Chronic pain: Mind matters, but it's not all in your head

Gloria Pierce thought she was losing her mind when “electric shocks” tore through her head, sometimes hundreds of times in a single day.

Now, though she's not pain free, she's back in control of her life – and says that's what's important.

A specialist diagnosed trigeminal neuralgia, which causes a burning or shock sensation in an important facial nerve. It is most common in women older than 50, and the cause is not always clear. Pierce is 65.

Some people find relief from surgery, but Pierce said the possibility of severe complications made her reluctant to try that option. She said she didn't initially want to go to a pain clinic, and definitely didn't want to talk to a psychologist. She felt angry about the pain that was taking over her life, and afraid of what the future might hold.

“I said I'm not crazy,” she said. “At the beginning I was a terrible patient. I just wasn't going to do it.”

She changed her mind, though, after seeing results from stress-management techniques, physical therapy and injections into her forehead. She also takes an anti-seizure medication, though she doesn't have epilepsy, because it also works on some kinds of nerve pain.

“They really saved my life,” she said. “They taught me how to enjoy life again.”

Read the full article at mlive.com