Does this sound like TN?

Hi! I'm new here. Hopefully I'm posting in the right area. I will try to give the short version of my story.

About 8 months ago I had a crown on an upper left tooth. I only include this because I'm not sure if this was a trigger or just when I started noticing symptoms. At first it felt like pressure in that area of work. After about 4-5 days the pressure subsided. Then a few weeks later I felt more pressure, but this time it was different. It was under my cheek bone and painful. To even touch the area caused me severe pain. I revisited the dentist and was told it was likely a sinus infection. Lo and behold about a month later I ended up with strep and a cold. After steroids and two rounds of antibiotics the pressure subsided. Then a few weeks later, it was back. NOT the cold, just the pain. This time it was pain. Not pressure. it lasted a day or so then gone. That was in December/January. In March I started experiencing pain in the cheekbone area again. But this time it was also in my ear and jaw. Pain was gone after a day.

Yesterday: Sudden onset *which is how it always is* Worse when I lie down or lean forward. Excruciating pain. Feels like every nerve in every tooth on the upper and lower left side. I can only describe it as ever nerve in my ear/lower jaw and cheekbone are throbbing and about to explode. I don't feel any pain in my forehead. It comes in waves. One moment I'm completely fine then the next it feels as if all my nerve endings are going to explode.

Could this be a sinus infection?

sorry to say it sounds like tn. but the good news is tegretol usually stops it in its tracks--at least in the beginning-- if tegretol works..then it is tn! ask your doctor for some.

The pain coming in waves and being intense sounds like TN, but of course we are not doctors. You should see a doctor; who will probably want to get an MRI done. My doctor put me on Carbamazepine for 10 days to see if it took away the pain. It did, which is also how they can tell if it's TN. Normal pain killers such as aspirin, Tylenol, Advil won't help but the carbamazepine does. My doctor also then did bloodwork and told me I would need to have bloodwork done about every 6 months while on these drugs. Good luck going forward.