I everyone! My name is Lauren...This is the first blog I've ever written....I guess I need to share my story with someone. I really don't have much support. Here's my story;
In the fall of 2007 all of a sudden my ears started ringing. No matter what I did after much search on Tinnitus I could not get relief. In the beginning of 2008 I noticed my teeth and jaw were really sore. Unfortunately my Doctor at the time loved to prescribe percacet, tylenol 3 and lots of ativan. So by the time we moved to a new city I was a complete drug addict ( but pain free). The new doctor I found was wonderful and got me off all meds except for the ativan which I needed for sleep. So all the pain started again...he told me I had TMJ, gave me baclofen to stop my jaw grinding and Ativan to use for sleep and referred me to an Oral Surgeon. I got in to see the Oral Surgeon and he informed me that i had ground me teeth down til they were breaking off on the back teeth. My teeth were so bad he recommended that I have my teeth all removed. So he scheduled the surgery for December 31, 2008. I thought I was finally going to get relief from the pain and the Tinnitus...no such luck... The last 4 years have been a nightmare....Suddendly at the end of April the pain in my mouth was so bad I couldn't stand it...went to the dr. he said i must of bruised it somehow...Tylenol 3's don't even touch the pain...meanwhile 3 months later and 3 visits to the emergency room I finally went to see the oral surgeon that pulled my teeth. I described all my symptoms to him. Burning mouth, sore tongue (it hurt to swollow and sometimes I couldn't) , Awful pain in my jaw and gums that kept coming and going. Electrical shocks going all through my cheeks, and not just in one spot, they move. He knew immediately what was wrong with me and told me I had Trigeminal Neuralgia. Finally someone knew what was wrong with my mouth and jaw, tongue. etc.
This was on June 5th...he prescripted Carbamazepine 200 mg. to be taken twice a day. After 3 days I noticed my tonge had feeling in it again and my gums were'nt as sore. I also noticced the ringing in my left ear had stopped which is the side I have the pain. I had a follow up appointment on June 14th discussed my health with him and he added Gabapentin 300 mg. 3 times a day (which they had tried before after I had my teeth pulled). Well this morning I woke up and the pain is gone. I can actually lick my lips which I haven't been able to do without severe pain for 3 months.
I hope the side effects of the Gabapentin go away, I feel really spacey, bloated but it's worth it to be pain free. I hope this continues. Good Health to all of you who managed to get through this long blog. I'm hoping to meet fellow TN's.
Thank you for reading, Lauren