Is there anyone who has problems with air conditioning triggering their pain? Have you found any oral or topical medications that worked that I can ask my doctor about? The place where I work has my desk RIGHT underneath the air conditioning. I don't want to bring it up at work because they'll think I'm crazy.
Even a really light cold breeze across my right cheek triggers increased pain. My working diagnoses (depending on which specialist you ask) are trigeminal neuropathic pain, post-surgical pain, atypical facial pain, and/or TMJ.
Thank you so much for your help and commiseration. Wishing you all many pain-free days ahead.
Hi. I had same problem. Have you explained your TN problem to your employer? My administrator took interest after I was able to show them a copy of my Striking Back book and what I had learned at a conference on TN. They were good enough to move my computer towers four feet away which is better for people with TN and they were also able to vent the air duct away from me. I advised that something similar to what you use in your home like the floor vents that re-direct the sudden down draft. I also advised that I would be wearing a scarf around my neck and pulling it up so I could lower my face into it or hold it up on my cheeks to warm them up. I still move around in restaurants if the venting is blowing on me. I have had MVD but I do not wish to chance going back to that type of aching pain.
Good luck to you. I hope your employer is understanding of your issue. As I had to share my desk area with 5 others it was dicey to say the least as they enjoyed the downdraft!
Chippy
I haven’t explained it because I don’t want to talk about this much. When it first started, I had to take time off because of the pain. It’s now better controlled with medications so they assume my problem is taken care of. In today’s market, it’s better to seem as employable as possble! Sad but true.
I tried a scarf going outside but having the scarf touching my face is also a problem. I work with the public so it doesn’t look professional having a scarf around my face. I’m hoping for a more invisible solution like a cream that I can put on. I suppose if I can’t find one, I’ll have to talk to management. Bother. ):
Chippy said:
Hi. I had same problem. Have you explained your TN problem to your employer? My administrator took interest after I was able to show them a copy of my Striking Back book and what I had learned at a conference on TN. They were good enough to move my computer towers four feet away which is better for people with TN and they were also able to vent the air duct away from me. I advised that something similar to what you use in your home like the floor vents that re-direct the sudden down draft. I also advised that I would be wearing a scarf around my neck and pulling it up so I could lower my face into it or hold it up on my cheeks to warm them up. I still move around in restaurants if the venting is blowing on me. I have had MVD but I do not wish to chance going back to that type of aching pain. Good luck to you. I hope your employer is understanding of your issue. As I had to share my desk area with 5 others it was dicey to say the least as they enjoyed the downdraft!
I too have experienced breezes and wind triggering a horrible attack of TN. However, I have become super aware of certain warning signs that an attack is impending and that is I get extremely HOT and begin sweating no matter how cold it is just before an attack. On occasion, I found comfort in the winter time just standing out in the cold during an attack and suddenly, the cold became a trigger. It seems that the triggers are ever changing.
I am just wondering if you or anyone else has noticed any "Physical Signs" that occur just before an onset of an attack? My attacks usually wake me up out of deep sleep and occur in the am but at it's worst, they are totally unpredictable.
There is lidocaine gel that works to a point. I have the 5% prescription strenth and if you don't have a good drug plan it is really expensive but there is OTC 4% gel that you could try.
I use the 5% this all over the TN side of my face, inside my mouth where I get the shocks etc. I also use it when the barometric pressure changes, going to the dentist, when the temperature changes outside and when the air conditioner in the car hits my face.
It is made for serious burns. I get the 5% from neurologist and she says they use it for everything.
It really works for break through pain and "tooth" pain. My "tooth" pain is not from teeth because my teeth no longer have any nerve roots in them. I have really good insurance so I gave a tube to my mother for her diabetic neuralgia pain in her toes. The pain was gone in ten minutes. She uses it for bridges in her mouth too. When my dog had surgery. I knew she was in pain. I put it on her wound, she felt better immediately. She and I really bonded.
Don't use it on part of your body you don't want to go numb and let your pets lick it. If they lick too much of it they may not be able to swallow. A little goes a long way. Last week I developed Shingles. I use it everyday.
Ugh terrible day with the air con at work. I was prescribed a cream containing lidocaine, which helps, but something else in the cream makes me sleepy so I can’t use it at work. Maybe I can request the pharmacist make it with only lidocaine.
I don’t have classic TN so no sharp shocks for me, only searing pain as the air con blows across my face. It gets worse the longer I’m exposed to it. I’m never woken up by pain. Sleep makes the pain better. If only I could harness whatever chemicals my body uses to dull it during sleep, I’d be pain free all the time.
Aircon is my abolute worst trigger. For me, the constant 'strength' of the draft plus difference in temperature between skin and draft are the worst factors. Please talk to your manager sooner rather than later- it will not get better. I know what you mean by staying employable, but if you cannot work becaue of this, it really is counterproductive. It is still easier for your employer to move yiur ddesk than hire a new person.
My desk isn’t movable. It’s bolted down to the ground. Also, I share the workstation with people who work other shifts. I’d have to ask them to do some slight renovations in order to accomodate me.
I think I’ll give lidocaine a try first and then take it from there. Or I’ll pray for colder weather so we can turn the air con off! I live in a region where the summer is usually short and mild. Today looks cloudy so maybe the air con will be turned off when I get to work.
