I think I have TN

Hello! I thought I would share my story with you. I am a 30 year old female from London, UK. I have a pretty fast paced life, working as a senior manager in the corporate world.

I first had the experience of a terrible pain located in the right hand side of my face. It felt like it was coming from my tooth, which radiated through to my head and also my throat. I went to the dentist and he took a few x-rays - he mentioned that there was no problem with my teeth and referred me to a hospital to have a jaw x-ray - once again, nothing there. I was taking a few pain killers and over time, the pain went away.

A year and a half later, I get the same pain again. This time, I am going through a pretty stressful time in my life, personally and work-wise and it was horrific. Same one sided pain, it comes out of nowhere it strikes like lightening. My family thought it was a migraine as my dad suffered from migraines. But I was not convinced. I googled my symptoms and then stumbled on TN. Wow. All of my symptoms fit the bill. However, the more I kept reading, the more I realised that there is really not a quick fix. TN means that my nerve coating is damaged which is causing the nerve mis-firing.

Also, I read that it could be an underlying symptom of MS. I am 30 years old and really really scared. I hope I don't have MS, I don't have any MS symptoms. Right now I am worried.

Should I go for an MRI scan to just make sure. I know that TN falls into 2 categories being the classic TN and the more serious one which is associated with other diseases such as MS.

I took comfort from the classic TN, as it says that it's usually caused by blood vessels compressing the TN nerve, which I would assume would be picked up by the MRI scan. Anyway, I just wanted to share my story with you. I am in a bit of a dark and lonely place at this point in time. The pain does come and go at the moment, but its unsettling and it affects me. :(

If you are under Maxfax or a neuro it is pretty much standard to have MRI. It is a good idea.

Although I am not a Dr I need to stress that MS and TN is rare and we all go through that worry, after 7 years I realize mine cannot be MS related. All the best

Thanks Jackie.

Jackie said:

If you are under Maxfax or a neuro it is pretty much standard to have MRI. It is a good idea.

Although I am not a Dr I need to stress that MS and TN is rare and we all go through that worry, after 7 years I realize mine cannot be MS related. All the best/

Hi Janey and welcome…it definitely is best to get a mri just to rule out anything else before you worry yourself sick. Get an appointment with a good neurologist who regularly deals with TN. That is so important. You can find a list here on this site. Stress is definitely a trigger for TN. I pray you get a diagnosis fast and get on a good med regime if needed. It took me a year of suffering before I even got a diagnosis. You will find so many supporting and understanding people on this site. It is awesome!! You are not alone in your battle!! ((HUGS))

Thanks Lisa. You have brought a tear to my eye, it means a lot. :)

Hi Janey,

Welcome to the site. I found it is wonderful to hear from people who are dealing with the same thing. I don't know anyone else with TN. I did have an MRI to make sure there was no MS and found I was OK. If you go to a doctor, he can give you some meds that will help with the pain. As traditional pain killers do not really do the trick, they will probably put you on some type of anti seizure medication. I have TN that comes and goes as well so you don't always have to stay on the meds, just long enough to get you through. I would also, like the others, encourage you to see the neurologist as you need proper care. Blessings and Peace my friend! Let me know if you need any more support. :)

Thank you so much!! This TN is really strange. I was getting pain daily and then the other day nothing....but then the next day it was back....very strange, but like I said I have been quite stressed at work so maybe that's the trigger. It is a horrible pain though I must confess, it feels like a burning lightning sensation going up and down the side of my face. It makes me cry sometimes. Thanks again for replying, it makes me feel like I am not alone. x

Hi Janey

stress is definatly a contributing factor as I understand it.

An MRI is a must (get used to the great big magnet!!) I have had so many now I cant recall!

I am a mananger myself and dealing with stress and TN and then add in work becomes difficult sometimes but not impossible. The drugs can help. Tegratol is the first that is usually given as it is diagnostic. IE if you respond to tegratol TN there is a very good chance you have TN. everyone has differnt tolerances to the drugs so if you react to tegratol then other drug are avaliable. there is plenty of advice on here.

Only people who have TN understand the pain and feeling.

Hope you are doing ok.

I believe that ANY profound pain in anyone's head warrents further study like an MRI just to rule things out. 17 years ago I was struck with pain and was found to have a benign tumor. I was supposed to get better and should have been pain free post-op and never got better. It is now believed and confirmed using a specialized MRI that it has been TN all along. The location of my tumor would have presented the same symptoms. Always rule out the worst and go from there. Undergoing a major brain surgery was easy....TN is not.

thanks Anne