There are days when the pain arrives before dawn. Before I can even open my eyes, I already know it will be a hard day. Painful trigeminal neuropathy does not ask whether I have plans today, whether I want to rest, or whether I need peace. It is like a shadow, uninvited, insistent, sometimes overwhelming.
Each of you living with similar pain knows this feeling all too well. This kind of suffering can tear through the psyche, shrink the world to something very small: reduced to pulsing, stabbing, burning, to that one area of the face that screams although no one can hear it.
But it is precisely in these moments that we need the stories of people who, even though life brought them to their knees, found the strength to stand up again.
Through my sister I learned the story of an extraordinarily strong young woman.
That woman was Bethany Hamilton.
Bethany, a surfer of enormous talent, was only 13 years old when something happened that for most of us would mean the end of all dreams. A shark attack. The loss of an arm. A fraction of a second that crossed out everything she had been building.
Imagine that abyss: a young surfer whose life revolved around the ocean suddenly loses something without which the sport seems impossible. And for a moment it truly looked as though her future had been torn away with the wave that took her childhood certainty of tomorrow.
But Bethany possessed something that even the deepest ocean cannot take away: an incredible will to fight.
Her return to surfing was not a cinematic scene in slow motion.
It was days full of fear. It was nights when psychological pain probably screamed louder than physical pain. It was learning a new body, a new balance, a new world. It was attempts, some failed, others offering hope. It was determination that says "try again," even when everything suggests it will not work.
And yet... she came back.
Watching her story, I felt I was not looking at an athlete but at someone demonstrating a new definition of courage. A courage that we, those living with chronic pain, know all too well.
Because our fight looks similar.
Not always spectacular. Not always with applause. Most often in silence. Most often where no one sees that taking a single step is heroism.
Bethany taught me one thing: that even if life takes something important, we can still choose to move forward. In a different rhythm. At a different pace. With a different kind of strength. But still, forward.
That is why today, despite the pain, despite the exhaustion, despite everything that has tried to stop me, I want to say one thing to you:
Do not give up.
Your story has not ended.
You have more strength within you than you realize, even if you cannot feel it in this moment.
And when that harder day comes, when pain overwhelms and begins to whisper that you cannot go on, think of Bethany. Of her return to the waves. Of every attempt after a harder day. Of the fact that hope does not always shout. Sometimes it simply endures.
I am holding your hand, even if only virtually.
You matter. You are strong. And you are not alone.
Natalia — since 2014 I've been living with trigeminal nerve pain. I write in plain language, based on reliable sources and personal experience. Read my story →
Frequently Asked Questions
What is trigeminal neuralgia?
Trigeminal neuralgia is a chronic facial pain condition. It manifests as sudden, severe, usually one-sided pain attacks — often described as an electric shock. A single attack typically lasts from a few seconds to about two minutes.
What is the difference between neuralgia and neuropathy?
In simple terms: neuralgia primarily involves paroxysmal pain along a nerve, usually without loss of sensation. Neuropathy involves nerve damage that more often causes constant pain along with numbness and sensory loss.
Does alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) help with neuropathy?
Some people use ALA as a supportive supplement, but evidence is limited and comes mainly from studies on diabetic neuropathy. It is considered a supplement, not a proven therapy. Always consult your doctor.
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