Scrapping Through The Pain Of Trigeminal Neuralgia

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Last Of Scrapbook Calendar Pages

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Friday, February 17, 2012

I am pretty late posting this, but I thought it might give some of you who are already thinking about Christmas 2012 some ideas. I made homemade scrapbook calendars as gifts for a lot of friends and family - I just took it a couple steps further to make it something they could keep as a remembrance of the year. Like a year in review, or something. Each month has four pages. The first, of course is a calendar for that particular month. The other pages have room for pictures and journaling, like a normal type scrapbook, but I also added poems, quotes, and pockets for keepsakes. I found this project very fun, if not a little time consuming. It was worth it, though. The calendar scrapbooks turned out to be a huge hit and I already have requests from people to make them again for the next year.

Most of the paper is used is by Karen Foster.

Most of the embellishments are handmade.

I tried to be as creative as possible in the small space I had to work with, without making the pages too busy.

Some months were easier than others, but overall, I think the whole thing turned out pretty well.

Stay tuned for the next three months of pages to be posted soon! And as always let me know what you think!

Monday, January 23, 2012

A Little Love

In honor of Valentines Day, I thought I would post a Valentine's card with a little different feel. I used my Indie Art cart for the front and my Sew Easy tools for the heart stitching on the inside. The whole project took me about 20 minutes!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

More Winter...BRRR!!!

Well, its about 6 degrees with the wind chill here today. So I thought these pieces would be appropriate to post. Not enough snow for a snowman, yet. Still more on the way, though.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Winter is Here!

These are some of my favorite PP's for winter. I really like the polar bear - I made him for a swap a couple of years ago and just fell in love with him. You can't really tell from the picture, but I used pop dots to make his paws standout. Unfortunately, I lost the pattern for him :( I hate the idea of having to take him apart to make more, but that is probably what I will have to do.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Patterns - As Requested!

Penguin Pattern

New Year's Clock Pattern

Elf pattern - taken from a coloring book

I hope everyone who requested a pattern finds these useable. Have fun!!

Learn A Little About My Condition

TN (Trigeminal Neuralgia) Description / Definition
TN (Trigeminal Neuralgia) is a nerve disorder of unknown origin that causes sudden shock-like facial pains, typically near the nose, lips, eyes or ears. It is said to be the most excruciatingly painful human condition in the world.
The disorder, also called tic douloureaux, is named for the three-part (trigeminal) nerve that supplies sensations to all parts of the face.
However, because the trigeminal nerve is involved does not establish the diagnosis as being TN.
The earliest description of trigeminal neuralgia can be inferred by Galen who was born in AD 81.
TN (Trigeminal Neuralgia) is a disorder of the fifth cranial (trigeminal) nerve that causes episodes of intense, stabbing, electric shock-like pain in the areas of the face where the branches of the nerve are distributed - lips, eyes, nose, scalp, forehead, upper jaw, and lower jaw.
A less common form of the disorder called "Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia" may cause less intense, constant, dull burning or aching pain, sometimes with occasional electric shock-like stabs.
Both forms of the disorder most often affect one side of the face, but some patients experience pain at different times on both sides.
Onset of symptoms occurs most often after age 50, but cases are known in children and even infants. Something as simple and routine as brushing the teeth, putting on makeup or even a slight breeze can trigger an attack, resulting in sheer agony for the individual.
Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is not fatal, but it is universally considered to be the most painful affliction known to medical practice. By many, it's called the "suicide disease."
Initial treatment of TN is usually by means of anti-convulsant drugs, such as Tegretol or Neurontin. Some anti-depressant drugs also have significant pain relieving effects.
Should medication be ineffective or if it produces undesirable side effects, neurosurgical procedures are available to relieve pressure on the nerve or to reduce nerve sensitivity.
Some patients report having reduced or relieved pain by means of alternative medical therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic adjustment, self-hypnosis or meditation.
Trigeminal Neuralgia is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that TN, or a subtype of TN, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
It is estimated that 1 in 15,000 people suffer from TN, although those numbers may be significantly higher due to frequent misdiagnosis. 1 in 5,000 are thought to suffer from some type of facial pain.
The exact cause of TN is not fully understood