Horses are good company -- The Witcher

A few of my tips and tricks for managing chronic pain.

Specific to facial nerve pain:
--I wear the lightest possible glasses
--I do sinus care things, like nasal sprays, eating spicy foods, taking mucinex, using my inhaler.
--Frozen grapes and other frozen fruits act like an ice pack inside the mouth.
--Chewing gum and snacking and drinking cold drinks can help distract me from the pain.
--Lying down and meditating.
--Sometimes I sleep with an ice pack
--Botox was of some usefulness, but what was better:
--A nerve block every three months or so. My doc targets the infraorbital nerve.

Migraines / Light sensitivity:
--I keep the overhead lights off in the apartment, and rely on lamps.
--I wear a hat with a brim when I go out. The hat needs to be big enough on my extra-large head, so it can be a challenge to find a good one.
--Lying in bed and listening to music or podfic with an ice pack on my head or face.

General pain:
--Compression socks. A recent addition to my life and I like them.
--Good quality shoes with lots of arch support.
--I keep an electric heating pad by my bed, and another one by the recliner, so I don't have to unplug and move it around.
--Fingerless gloves, for typing.
--In general, staying warm is helpful, so I will for example wear leggings under my jeans in the winter.
--Various pain creams like Icy Hot, Ted's pain cream, etc.
--The freezer has 2-3 ice packs in it, always. I wrap them up in a pillowcase.
--Loose, comfortable clothes. This can involve cutting tags off of clothes, and cutting notches in the necks of shirts. My favorite kind of shirt is the henley.
--If you can afford it, getting a massage or other alternative medicine can be helpful during really bad pain episodes.
--I play video games to distract myself.
--I rest a lot. For example, do the dishes, then sit down for a few minutes. Take naps.
--I keep a stock of various medications and supplements, though most of these are of limited usefulness for my main problem which is nerve pain. Some of them do help with other kinds of pain. I do keep anti-nausea pills and anti-dirraheal pills handy, because they work.
--Audiobooks and comics are a lot easier to read than traditional books when you have impaired concentration from chronic pain.
--Lower your expectations for yourself. Try not to compare yourself to healthy / non-disabled people.
--Find disability community.
--Ask for help.

I need to remember that on many days, probably most days, I feel better in the evening. It's ok to zone out and rest and nap during the day if I need to.

The acronym HALT stands for hungry, angry, lonely, tired, and is a way to check in with yoursef. My roommate and I decided "cold" was a good one to add, and you can say this as "LATCH". Lately I'm cold quite frequently, and layering clothes or blankets on helps me a lot. I also wear fingerless gloves (indoors) for much of the winter.

Today I am grateful for:
Volunteering, because it gets me out of the house and interacting with people.
Fresh fruit.
My roommate.
Warm, wool clothes.