The Necessary Tools

I have lived with chronic neuropathic facial pain since 2002. I was one of the fortunate people to get into a pain clinic in my first year with the facial pain. i was a patient there for 15 years and was once on many pharmacological treatments including three different opiods at one time. I still worked as a healthcare worker as much as I was able. I took ritalin at one time to help ward off the somnolence I had very difficult pain to manage. I used medical marijuana as well. All of this treatment but I continued to work and be mom to three teenagers.

I was fortunate to have been part of a pain center where I had a psychologist as well as my pain doc. They presented my case at several meetings. i was only able to have such pharmacological help due to my ability to keep functioning and each time I was a bit better.

I once decided my stress levels were too high and I was a burden to my family and friends and decided to try to end my life but really did not want to do this to my children and once again my pain center psychologist helped pick up the pieces. I eventually became a candidate for a motor cortex brain stimulator and decided then that this would help me come off the opiods and very slowly I did it. I am happy to say that with a multidisciplinary team on my case I got through these years and I am still ion pain meds but the minimum I need to stay healthy. I am happy to say that I have chronic pain but I no longer suffer from it.