Dear Toothache: as I had to share a workstation it is difficult and I totally understand where you are coming from. Others do notunderstand the pain you are in - and I believe some people are of the mentality that if you came into work you are okay I often said if we with TN had assistive devices they may be more understanding but TN is virtually invisible except for our grimaces and tears.
Please bring in your own personal ceramic heater. I would rather have a warm breeze than a cool or cold one. Place this on your work station so you benefit from the warmth. Sometimes I used a spare chair or even if it is on the floor hot air rises and you may find relief. Only other thing is if you can wear a visor of sorts on your head to deflect the down draft. I used to do that on night shifts in winter as the duct above me when not heating dropped all the cold air down. That was brutal!
You will find something that works for your situation. Only other thing I had done was use Capsacin cream on my face
I actually like that my problem is invisible. I used to have bad asthma and it was impossible to hide my coughing and wheezing. I hated having people stare at me.
Today was cooler so I told everyone I was freezing and turned the thing off for a few hours. I played with the settings so that the fan didn’t blast as much air, and that helped as well. Thanks for the advice about capsaicin, I’ll try that too.
You see, TN is caused by a vessel rubbing against the nerve near its root. When the nerve wants to send the signal of sensation, it gets enlarged from the vessel touching it and "blasts" a sensation rather than a small signal. This can only be cured through moving the vessel away from the nerve.
Medications change the chemical reactions in your brain so it responds slower to the nerve signals - thus you don't "feel the pain" but it is still there.
I had TN pain for 6 years. I am pain free and med free and metal free now. I have my life back. completely.
Read details of my journey at my blog - curingtrigeminalneuralgia.blogspot.com
There is no other reason I wrote this blog than to help others find a cure as good as mine. I don't even have a metal plate in my head from the surgery. I'm completely me again.
I wish you all the best while you endure the pain looking for the cure that is right for you.
Thank you for taking the time to reply. My pain is caused by damage to the nerves from dental work, so I was told that there’s no surgery to cure me. I got a MRI that showed no compressions, and I never had the sharp jolts of classical TN. When off meds, I have a constant 24/7 stabbing pain through the nerve. Tegretol takes almost all the pain away but it still feels tingly and there’s a pressure sensation. I tried an experimental dental surgery and it made things worse. My doctor says there is no cure for me so I have to live with it.
The problem with surgery is that it is irreversible when it goes wrong, whereas meds can be stopped.
I am glad that things have gone well for you! I hope everyone here, me included, can eventually be cured and med free.
I would love to see Dr. Clyde but I’m in Canada. I’m on the waitlist to see a neurosurgeon here.
Thank you for the well wishes. I’m getting more used to ignoring the increased air con pain. Luckily, it goes away as soon as I step away from the draft.
OldfieldDesigns said:
I would definitely consult Dr Clyde at eBrainMD.com before deciding the surgery won’t work for you.
He is so knowledgeable. I wish you strength and peace as you survive each day.
Hi toothache,
I’m in Alberta and I use a lidocaine mixed cream you can buy over the counter ( no prescription ) at Shoppers Drug Mart. It’s called Emla cream.
It’s a bit pricey, but well worth it and you don’t need to apply much.
I’ve never used it for constant triggers, just constant burning, boring pain so I can’t tell you if it will help with the air con …avoiding any breeze at all costs is all I can do.
Best of Luck, Mimi
Hi Mimi,
Hello to a fellow Canadian! I remember using emla cream when I had to get IV put in at the Children’s hospital as a kid - it made my skin numb and I didn’t feel the poke at all. You’re right, it is quite expensive. My compounded lidocaine cream is around the same price but my extended insurance covers most of it.
I’ll see about getting emla and giving it a try.
Hi. Great ideas! I am pleased to hear from other Canadian members on the general site. I am in Ontario. I know I responded to the air conditioning problem before with regards to keeping a scarf around your neck and if you have to take and hold it - make sure it is soft and your skin can tolerate you holding it on your cheek to warm it for a few moments. These last 2 winters did me dirt. Even after MVD I am almost paranoid of a cool draft indoors or out. I still move around in restaurants do as no air blows on my right side. Equally if outdoors if sitting out at night I make sure I am positioned that the breeze is not on my right side. Have you considered, being you have this problem at work if you can just move your computer etc to a different position to give you some comfort. I know you mentioned you shared the same workstation but at the end of your shift you can put things back. Also please get yourself a small heater. Even setting it by your side on the floor the heat will rise to your face level. I wish you all the best because it is difficult to dodge the TN bullet especially when cool air is a trigger
Cheers
Chippy
I'm in BC so our winters aren't so bad. I've actually never experienced a true Canadian winter! I've heard that it's quite bad. The lidocaine cream that I was prescribed has been helping a lot. Not completely, but enough that I can ignore the discomfort.
The truth is that I'm too embarrassed to talk about the air con trigger to other people at work. They'd feel guilty about having it on and I know that they really enjoy the cool breeze blowing through...I used to before this stupid thing started. I am willing to put up with some moderate discomfort so that other people can enjoy it.
Congratulations on your successful MVD! Thanks for sharing your experiences so that I don't feel like such a weirdo.
