Have any of you read the book Striking Back: The Trigeminal Neuralgia and Face Pain Handbook? If so, would you recommend purchasing it?
Yes Yes Yes Yes and Yes!! I just received mine a few days ago and I am fairly new on this journey but I have learned so much from the book. I have no doubt I will keep referencing it for a long time!!
Jessica
Hi David's Wife,
I have not read all of the book , but I do recommend it. It is a great resource and you can always supplement it with the internet. The book also helped me figure out different treatments I was eligible for.
Good luck to you in your knowledge quest,
Carrie
It’s worth ALOT,! with that book and this website…you have the tools to find the best treatment for yourself…we are rare,
and wonderful, well meaning TN doctors are even more rare! You have to steer this ship
and knowledge will help to keep calmer waters.
TN is progressive, so read, learn , ask, repeat!
If you can’t afford it ASAP, try the library.
Yes - it is the definitive book out there on TN.
Where can I purchase this book - thanks
Yes yes yes!! It was a lifesaver for myself, mom, hubby, easy to read and helps decipher all the lingo. I gotime on amazon, mostajor bookstores have it too, Barnes and noble. Good luck! Kc dancer says it best!
This book without question is the best thing for helping to explain what is causing the pain and various medications and procedures used to cope with TN. It is available from the Facial Pain Association and costs $25. It is " A layman's guide to understanding and treating what is often called the world's worst pain." Authors are George Weigel MD and Kenneth Casey MD. I found it through the resources of this website. If you have TN, you should have this book!
I have TN currently in remission after Gamma Knife at Hoag Hospital Neurosciences Institute In Newport Beach, CA. Before I got to that point, I saw a neurologist many times and had to fail 3 meds. Until breakthrough pain, Tegretol helped me and is often called the gold standard for TN pain. It is also called carbamazepine generically.
Get the book. Trudy
definitely worth the money & the time! I am a nurse & thought I knew everything from my online searches… wrong. this book was a treasure trove of good info. a must-have for anyone with this TN beast (from any cause).
Happy New Year!
I've read parts of this (not the whole thing just yet) and it was extremely helpful. When I got the newest edition, I donated my other one to the local library because they had nothing on Trigeminal Neuralgia. Hopefully others will now be helped by having this book in circulation. Check to see if your library has a copy--if they don't, I would purchase one because you're probably going to refer to it again and again.
As a friendly challenge to all other TN sufferers like me (now in remission, thank goodness!) the next time you go to a book store, consider picking up a copy of Striking Back to donate to your library. No doubt there are other people out there who are searching for answers, and your gift of this book may be just what they need. Thanks in advance and best wishes for a wonderful relatively pain-free 2014!
I found your reply interesting because I have seen two neurosurgeons, and they have said looking at my MRI - with a blood vessel touching my nerve, that Gamma Knife would not work for me - only MVD. Fortunately I have now found that two 300 mg Neurotin pills 4 times a day, plus Clonazepam 0.5 just before bedtime is seeming to help greatly. I have little side effects from the drugs (especially compared to other drugs I have tried like Tegretol). So hopefully this will keep the pain away and I won't have to do either Gamma Knife or MVD.
TLorain said:
This book without question is the best thing for helping to explain what is causing the pain and various medications and procedures used to cope with TN. It is available from the Facial Pain Association and costs $25. It is " A layman's guide to understanding and treating what is often called the world's worst pain." Authors are George Weigel MD and Kenneth Casey MD. I found it through the resources of this website. If you have TN, you should have this book!
I have TN currently in remission after Gamma Knife at Hoag Hospital Neurosciences Institute In Newport Beach, CA. Before I got to that point, I saw a neurologist many times and had to fail 3 meds. Until breakthrough pain, Tegretol helped me and is often called the gold standard for TN pain. It is also called carbamazepine generically.
Get the book. Trudy
yes I read it and got lots of valuable info from it, even saw several doctors in the book. Have any of you read Don't Waste your Pain (available on amazon)? It chronicles my journey through trigeminal neuralgia. I got it published two years ago. I've dealt with this crazy disease for 8 years this month and I don't want to waste a single moment of my life.
Myndi
Highly recommend the book. It was my TN bible from the day I got it, shortly after my diagnosis last January. I have read it over and over again and even had my MVD done 2 months ago by the surgeon who wrote the book. It's a wonderful tool together with this website and also http://www.fpa-support.org. You can purchase the book there too.
Definitely get this book! Information is powerful. I like that it explains alternative therapies. I see an upper cervical chiropractor and am doing pretty well.
Yes, I have read it and highly recommend it. I have had mine for years and find myself going back to it from time to time to look up something.
Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. It has info on just about anything related to TN. It will answer questions you haven't even thought of yet.
When I was first told I had TN, my specialist just said to me ask your GP. My GP recommended a couple of websites for more info. I'm in Australia and there is just no information here for us so I found Striking Back on Amazon and it told me everything I could ever need to know. Since then, My GP has been amazed at how much I can tell her!
Myndi I just googled your book and read the content and I think that's beautiful and true! If it weren't for all my pain I never would have sat still long enough to read the Bible. Good for you!
I haven't read Striking Back yet it sounds great!
poobie123 said:
yes I read it and got lots of valuable info from it, even saw several doctors in the book. Have any of you read Don't Waste your Pain (available on amazon)? It chronicles my journey through trigeminal neuralgia. I got it published two years ago. I've dealt with this crazy disease for 8 years this month and I don't want to waste a single moment of my life.
Myndi
This book is a godsend!
It does not advocate any one particular treatment or therapy, but rather provides non-biased info.
Dr. Casey is SO knowledgeable.
I am honored to call him my NEW doctor.
He told me that he is working on a new version of the book, based on the latest research.
Hi. Do you know if the one Dr Casey published in 2000 is the most recent one? Thanks