So, let's try out this blog thing. As my username suggests, I am a student. I'm 26 years old and finishing up my first semester in nursing school, an entry level Master's degree, and am doing very well. Hopefully the pain and the medications for the pain do not ruin that for me.
Anyway, my first real 'attack" started on Nov. 4, 2013 and like so many, I thought it was a tooth problem or a sinus infection. I started using Sensodyne to brush my teeth and made sure I was taking all my allergy medication. By Wednesday, after having been woken up both Monday and Tuesday night crying in pain, I knew I had to get to a doctor. Luckily, I got an appointment for the next day.
Wouldn't you know it, I DID have a sinus infection. Obviously that was the cause of this horrific pain. I got started on an antibiotic, asked if I wanted narcotics until it kicked in, and was sent home. I started the antibiotics, not thinking that the sinus issue was the real culprit after having done some searching around the internet on my own. I thought, and told the doctor, that it was TN. She responded that she didn't want to give me meds for nerve pain because of the side effects and really thought it was my sinuses.
The weekend came and went. I went to class on Friday and somehow made it through. I worked Saturday night and spent a good portion in pain and taking way too many NSAID's and using my lidocaine solution way too often as well as sneaking away to get a good cry in. I came home from work Sunday morning and took enough Percocet and alcohol to put out a small army and slept for a few hours before the pain was back.
I hardly slept at all Sunday night. While I was at school Monday, taking an exam no less, my dad was on the phone with my doctor. I went straight from school to get an x-ray of my jaw. There was a sinus infection, but that was not causing my pain. Not only that, I didn't have an abscessed tooth either.
I went straight up from x-ray, after waiting almost a half hour for a copy of the x-ray on CD, to be given a prescription for gabapentin. I was THRILLED!!! I dropped it off and waited for it to be ready. I got home, popped 200 mg, and waited. About 2 hours later, no pain. WONDERFUL!!! I know I am VERY lucky to have been diagnosed and treated so quickly. I cannot imagine living with this kind of pain for years before a diagnosis.
I know wonder if the "tooth pain" I had a couple years ago was the start of it. I was very sensitive to cold on my right side and the wind and cold would hurt as well. I did have a rather large cavity that needed filling so I always assumed, until now, that it was the culprit. I also had all 4 of my wisdom teeth out as they were all impacted. Since the pain started before that, I doubt it had anything to do with my TN, but do wonder if the pain I had was TN and not dental.
TN is not the first "weird" disease I've been diagnosed with. I also have a Morton's neuroma on my left foot which also isn't common until later in life. I had a ganglion cyst removed from my right wrist as well. I also have difficulty swallowing which may or may not be a connective tissue disease like scleroderma, for which there is no definitive test for. Needless to say I have no plans to breed.
I think this is long enough. I cannot express how thankful am to have found this place!