CalderCottage
Studio
Artworks
Our main goal is to raise funds for TN (Trigeminal Neuralgia) research through the Michelle's Hat Series(MHS). Somewhere along the way, other works of art begged to be brought to life. Unable to hike the hills and wander the back roads and trails of Nova Scotia, our artist's art comes to life vicariously through the inspiring photo works of friends and family.
The Michelle’s Hat Series (MHS) - Betty Calder has reproduced on canvas paintings from photographs her daughter Michelle Calder has taken around Nova Scotia. 25% of all proceeds from sales of the MHS will be donated to TN (trigeminal neuralgia) research.  See Google links https://www.mayoclinic.org https://facingfacialpain.org; https://tnnme.com and the Amazon Smile Program.
Also from
Calder Cottage Studio
Deep Waters
Just over a year has gone by since the ocean claimed
all aboard an ill-fated flight off the Nova Scotia Coast.
The eerie glow of the internationally known lighthouse
at Peggy's Cove, illuminates the struggle between the
evil of Max's past and a future full of hope with Kate.
Not until the sea reaches up to claim all who ignore it's
power, will the past demons be put to rest . . . or will they?
What is Trigeminal Neuralgia?
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TN for short, is caused when one or both trigeminal nerves that run up each side of your neck, (beside the main artery) have been damaged somehow through natural progression, accident, or illness causing the Myelin Sheath, the protective fatty coating on the nerve, to become damaged or worn away, exposing the bare nerve, and causing extreme long-term pain.
Anyone can develop TN. However there seems to be a higher percentage of women over 50 who develop TN with no known accident or illness, though even babies have been born with TN. Quite often, TN arises from dental surgery, or accidents pertaining to the jaw or neck. Even long-term chiropractic manipulation of the neck area may be a contributing factor. TN does not seem to be hereditary. It is not contagious.
The main symptom of TN is extreme pain in the jaw or temple, but each person’s symptoms can be unique. Some symptoms develop slowly over days, weeks, or months, whereas others are suddenly felled by an excruciating unknown pain in their head. Quite often, a person with TN will begin having mild ‘electric shocks’ in their jaw, lips, or temple area. These shocks are sometimes brought on by simply chewing food or even just smiling. Sometimes the shocks leave a burning or numbing sensation, like a bad freezing at the dentist.
Though both TN and TMD(temporomandibular disorders) involve the jaw, they do so in different ways. TN causes neve pain around the jaw and skull. The pain from TMD is the actual damage to the jaw or jaw joints whether by injury, via surgery, or through illness such as cancer or even an abscessed tooth gone wrong.
It would be wonderful to say if you showed one particular sign every doctor would instantly know what you have and give you a pill to fix it. Unfortunately, quite often, TN is only diagnosed after weeks or months, sometimes even years of trial and error and guess work by several doctors. (dentists, TMJ specialists, neurologists and or neurosurgeons) Because TN is an extremely rare disorder, (only 1500 cases per year are diagnosed in Canada vs 4400 cases of MS, a cousin of TN, each year).
TN has been slow to come into focus of everyday medicine. The majority of mainstream doctors still have little experience with TN. Diagnosing TN is quite often a trial of eliminating everything else first. An enlightened GP will put you on a pain management regimen and set you up to see a neurosurgeon who specializes in TN. The neurosurgeon will then arrange for an MRI to confirm if there is an issue with the trigeminal nerve. This could take months or if you are ‘fortunate enough’ to get rushed to the ER with extreme unexplained debilitating head pain, they may do an emergency MRI and discover it. If you are very lucky, they may have someone on staff who has heard of TN which means your wait time for treatment may be cut in half (4 months instead of 8 or more), all the while in extreme pain.
THERE IS NO CURE FOR TN. A person can have a major episode of TN more than once and/or minor episodes all their life. Since each person may present symptoms differently in any number of combinations - what works for one person may not work for others.
There are several basic forms of treatment, from high dosages of drugs for pain management, to invasive nerve shots or neurectomy (cutting of the nerve), manipulation of the nerve, or neurosurgery.
Not all treatments work. A large percentage work only temporarily. Side effects of some procedures can leave the sufferers involved face muscles - paralyzed, dysfunctional or experiencing a different form of pain.
Once a person has been diagnosed with TN, chances are, even with treatment, the symptoms may return at the same site or present themselves on the opposite side at a later date. A high percentage of sufferers (70-80%) have a relapse within 2 years of major treatment. Some sufferers will find only short-term Band-Aid treatments the rest of their lives.
Most headaches and migraines can be caused by several different things including but not limited to restricted blood flow or muscle tension, barometric pressure changes, hormonal changes, or injury. TN is usually only caused by damage to the trigeminal nerve. Headache and migraine pain can usually be alleviated or stopped completely with medication or rest. TN pain will not stop until the nerve damage is somehow repaired or alleviated.
