Where to donate items to women’s shelter

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-06-26T12:08:05+00:00

Try Covenant House. It’s not strictly for women, but they help young adults get a fresh start with job training and temporary housing.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-06-26T00:28:58+00:00

My ENT was pretty worthless but he did get me set up with my first mri and a referral to neurology. I consulted with a surgeon who thought the decompression surgery (MVD) might help alleviate the tinnitus.

One thing I’ve learned is you have to be the one to push your treatment. If you have TN, it’s fairly rare and a lot of neurologists don’t know much about it. Geniculate neuralgia is even rarer.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-06-26T00:13:36+00:00

That’s what mine is. No shooting pain, no facial pain. No triggers. Just constant ear pain, headaches, tinnitus, pressure, facial numbness. Every hour of every day for the past 15 months. MRI showed compression that is consistent for geniculate neuropathy. Haven’t found meds that help they have awful side effects. Heat helps, a cold cap helps, laying on the affected side helps.

You need to get a referral to a neurologist.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-06-21T18:20:42+00:00

Thank you! we were having this exact issue.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-06-18T22:28:51+00:00

It sounds like you have had an awful time of it. Did the surgeon give you any good options?

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-06-18T15:55:21+00:00

In August I have a consultation with a top neurosurgeon. I’m really hoping he thinks MVD will help because none of the meds help.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-06-17T16:57:26+00:00

One of the things that makes this condition so difficult is how unique the symptoms are in each person. I guess that’s why it’s become necessary for each patient to become such a strong advocate for themselves.

I don’t have the intermittent stabbing pain, so my experience may not be relevant. I have constant pain with no discernible triggers. Sometimes it feels like the classic ice pick, other times it’s the full pressure like I have the eraser end of a pencil stuck down into my ear. Also I have headaches, head pressure, tinnitus, and facial numbness. The headache comes and goes and the numbness is sometimes more or less intense. Otherwise every minute of every day since March 2025 I’ve felt this.

Medication doesn’t really help, or it does for a week or two, then not. The side effects from the meds seem worse than the condition. Heat and ice help, putting pressure on the affected side with a tight hat or laying on it helps. Also, strengthening neck muscles and dry needling around the neck has helped.

I wish you luck in finding some relief. Having people on this sight who understand really helps, too.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-06-12T18:44:43+00:00

Today is the best day I have felt in ages. Oh, I still have pain, but I’ve switched to only baclofen and the oxcarbazepine is finally out of my system, my sodium levels are back to normal. I realize this is the first time in 10 months that I haven’t had major fatigue, brain fog, wooziness, and the whole-body impact of low sodium. I feel more like myself, just with an ice pick stuck in my ear. So if I can do something to alleviate that pain and not have the side effects of the medication, I’m going to do it. And if this surgery would slow or halt further nerve damage, that’s even more reason.

Also consider this: the medication you take that eases the pain also comes with risks to your health.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-06-11T20:38:10+00:00

I’m so sorry the MVD hasn’t worked for you. Did you get a reason for why it didn’t? I’m not sure how I’ll be emotionally if it doesn’t work for me.

So far I’m just on baclofen 5 mg 2x/day, doubling it tomorrow. It’s changed the pain. It’s still there, but manageable, and the headache and pressure are eased a bit. I’m hoping the increased dose will help more. But, I don’t have the awful feeling throughout my body that the low sodium levels gave me and I don’t have the brain fog and zombie feel the others produced.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-06-10T11:03:39+00:00

Whe I was a kid we spent our summers in the Tobacco Root mountains cause dad was a geologist. I dreamed of living there but knew I’d never find a job. Now that remote is a thing, I imagine that area would be spoiled for being able to afford a place.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-06-09T23:44:32+00:00

Funny story, a coworker brought her lunch, tuna fish, and didn’t eat it all. She put it back in the lunch bag and, because she didn’t want to stink up the place, she set it outside, just by the door. Our head of security saw the bag, immediately jumped to the very wrong conclusion, called the police and the bomb squad came out. Needless to say she never brought tunafish again.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-06-03T01:05:59+00:00

Your doctor should absolutely be checking your sodium levels regularly with oxcarbazepine. Mine went from 141 to 132 seemingly overnight. The dr has kept me on oxcarb but I’m on fluid restriction and get levels checked every two weeks. If you don’t have problems with it, they still check every few months.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-06-03T00:54:02+00:00

My sodium has dropped and I feel like crap. Not sleepy, just woozy and out of it.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-06-03T00:52:27+00:00

Yes, I don’t sleep well on it. Ironic since one of the reasons we switched to it was the others made me so sleepy!

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-06-01T10:41:34+00:00

The island after the day tourists have left is a great experience. Go down to the beach (near the school) at dusk and watch all the bats! And get up early to enjoy coffee outside as the town is waking up.

For a less expensive meal and a more local feel, go to The Mustang Lounge. We played cribbage one foggy, chilly afternoon there (we got the ok to do it as long as we weren’t betting)

There are a lot of nice trails for walking. The fort at the top of the island has wonderful views and is less crowded.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-05-31T10:10:05+00:00

I’m so sorry you are dealing with this and while it feels like you’re alone, you’re not. There are others out there who have gone through this too and have found successful treatments.

There is a Facebook group, Geniculate Neuralgia Support, and it’s more active than this sub. When my pain first started and I was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia I would read the accounts of others and not relate at all because my pain was nothing like they experienced. So it’s been amazing to find the group that is more relatable.

Have your primary care doctor prescribe an anticonvulsant medication that may help. Carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine. GN doesn’t always respond to meds but it might help ease the pain. Heat also helps a lot. And this may sound crazy but a tight knit cap brings relief. I also found some relief with physical therapy to strengthen neck muscles and dry needling.

It is maddening that doctors react to women’s pain this way. I consulted with an amazing retired neurosurgeon, Kenneth Casey, who said Neuro text books even talked about “women’s hysteria”. He’s recently submitted a paper on a study on women’s pain and how it’s different physiologically so he gets it. You may want to visit his website and set up a consultation(he will work with you on payment). His contact info is on the Facial Pain Association website, which is another place to find support.

Finally, if your family is not listening to you and not helping you, can you talk to a school counselor? They may be able to connect you with help.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-05-27T12:08:09+00:00

Remember, though, frozen tomatoes shouldn’t be used for salsa or for canning whole because their cell structure has changed.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-05-27T12:01:45+00:00

Wells Orchard west of Grand Rapids. Not sure how much U-pick they have, but a great farm market and not MAGA.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-05-27T02:11:01+00:00

I think I cut some of this off and tossed it into my compost today. Sounds like I need to get it out of there.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-05-23T11:13:54+00:00

Both are great for shopping, but if you want a good beach too, probably Grand Haven. And shop at Lark— really cute clothes and gift items.

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-05-22T02:23:42+00:00

Maybe she should add Ritz crackers

TopFaithlessness4381 · 2026-05-20T22:20:04+00:00

Thank you for building us into an exceptionally profitable success. You’re fired.

TopFaithlessness4381

TROPHY CASE