Blog
Read about Kathy’s experiences with disability, loss, and recovery.
How to help others experiencing pain, even when you are suffering
Do you believe that your suffering might help someone else? I did, back when I was really ill with trigeminal neuralgia, I was convinced that my experience with pain would help others. I was right about that, but I was wrong to think I had to get well to be of...
Mother’s Day for ladies who have trigeminal neuralgia
Years ago, I was in terrible pain with trigeminal neuralgia, so my daughter and her husband came to my home. Because they were willing to make the trip, I could relax and didn't have to concern myself with facing the world, about applying cosmetics, or accomplishing...
By faith, we wait
We wait. It is a part of life that can be terribly unpleasant. A popular theme, fiction, non-fiction, and plays have wait in their titles. Tom Petty, whose band Mudcrutch played at my high school dances and events, sings about how “The Waiting is the Hardest Part.”...
Emails, dental work, you, and me
Until yesterday, some time had passed since I received an email from someone who has read With Great Mercy, someone I don’t know. As readers, we have no way of knowing what is happening in the lives of writers. It is always good to know that we have helped, inspired,...
Trigeminal neuralgia: How can I get them to understand?
How can I get my spouse, coworker, boss, friends, or family to understand? This is one of the most common questions I hear regarding the nature of trigeminal and glossopharyngeal nerualgias. The answer, regardless of who asks it, is the same. You cannot make...
Social isolation: we aren’t alone anymore.
I know, I know, I quit blogging because someone is stealing my posts and using them as his or her own. Perhaps this entry will also be stolen. I have come to realize that if people are helped by what I write, then that is the real purpose of my reflections.More than...
Trigeminal neuralgia and night terrors
If one has trigeminal neuralgia, terror can rule the night. I was married when I had pain so horrific that my spouse sometimes awakened me, explaining that he could not sleep because I was screaming. I was amazed by the fact that I could slumber in spite of my...
Trigeminal neuralgia: Is it really “the suicide disease?”
Several years ago a blog post popped up, stating that 26 percent of all individuals who have trigeminal neuralgia (TN) commit suicide. I was working for TNA, The Facial Pain Association at the time, as the Director of Patient Services. What this means, basically, is...
Glossopharyngeal neuralgia: symptoms
What does glossopharyngeal neuralgia feel like? I will tell you about my own experience. My glossopharyngeal nerve sometimes causes stabs and jabs in my jaw. It can cause me to “jerk,” suddenly as though I have put my finger in a light socket. The pain sometimes...
The Whiteboard
Nothing stirs my soul like a visual. Today I saw a picture of a man who is recovering. I’ve prayed for him and his family, but I have never met him. His daughter is a cherished friend of my Kelli. I’ll call her Jay. Jay came into Kelli’s life when I was hoping my...