What's New?

Welcome to What's New

This sub-tab of the "Face Pain Info" page is to inform returning visitors of what's been changed, updated, or added since they were here last.   The page editorial team ("Red" Lawhern, Ph.D., page lead author, Stef and Gloria E, Moderators) may also identify work here that is underway in response to member input. 

[February 3, 2012]  Cautionary notes added to articles on surgical procedures and dental work, acknowledging that some patients are allergic to titanium, nickel, or heavy metals used in MVD and some facial reconstructive surgery.

A new resource has also been added to the Face Pain Info collection, with a listing of over 200 physicians and 50+ hospitals which members of the site have recommended.

[January 2, 2012] Link added to subsection on finding a knowledgeable doctor, to a search-able database of pain clinics throughout the US. See: http://pain.com/clinics/.

[December 3, 2011]  A featured link was added to Coping with Crisis, for financial assistance with health care costs in the UK. Discovery credit to Jackie Cornfield.

[November 30, 2011]  A major re-edit was accomplished on the Face Pain Info page, to break up this 70-page article into ~22 more bite-sized sub-section articles linked from and back to the master index.  A "Print Version" file was also generated to enable people who are so inclined to print out the entire collection with a couple of keystrokes instead of many article visits.

[November 20, 2011]

"Meningitis" added to the list of potential surgical side effects from MVD

[November 19, 2011]

New subsection of "Coping With Crisis"  completed on "spiritual and mindful dimensions of pain management" with additional references on emerging results of investigations in placebo and nocebo effect. 

 

[November 11, 2011]

Work in progress:  add a section on Occipital Neuralgia to the Face Pain Info tab, and a section on prayer and meditation to "Coping With Crisis".

 

[November 7, 2011]

Several content edits to "Coping with Crisis", based on member inputs.  Incorporated references to five US State disability programs.  Still pending:  a short section on prayer and meditation as personal management tools.

[November 3, 2011] 

Working draft on "Coping With Crisis" posted to the Research B Tab of "Face Pain Info".  Moderator comments invited.

 

[October 12, 2011]

Writing started for a companion article on "Coping With Crisis".  Announcement posted to an ongoing discussion thread, with a link to a new Attending Physician Advisory form intended for use by chronic pain patients who may need help from an emergency care facility at a time when they cannot communicate clearly.

[September 26, 2011]

Transcript posted for our August 2011 chat session on Atypical TN, in a sub-tab beneath the Face Pain Info tab.

 

[September 21, 2011]

The last four subsections of the Face Pain Info page mysteriously disappeared during the past two weeks.  Today these sections were replaced and re-linked to the master index of the page. Fortunately, I keep multiple backup copies of important published work, so it is very hard to permanently sabotage Web venues where I write.

 

[September 20, 2011] 

  New link added to the section on "What Kind of Pain Do I have?].  Credit to member SF-Bob for his discovery of a collection of hundreds of illustrations pertaining to Trigeminal Neuralgia and the trigeminal nerve distribution.

[August 21, 2011]

  New reference added to section on  "Psychogenic Pain", reinforcing the message that "Somatoform Pain Disorder" is not a legitimate or validated medical entity, and "Atypical Facial Pain" is not mental or emotional in origin.

  Research begun for expanded section on "Treatment of Related Cranial Neuralgias".  End goal is a section highlighting differences in treatment for glossopharyngeal and geniculate neuralgia pain.

 

[July 12, 2011]

   Format editing complete.  Font standardized for a larger and more readable print; reference formats revised for completeness.  Minor details and revisions of wording throughout.  Though there are a few odd-looking sections where bullet subordination didn't "take" properly in transfer from MS-Word files, the product is now print-ready for those who may wish to make a copy for reading off-line.  The web page without comment section is approximately 60 pages long.

[July 7, 2011]

    Explanations added to "Research B" and "Research C" sub-tabs, with links back to sections of the Help With Research tab.

