Latest round begins

Of course, the Beast had to wait a week after my neuro consult. On a rational level, today might have been worse: Mankoski 6 to 7. What kind of whacked me was that after meds (except Clonazepam) and an hour of bed rest, I was able to get up, and got hit again. That was another hour lost, and a first-class pain hangover now.

There are still hints--more than hints, really--of bilateral manifestation. The trouble is, I've lived with TN so long that I have no recollection of what to look for at the beginning. Would it be precursor pain, full-on episode, or what? I guess we just wait and see.

No surprise, my neurosurgeon has recruited me to join a TN study. It's at Yale, but one doesn't have to go there. I've volunteered and I seem to meet all the criteria but one. The study is looking at the genetic component of the disorder, and where possible, the researchers want to be able to sample your DNA and your parents'. My parents have been dead for over 20 years, and it strikes me that this could be a problem for such research. In most people, TN appears after age 50, so the proportion of people under treatment with living parents may be disappointing. I'm game, anyway, and I'll post more as I learn it.