We put this poster on to our awareness page on Facebook a couple of weeks ago.

Unless people are in the position of having an ongoing illness, or caring for someone with one, they possibly have no idea just how much online communities mean.

No matter what time of day or night, there is normally somebody available for a chat. This is so important when you live with certain conditions. Sometimes people can become quite down, even severely depressed, and the knowledge that having someone there is invaluable.

Someone once wrote that online communities are just one big pity party. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Some people do need to have a bit of a moan, and to be able to do that to people who understand. It is a way of coping. But there are people who are constantly trying to help, trying to pull them through their down spell.

Where would we be without those social networking sites?

TN is often seen as a condition with no cure and  no hope, but hopefully with online groups, people can get support and help. And until there is an actual End to Trigeminal Neuralgia, we'll be thankful for the invention of the internet.

Living With Trigeminal Neuralgia Can Bring Out The Creative Side

As the title says, we often see people writing poetry, prose, drawing  or painting. They make jewellery, they make cards, they just get creative.

Maybe it's a way of taking their minds off the pain. Maybe it's therapy to them. But whatever the reason, we feel it is too good not to be shared. So today, we have a couple of poems for you.

"Sitting Here"

Sitting here with my head in my hands,

The pain is so intense I can't even stand,

TN is my worst enemy, its never a friend

I wish I had a magic wand

To make this pain end, 

But I am a survivor and 

I will fight my way through,

The pills and the pain

I swear I will beat you...

You may be my enemy, but

You will not beat me, it will not be the end

As I gain all my strength from my

Family and friends

By Nicola MacKenzie

❊❊❊

"Waking Up"

I wake each morning not knowing what the day will bring.

Will the pain be low or debilitating?

Will I be able to do all the things that Mommy's do

or fight horrific pain the whole day through?

Will today be the day that I am pain free

or just another day in misery?

I'm so sick of pain controlling my life and

affecting my ability to be the very best mommy and Wife. 

I'm sick of not being able to enjoy this life

that God has given me this second chance at.

I'm sick of the doctors saying I now have this or that!

But we all have to fight even when we are weak.

Take the worry out of our loved ones eyes when they kiss our cheek.

This disease won't break us no matter how much it tries. 

Just you wait and see, Some day a thing of that past will be our painful cries. 

We may be down right now and feeling like we just cant take no more of this pain

and having to live this way.

Our pain free days are coming. God is listening when we pray.

By Dawn Gravitt Earwood

❊❊❊

So does living with pain bring out your creative side?

If it does, please let us know.