Thought I’d finally write a bit of an update…
Since I last wrote, I’ve had 2 Botox treatments, one in December and the most recent in March. My next one is scheduled for June.
Is it making a difference? Well, nothing significant other than we’ve noticed muscle movement in my face isn’t as much of a trigger lately. Based on my own research, still too early to say…I’ve committed to at least one maybe two more attempts.
In the meantime, the BIG life changing news for me is that I’ve been getting nerve blocks from my Oral Pain Specialist and these consistently have broken the pain cycle for me!!!
What that means is that, for someone like me who has intense pain everyday, I’ve finally found something that breaks the intensity of the pain, giving me 5-8 hours of no pain ( because my one side of my face is frozen) as the freezing wears off, I still experience pain, but at a much lesser level.
So if I was a 10/10 before the nerve block, hours later I’m at a
1-2/10. It’s like a reset button. How quickly the pain ramps up again has varied… My last nerve block 3 weeks ago, gave me almost 2.5 weeks of manageable pain levels. The longest yet…
The nerve block is administered by needle inside my mouth, like at the dentist. ( it hurts, for seconds) within a minute or two my left side of my face is “frozen”.
I’ve included the technical information below.
Life changing for me.
For instance, my youngest is graduating high school at the end of the month and it’s a full day/evening event. Something I would not normally be able to endure. Now, I’ve booked my nerve block for two days before the event, so I know that I can attend with manageable pain levels. My daughter is reassured that her Mom will be there, as am I.
Of course I still have to be mindful of resting, Limiting talking and avoiding all other triggers but it’s a chance, a real gift of hope and possibility.
The “sucky” part is now, when the pain has been ramping up to it’s “normal” high levels…it’s like you go through the stages of grief all over again, the emotional roller coaster ride. It takes incredible effort to keep myself from falling into that dark woe is me place…I’ve been crying randomly and trying real hard to focus on the positive.
Because this is a HUGE positive knowing there’s “something” after all these years that can offer me a wee bit of relief from the relentlessness of the pain. A few hours, a few days and now 2.5 weeks is amazing and such a gift.
Like everything else, please research this and speak to your doctor, dentist or pain specialist if this is something you can possibly try.
I hope to participate more and not just lurk in silence. I sure do miss you all, you’re never far from my thoughts & prayers,
((( hugs ))) Mimi xx
Nerve block/Freezing
Bupivacaine is an anesthetic (numbing medicine) that blocks the nerve impulses that send pain signals to your brain.
*Non vasoconstrictor *
Bupivacaine / Marcaine
Long duration of action
Pharmacology
Duration: the greater the degree of vasodilation produced by the local anesthetic, the faster the absorption rate & the shorter the duration of action (bupivacaine has a long duration of action)
Protein Bound: high
Metabolism: liver
Metabolites: ester- & amide-type local anesthetics
Excretion: urine (principally)
Mechanism of Action
Local anesthetics prevent generation/conduction of nerve impulses by reducing sodium permeability & increasing action potential threshold