TN is also called Tic Douloureaux and is also known as the ‘Suicide Disease.’ The pain from TN can be extremely severe and not all treatments work for all sufferers. When faced with a life sentence of extreme pain leaving a person unable to interact with others, work, or even eat… some sufferers chose to end their lives.
To be recognized as a disability by the Canadian Government, your medical practitioner must first declare you unfit to remain in the workforce. See: Government of Canada pension plan disability benefits or go to http://disabilitycreditcanada.com for information. There is no ‘Blue Book’ heading for TN and therefore it is not classified – but if you, and your doctor can prove your TN is similarly incapacitating as say, MS, migraines or depression, the review board may consider your particular case. TN by itself, as of August 2022, is not a recognized disability even though the majority of sufferers are unable to work any normal job due to the extreme, chronic pain.
How can you help?
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If you know someone with TN, a big first step is to be supportive and understanding of the reduced social interaction TN sufferers must adhere to, and the restrictions their medical needs put on them and their loved ones.
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“Google” Trigeminal Neuralgia. Knowledge is power, read all the info you can and spread the news about this debilitating disability.
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Help support further research in TN by giving regularly to TNAC, the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association of Canada. Visit http://tnac.org/tnac helping support TN sufferers through outreach, support groups, research, and awareness. Also visit www.fpa-support.org another informative site.
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Buy a picture! When you buy a print or painting from the ‘Michelle’s Hat’ series 25% of the proceeds will be given to TNA of Canada.
Betty Calder & Calder Cottage Studio
In March of 2019 while climbing a ladder as a Home Inspector, Betty Calder developed a sudden pain in her left jaw and temple. After seeing multiple doctors and specialists, she was diagnosed in September 2019 with TN (Trigeminal Neuralgia).
The main treatment for TN is called an MVD (microvascular decompression), however, it is an invasive procedure and carries a high risk of potentially serious complications such as facial numbness, hearing loss, stroke, and even death in around 1 in 1000 cases.
Due to the lack of doctors in Nova Scotia specializing in TN, Betty could not be assessed for an MVD surgery until February of 2020. Her only recourse, maximum dosages of anti-convulsive pain medications, left her in her words, “A stumbling zombie”
“The joke in our house was who slept more, me or the cat!”
Betty was finally operated on in July of 2020 and though the “hunting knife up through the jaw” pain was gone, she was left with a mild constant residual pain from nerve damage sustained from the surgery and also found her eyesight and balance affected.
“Livable, but no more climbing ladders for me. I had to close my Home Inspection business.”
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Though there are a handful of ‘band-aid’ treatments for TN, there is no cure. Far too often after weathering the full gambit of treatments and drugs and not finding relief, a TN warrior seeing only a life of constant pain and suffering will end their lives. Hence the other name for TN…. The Suicide Disease.
Betty Calder attributes her faith and trust in God as the only reason she still walks this earth. With a limited ability to work, Betty found herself first embracing her disability by researching and writing about her journey with TN and is in the process of publishing the humorous book ‘TN – Don’t Make Me Laugh!’ as well as a pain journal and calendar featuring her painting series called, ‘Michelle’s Hat Series’ from which Betty gives 25% of her profits to TN research.
Finding it difficult to get a venue to sell her charity paintings other than following the craft fair circuit, Betty stopped into her local PharmaChoice in Enfield one day.
“All I went in for was to ask if they would sell me one of their empty display racks!
Suddenly I was scrambling to create a charity gallery!”
Terry Walsh, owner of the PharmaChoice, had been trying to get a doctor so they could open a much-needed walk-in clinic. Unfortunately, no doctor was available, and the unused area of the store would be sitting empty till at least September. After hearing Betty’s story of how it was difficult for vendors like herself, who wanted to give a percentage of their profits to their favorite charity or cause. (because of having to pay a fee or commission of sometimes 30 to 50%, to any venue they sold in); Terry generously offered the empty space to Betty, for free, if she was willing to put the work in to set up a gallery for charity.
“How could I say no! It was exactly what I had been praying for!
Luckily, I had enough paintings and crafts and ‘New to You’ supplies to kick start the Gallery!”
Two and a half weeks later, on July 8th, Enfield Charity Gallery opened its doors. The Gallery, allowed Betty to continue her painting, as well as a venue to display and sell her art. From July to November, Betty was joined by 19 artisans and one dedicated volunteer. Between them, they supported 11 different charities, raising just over $1000. The Gallery closed in late December 2023, to make way for medical offices. The search for another venue for the Gallery goes on.
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Betty Calder was born in Thomson Station, NS, and holds a correspondence certificate in Art; a diploma in Architectural Drafting; she is a published author (Deep Waters - Amazon ISBN9798563916579) and graduated from Carson Dunlop at age 58, certified as a Home Inspector. She has 2 children plus one son in Heaven: 3 stepchildren and 7 grandchildren. Betty has been a cottager on the Northumberland Strait, NS for over 50 years; Calder Cottage Studio was created in 2022 to accommodate her need to sell her growing portfolio of artworks. Betty and her husband reside in Enfield, Nova Scotia.
