Hi!
I am starting this journey as of Wednesday, February 7th, 2013, but I am slowly discovering I've had "attacks" before and just figured they were my sinuses, my teeth or repercussions from my Traumatic Brain Injury. I am an English Instructor for a local college and I also teach GED classes (which is my passion!). I am also a mommy to a 7 year old. I've been sober for 14 years, and still go to meetings.
Anyway, last Sunday night, I went to a Super Bowl party with my daughter, and when we got home, she went in the shower and I popped on, "Downton." Suddenly, an elephant moved into the roof of my mouth. There was severe pressure and stabbing, all radiating from my palate and through my upper teeth. I hurt so badly. I got my daughter in bed and tried aspirin (I read somewhere that severe, sudden jaw pain was a sign of an impending heart attack.) Because of my addiction history, most OTC pain relievers knock me out. (LOL--the joke is that 2 ibuprofen are like a "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom dart to my butt...I'm out!)
But the aspirin didn't touch it. I realized my heart was fine, so I waited until I could take something else. I was in so much pain, I decided to wax my lip and brows because I figured I wouldn't feel it. I was right.HA! When the time came I could take something else, I took 2 Tylenol. Nothing. NOTHING. I was literally up 6 of the 7 hours that night. I finally was able to take 2 Aleve, and I passed out. I woke up just in time to get my daughter to school, came home, and slept all day until I could see my doctor--Dr. Allison. He saw that I had a sinus infection on my left side, so he gave me a Z-pak but had me double up the dosage.
Tuesday was much better--hardly any pain, so I figured, "YAY Dr. A! YAY Z-pak."
Wednesday, however, proved to be horrific. I had an attack at 8:30 that morning, and one at 11:30. My student from Kurdistan said, "something's wrong, my sister. I see it in your face. Your face shows something wrong..." I called Dr. Allison's office and cancelled my class for that afternoon. I could not take this pain anymore. I must have been involuntarily grimacing--when the pain would lay off, it felt like someone was stretching the right side of my face back. (side thought--if we could bottle that side effect, we'd be rich selling it to Hollywood!)
From what little I have read on here, I was lucky. Dr. A and his nurse both said, "this sounds something similar to Trigeminal Neuralgia." (I need to say here it was Dr. A who diagnosed my liver/bile duct disease a few years back, but he sent me to Omaha to a specialist who confirmed his suspicions. He also guessed that my residual liver pain after my blood levels leveled out were not caused by more liver problems, but 6 cervical herniations in my back. He sent me to a neurosurgeon in Kearney, who confirmed Dr. A's suspicions.) Because I can't take prednisone, he's trying me on Ibuprofen 800's, 3x a day. It's tempered it a little, but I've had attacks Thursday, yesterday and woke up today with pain. He's giving it until Monday and then we'll do an MRI and move forward. He wants to get the nerve swelling down...and confirms that "oh, this pain is real, and there is hardly anything like it." I said, 'it's shotgun worthy," and he said, "yep." Can I just say I love that he and his staff all KNOW this is real, KNOW it isn't made up and KNOW there is hope?!?
So I've done a lot of research online about this in the interim. And I am SO BLESSED to find this forum. In the short time I've been on here, I am reading about things I've suffered through but had no name for them. And I've laughed and sighed and felt the relief of hearing others speak my pain. I am so sorry others feel this way, but so relieved I am not alone.
*whew* :)
In hope...Helenann