I waited 7 months for acupuncture treatment on the NHS carried out by a nurse.I explained the pain which I had an MVD for, this failed after 3 years was in a direct spot in my cheek bone.The needles were placed one in the exact spot where the pain was, one at the upper top of the cheekbone below eye and 2 in the bridge of me nose.Within 2 minutes my eye started twitching and I felt an excruciating attack beginning, after another minute the nurse removed the needles as I was shaking and sobbing.For ten days I was in bed and had to increase the Tegretol and knock myself out with Tramadol, I felt like my cheek was broken and someone was trying to force the bones apart with a knife.The original electric shock had gone, but this was as bad.Needless to say (pardon the pun) I cancelled further treatments, I am now having to try and lower my Tegretol to the dose before I went to the acupuncturist.Have I just had a bad emperience?
i tried acupuncture went for a while just didn't help at all ,I didn't have an awful experience like that ,it just didn't help ,also it made me really tired ,maybe thats the relaxing bit .
This sounds awful though ,hope you feel better soon ,was the nurse an experienced acupuncturist ,I guess they must have been .
I didn't have mine on the NSH was with an acupuncturist I had gone to previously and had very good results with migraine.
when I rang her about the TN she said she could get rid of it in six sessions .
nope ....x
The medical record for acupuncture in TN is pretty much a mixed bag. I've talked in person with a few patients who felt they had been significantly helped. Also corresponded briefly with one patient who was sent to a hospital emergency room when one of the needles was placed directly over a trigger zone. As far as I've ever been able to determine, there is no generally accepted protocol or placement map for acupuncture needles in treating face pain. That by itself would be grounds for suggesting that patients who wish to try this modality of treatment would do well to get treatment from a medical doctor, and/or be under close observation by an MD who understands trigeminal pain.
Go in Peace and Power,
R.A."Red" Lawhern, Ph.D.
Resident Research Analyst, LwTN
Richard,
I think the needle was place directly in a trigger zone, what was the outcome of the person you corresponded with ?
I fear that the nurse has caused some serious issue as I have had to increase my medication to cope with the new pain which was previously under control, it is 2 weeks since I had the acupuncture procedure.
thanks
Jacqueline
One can't easily generalize from one patient's experience to another, Jacqueline. With the individual whom I corresponded with, her high intensity pain lasted six weeks before gradually fading into the pre-existing levels that had prompted her to seek acupuncture treatment in the first place. But I have no idea if that outcome is at all representative.
Regards, Red