 

[July 6,  2011]

    The Help With Research Tab is being updated with changes to increase font size and standardize section titles and subtitles for greater readability.

 

[June 30, 2011]

    A new section has been incorporated on "Side Effects of Medication and Surgery." Minor editing performed to provide more obvious space between paragraphs and sub-sections. 

 

[June 28, 2011]

     Cautions added to the section on medications used to treat TN and ATN.  Link provided to RxList.Com, as an online resource for information on specific drugs, their primary uses and side effects.  Minor grammatical editing and spelling corrections underway.

[June 22, 2011]

    A new section has been incorporated on "What if I need Dental Work?". 

References and results for MVD and RF Rhizotomy surgical treatment have been updated and corrected based on a new reference provided by Bo, to an exceptionally well written and deeply analyzed paper on "Surgical Treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia".

 

[June 20, 2011]

    Based on references provided by "Bo", research begun on a new section tentatively titled "What if I need Dental Work?"

 

[June 16, 2011]

      On-Site reference added to section on How Do I Help My Family to Understand?, linking to an article posted by our LwTN member, Debbie

[June 15, 2011]

     Section completed on What Special Concerns and Problems do Atypical TN Patients Encounter?

     Reference added to sub-section on treatment by surgery

 

[June 13, 2011] 

    Corrections made to How Do I Submit and Support a Disability Claim?

    Page announced to site membership as an "Update"

 

[June 12, 2011]:

    Section drafted and linked for "Could I have TMJ Disorder?"

    Section drafted and linked for  "Forming a Positive Doctor Patient Relationship"

 

[June 11, 2011]:

    Section completed for "Treatments for Typical and Atypical TN", with a brief sub-section on treatments to avoid, and general precautions.

    Section completed for "What to Expect in a First Neurologist Appointment"

    New reference incorporated in the Surgery subsection on Treatments, relating MVD outcomes for patients with both constant and episodic pain.

[June 10, 2011]: 

    Section content development continued for
   "Treatments for Typical and Atypical TN",
    First draft completed for Alternative, Complimentary and Experimental Treatments
    (section now 95% complete).

    Minor editing continues to inject literature references and refine phrasing of Medication treatments subsection.

[June 9, 2011]

    Section content development continued for "Treatments for Typical and Atypical TN",
    First draft entered for six surgical procedures and four categories of "Complementary" treatments.

 

[June 8, 2011] 

    Section content entered and edited for How Do I Submit and Support a Disability Claim?

    Work begun on "Treatments for Typical and Atypical TN", completed through "Gamma Knife" surgery.

 

[June 7, 2011]

    Section content entered and edited for

Is Trigeminal Neuralgia Caused by Dental Work?

Is Trigeminal Neuralgia Caused by Whiplash Injury?

Is "Atypical Facial Pain" a Real Medical Disorder?

Is "Psychogenic Pain" a Real Medical Condition?

What Should I Do if A Medical Doctor Refers Me to a Psychiatrist For Evaluation?

What Can I Do to Help Myself Live Better Even While I'm In Pain?

How Do I Help My Family to Understand?

[June 6, 2011]

Section completed on "What Kind of Pain Do I [Possibly] Have?"

 

[June 5, 2011]: 

Navigation links installed and content inserted in four sections of the page.  Content added on use of MRI in diagnosis, effectiveness of Opioid drugs, issues with Atypical Facial Pain (Syndrome), and a (new) References subsection for authoritative information (compiled in an article on my personal website). Work begun on "What Kind of Pain Do I [Possibly] Have?"

 

[June 4, 2011]: 

Help With Research Page format revised to begin with a master index (still figuring out how to embed navigation links for getting around, in what may prove to be a very long page with many sections).  Further minor editing of "About this Page" section.

 

[June 3, 2011]: 

First release of "Help with Research", providing a section on "About This Page and The Authors" and a list of subjects to be expanded.