My face is on fire. It feels like it is literally burning from the inside out. I expect to look in the mirror and see flames coming off my face and dripping, melted flesh. I am always surprised when I look and all I see is me, with a red face and a very red right cheek.

Your job is to rest. Your body is going through some horrible things and your system is overloaded. It’s ok to sleep. It’s ok to take it easy. It’s ok the laundry isn’t done, the dishes need done, and there are piles forming on the kitchen island and table. Those things don’t matter. What matters is you. You are needed, which means you need to rest.

Healthcare professionals ask you to rate your pain so they can gain an understanding of your pain levels, to help provide an accurate diagnosis, and develop treatment plans. Your pain rating is meant to help the medical professional gauge how serious your pain is and how to treat you. As a chronic pain patient, I have often viewed the scaled rating as a way to determine if the medical professional should take me seriously.

Music has always been there to help me over the years, there’s an artist and genre for all the ups and downs. It wasn’t until I was seven years into my diagnosis with Trigeminal Neuralgia and was at an all time low, physically and mentally, that I fully appreciated the power of music.

In March 2018, I was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia, a chronic pain disorder that causes severe pain in your face. I couldn’t even pronounce the name of my diagnosis let alone understand what the doctor was saying.