My name is Angela and I'm new to this site and new to TN in general. I'll give you a little background. About 2 months ago, I got a small plastic piece in my eye when I was going to sleep. The eye dr didn't know what it was but I think it was on my pillow - all very bizarre. Well, it had gotten lodged under my eyelid and I was unable to get it out and I didn't think the eye dr was 24 hours. So I waited until morning, meaning that it was in my eye for about 8 hours. The doctors believe that this triggered a reaction that gave me TN. The pain and pressure just kept getting worse and worse and nothing they gave me was working. I described it to my husband as razor blades in my head and lasor beams going from ear to ear. Plus I had a lot of pressure in my sinus cavities. Based on these symptoms (and a clear CT-scan) they diagnosed me with TN.I am now on 1200mg of Neurontin daily which makes me feel a little tired but I am able to function and it takes my pain down from a 9 to a 5 usually. Around the same time I started Neurontin, I heard that acupuncture could be very helpful. I've had 6 treatments and have seen some improvement in my energy level and pain and pressure but I don't know if that's due to the meds or the acupuncture. I was wondering if anyone else tried acupuncture and what was your result? I'm still trying to come to grips with all of this, especially realizing that I probably have Atypical because my pain and pressure are constant, and it is the hardest to treat. I'm glad I found you guys and hopefully we can be a support to each other!
I use acupuncture mainly for jaw pain. The last treatment I had was a couple months ago when my jaw was flaring up. I have not had any jaw pain since. I have used acupuncture when I can and sometimes it helps more than others. I don't have a regular schedule since I live 120 miles away. My brother in law is my acupuncturist and I believe that if I was closer and got more treatments it would help even more.
I also recommend that you do research and ask if the acupuncturist is familiar with TN and if they have treated Tn.
If they say they can "cure" you I would find someone else. There is no set number of treatments and relief can vary in length of time.
Thanks Kc! I will definitely check out that book! Even though reading and concentrating seems to make my symptoms worse, I will make an exception here! =) I have also changed my diet and cut out all caffeine and most added sugar. I'm going to try juicing soon as I read that carrot and celery juice can help calm the nerves. What, if anything, have you found helpful?
Kc Dancer Kc said:
Welcome! I belong to an in person support group = and there are a handful of people who swear by it.
One man in particular has many head/neck problems and two failed surgeries
He keeps traveling to Aruba - even with all the meds he's on - but I keep the name of this practitioner in case I ever need!
Another great resource is the book "Striking Back" by Dr. ken casey
I know what you mean about traveling to get there - my acupuncture dr is an hour and 15 minutes away so that gets to be a hike when you're doing it a couple times a week. Thankfully he has treated a lot of TN and had success with some being completely off their medication. He got his training and medical degree in China. I did have a migraine a couple weeks ago and within an hour of my treatment, it was gone! I know TN is difficult to treat regardless, so I'm trying to be patient. But it's not cheap and not covered by insurance. I'm glad you got relief for your jaw pain. We will do anything to feel better, won't we?
Scott said:
Greetings Mom2Josh,
I use acupuncture mainly for jaw pain. The last treatment I had was a couple months ago when my jaw was flaring up. I have not had any jaw pain since. I have used acupuncture when I can and sometimes it helps more than others. I don't have a regular schedule since I live 120 miles away. My brother in law is my acupuncturist and I believe that if I was closer and got more treatments it would help even more.
I also recommend that you do research and ask if the acupuncturist is familiar with TN and if they have treated Tn.
If they say they can "cure" you I would find someone else. There is no set number of treatments and relief can vary in length of time.