I cant take anti convulsants because of my side effects, so im left on pain meds untill my surgery. Im on Vicoprofin and percocet..i find little releife with this meds but it does help a little bit...does anyone feel the same way? is the pain to much that the meds cant controll it or is it hard to controll TN with just pain medication. I also have been on this for a year about 3 a day because of the full mouth reconstruction and pain. I need to find something else to help me because its not doing enough to even get me out of the house. I think my next step may have to be pain management :( and responses or thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thank you, Jen!
I have found some relief with Morphine. I know some on here have said it doesn't help them but for me it is a life saver. Also, whenever I have to go to the ER they give me Dilaudid and after several doses, it will settle things down.
For several months, I was only taking Morphine because we were trying to have another baby. I have been so bad the last month and half, that we realized I needed to get back on other meds because I just couldn't function. So we can't try for another one.
During that time, I used things like a heating wrap on my face and Lidocaine creme to help. There was a discussion on here recently about tips to help you through when the meds just weren't helping. maybe you could look at that and see if any of those things people wrote about might help you.
I am so sorry you are in so much pain! When is your surgery?
blessings to you!!!!
Karen thank you. I actually am going into pain management soon to get on stronger pain meds due to the fact i cant take anything else. I will def look into those medications. Thank you for sharing and also letting me know about the litocaine creme ill def give that a try. Thank you for your concern, im actually waiting for my health insurance to kick in before i get it so thats why i have to stay on the pain meds untill that happens. DO you have any pain in your teeth?
Yes, I have pain in my teeth, gums and jaw, but the teeth and gums is a new thing for me. I have always had jaw pain but the actual mouth pain only started with this new flare up. Maybe this is part of the progression for me. I am also recently having pain on my good side; think i maybe bilateral now. Again, maybe it is because it is progressing????
I don't blame you for waiting for your insurance before you go to a pain mgt clinic. For a couple of years I didn't have insurance and my pm clinic was really expensive. But they have been very helpful in trying new meds and they don't have an issue about trying narcotics.
I have an appt with my doc tomorrow. I am going to ask him to give me lidocaine patches. I have read on here that they usually last longer than the creme. I will let you know how they work.
So are you still having the surgery or are you going to wait to see in pain mgt can help you?
Karen i am going to try pain management untill i can have the surgery because it may take 6 months or more untill i can have it. That would be great if you could let me know if the patch works. Its weird ive had a neuro tell me pain meds dont work for TN and then when i see my internist she makes me take them, especially because i cant take any other type of med because of my reactions. I do feel that the pain meds do give me reliefe, but ive been told by my dr i need to be on something stronger. Im not surprised, ive been on vicodin for a year and i know i have a tolerence. I literally have the EXACT same type of pain and in the same place as you! I feel the same way as well that i probobly have bi lateral because i will get pain in my teeth and gums on the good side of my face and now the headaches are starting and some days the good side does hurt...the bad side (my left side) hurts everyday. I have burning, throbbing, and feel like im being stabbed in the face, along with the worst pressure and migrane type pain. Thank you for your response!
I was the same way with the Morphine. I was on the same dose for a couple of years and it helped because I didn't have to take it everyday. But the last two months it stopped helping because I am a lot worse and I have been taking it every day for a while. So my doc doubled it and now it helps again. Maybe your doc can increase the dose or try you on another narcotic.
I feel so sad when I read your posts! I think it is because, like you said, our pain is so similar and it breaks my heart to think of someone else going through this torture! Wishing you better days ahead!!!!!
do you have aytipical or typical or both? See people tell me they dnt get reliefe from pain meds but i do....thanks for your sweet comments i appreciate all your support i finally feel like im not alone!! :) my teeth are what i started to get treated for then next thing i knew it was my face head jaw...god also do you knowif tn can be caused from an infection or more from a dental procedure? thanks Karen
I have both types. I get the shocks that come and go but I also have throbbing pain that doesn't go away. the throbbing is all over my face, (mainly right side) and side of head, mouth, jaw and my ear. But i also get this ice pick feeling in my eye and ear. That is probably the worst pain, like someone is shoving a hot iron rod in my eye or ear.
My doc told me that an infection, such as Epstein Bar (mono) , Lyme's disease or some other infection can get into the trigeminal nerve and causes damage. I once tried taking a bunch of vitamins to try and heal the nerve in case this was the reason for my TN. (a few years before my TN started, I had mono.) I took the vitamin regimen for about 6 months; got tired of taking so many pills. Didn't see any change...don't know if it would have helped if I took them longer. I have read a lot on here about TN starting in a lot of people after dental procedures. If you want to know the vitamins I took, let me know. I can't remember everything I took off the top of my head. (isn't foggy brain from the meds just so wonderful :). I would have to look at my records and see what they were. I wish I knew what caused my TN. Sometimes it bothers me more than others. Docs can't seem to figure it out. I think "well, if they knew why I have this, we would have a better chance in curing me." then other times I think" it doesn't matter; i will always have this and that is just the way it is. I just have to learn to cope with it." It just really kinda sucks, doesn't it ? :{