song that Dottie Rambo wrote, “The Holy Hills.”

This house of clay is but a prison
Bars of bone hold my soul.

How desperately I wanted to escape the prison, but I couldn’t. Captured by pain, I sought hope. If nothing else, I knew that the present sorrow could last only a lifetime and not for eternity. That’s how Dottie’s song encouraged me:

But the doors of clay are gonna burst wide open
When the angel sets my spirit free.
I'll take my flight like a mighty eagle…

I longed for a day of freedom, either by way of healing or through death. The thought of my death didn’t depress me, and it still doesn’t. It’s simply a longing to be in a better place.

The pain is gone, but I can’t forget about others who are suffering. I can’t forget, either, about people who are in prison. I’m involved with Prison Fellowship Ministries, and what a blessing it’s been. I’ve been teaching Set Free by Jan Coates to a group of women who are incarcerated. It’s about overcoming childhood abuse, and the curriculum is wonderful.

When I first met the group of women, I told them that I had never been arrested or in custody but I know what it’s like to be imprisoned by pain. They could relate to that, and I can relate to them. We all need someone to minister to us, whether it’s a need for food, clothing or shelter; a need to be attended; or a need to be visited when we’ve been punished. Think of someone who helped you along the way, someone you didn’t know well. For all the people who helped me – and there have been many – thank you. Because you helped me, I can visit people who are in prison.

More about the green olive tree

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. Psalm 52:8.

This is the second in a series. To read the first part of this entry, scroll down a little to see the green olive tree. It's been several months since I wrote the first part of the olive story, and you may wonder why I've waited such a long while to write in my blog again. So many reasons exist, but I’ll share just one with you. I’ve known that writing this portion will make me cry.

Before my tears begin, I’d like us to look more closely at the green olive tree’s awesome fruit. The beautiful olive decided to “go green” long before this world had issues with energy, pollution, and other environmental concerns. Boasting more than beauty, an olive has taste appeal, a subtle but delicious aroma, and some other wonderful properties worthy of discussion.

Just think about what happens when an olive is pressed, squeezed, or crushed. Instead of being destroyed, the green olive produces an oil that helps us humans thrive. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fat, a healthier type of fat that can lower the risk of heart disease by reducing the total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels in an individual’s blood.

A fountain of health, olive oil was popular with the Greeks and Romans of Jesus’ time. Olive oil was used to treat open wounds, insect bites, headaches, to counteract poisons and to aid stomach and digestive problems. These ancient civilizations also applied olive oil to the body before bathing (as a soap) and then again afterward to moisturize the skin. It forms a barrier against dirt and the harmful effects of the sun.

Today we believe olive oil may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease because it is full of antioxidants and contains Vitamin E. This fabulous oil is known to lower blood sugar levels and blood pressure, making it even more tempting to serve and consume this food with Italian herbs. Ever dipped your bread in that?
Traditionally olive oil is extracted through a grinding process that is accomplished with mill stones. Today they are ground in steel drums. In both cases, a paste forms and the olives are pressed again.

To get to the really good stuff, the olive must be crushed. It loses its shape and firmness. If olives could talk, I wonder if they would tell us how much it hurts as their oil is extracted. We cannot even see a trace of the fruit by the time the oil makes it into the bottle and onto our table. If it could be seen, then we wouldn’t have the expensive and highly regarded “extra virgin” oil.

I think we humans have much in common with olives. Refinement isn’t easy, and being ground and crushed hurts terribly. And who wants to lose their firmness or beauty? The very process that leads to a product containing helpful properties is the same process that causes the young but ripe olive to be destroyed.

I don’t know if it is possible for us humans to bear the fruit of the Spirit if we haven’t been ground or crushed a little or if we haven’t lost something we that once was part of our identity. It’s easy to admire people whose strong relationships with the Lord are apparent. We all know these blessed saints; they have words of healing at their fingertips. But would we want what they have if we had watched them being crushed, ground, and filtered?

If we want the Lord to load us with spiritual antioxidants and healing properties, we’re going to lose something, part of our identity. To have more of Jesus and less of us is going to hurt. We may experience something that will help us relate to the olives: it could be that no one might notice our pain.

Sources regarding olive oil

www.healingdaily.com
www.mayoclinic.com
www.wikipedia.com
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/the-health-benefits-of-olive-oil-ga1.htm

You'l be seeing me

Write from the heart. That's what I told my students a few years ago. It doesn't matter if you're writing fiction, poetry, or a factual presentation. Present facts as facts, fiction as fiction, and opinion as opinion and you can't go wrong.

Here are the facts: I hear from someone with trigeminal neuralgia or facial pain every day. I thank God for this fact because I am given the opportunity to pray with someone, to lend support, and to be a friend. I am thankful for you.

Now how about some fiction? I've been reading more of it lately, and I am disappointed with much of the Christian fiction on the market. I'm looking forward to the next book I'll begin, Healing Stones. It looks promising.

Opinion: There's no better place to write than on my recliner, where my two toy fox terriers like to snuggle with me. They'll be helping me with my next entry, part two of Green Olive Tree. It's coming right from my heart.