Hi everybody, I have not been diagnosed with GPN for that long but have had various other neuralgias for over 7 years. I have had problems with GPN for the past 3 years but nobody had a clue and after seeing several doctors one of them finally figured it out. I can not swallow food with any substance and have been taking medication for well over a year. I just wondered what other people try and eat when it seems almost impossible.
Dear 4everinpain, The one constant with my GPN is that nothing stays the same. This time around I have found that it is easier to get cold things to go down like smoothies and shakes, popsicles and sherbet or icecream. I don’t know if it is because the cold helps deaden the nerve or what, but it seems to work this time. I have also found that the less I have to “manipulate” the food in my mouth the easier it is to get down, so I mash or cut fine everything so I don’t have to chew and move the food around much. Hope this is of some help to you. Good luck, Sally
Hi Sally, Thanks for the reply. I have been doing the same pretty much for the past 7 weeks and although I don’t feel so hungry my body is screaming out for some nutrition…Think the mashing of food could be worth a try, I have not been that keen as I am not sure what type’s of food would be worth eating mashed if ya know what I mean. I know that I have to find something that works and thanks once again for the reply…any help on certain type’s of food besides potato to mash would also be appreciated.
Dave
Hey Guys,
I really wish I had some suggestions for this, but I'm probably one of the lucky ones in the respect that I CAN eat, I just find that more often than not with the tegretol I don't much want to. My pain is mostly in my ears rather than in my throat, HOWEVER that being the case, when I have a really really bad day, the last thing on my mind is food, talking terrifies me then, let alone eating, thankfully though, those days don't happen too often.
I would maybe have a look at this thread, this is another site I use and it's TN based, but there may well be some useful suggestions in it for you, the only thing I can think of off hand is to maybe try something like complan?
http://braintalkcommunities.org/forums/showthread.php?t=47050
Hope this is of some help.
Much love
Gracie x x x
Hi Gracie, Yes complan is what I have been using for the past 6 weeks but to be honest too much is too much and it's making me feel quite sick now..I will have a look at the other thread you suggest and hope to find something I can eat. I do hope you don't have many bad days and yes I must agree about the tegretol but sometimes my body just tells me it is in need of substance not a drink if you know what I mean.
Seems we are all in a very similar boat I am so glad I found this forum. I do suffer from TN and ON but always seem to feel you are on your own when in constant pain. It was only cause I recently got diagnosed with GPN that I bothered looking. Wish everybody pain free days.
Dave xxx
I can understand that, I was on it for a while when I was taking the other loopy drugs, but thankfully not for too long, but that was because I had NO desire to eat at all, how about spaghetti, a good old fashioned tin of heinz or something similar, you can swallow it as is and at least it would give the illusion of solid food! Just a thought.
TN and ON too? Lordy Dave you're just being greedy! In all seriousness though you have my deepest sympathy there, it seems like GPNers quite often have other N's too, I'm lucky that it's just the GPN I have,( that bothers me at least) albeit billaterally.
But in my book,I'm under the impression that one cranial neuralgia is much the same as another, the pain is all the same, it's just the location that's different, I've had a couple of bouts of ON in the past, before this ever started, or I knew what it was and its never been back since I started on the tegretol, but I've been on that constantly for the last 4 years now so maybe its the tegs that have kept that under control, I'm on a fairly high dose and it seems to deaden the rest of me so it killing the ol occipital is certainly not outwith the realms of possibility! Anyway I hope the other thread might provide something helpful as far as the food front goes, and I'm wishing pain free days right back at you.
Much love
Gracie x x x
Dave, I have been trying protien, so lots of eggs, boiled chicken, etc. Laying off major spices because if they get stuck in my throat it’s a B… to cough!
4everinpain said:
Hi Sally, Thanks for the reply. I have been doing the same pretty much for the past 7 weeks and although I don't feel so hungry my body is screaming out for some nutrition..Think the mashing of food could be worth a try, I have not been that keen as I am not sure what type's of food would be worth eating mashed if ya know what I mean. I know that I have to find something that works and thanks once again for the reply..any help on certain type's of food besides potato to mash would also be appreciated.
Dave