I am 27 years old, i live in Artesia, CA. I am a mother of 3 beautiful children: Reahna,10, Michelle, 5, and Ayden, 2.... About a month ago i was diagnosed (by ER docs) with TN after suffering an "attack" of pain that i could not control with OTC pain relievers. My TN started about a year ago with light tingles all over the right side of my face. I thought that it was a long term side affect of the Bells Palsy I'd had at ages 12 and 22. I would wake up and soon after feel these tingles and they were not enough to bother me, they came every couple of hours and then as fast as they came they were gone. a few months later... the same tingles, and still i thought nothing of it. The tingles repeated about every 2-3 months... THEN in mid-March(2011) I woke up and soon felt this horrible SHOCK of pain near my temple that spread to my forehead cheek, and jaw. I was in horrible pain and did not understand why. I kept describing it to people as "fireworks" of pain in my face... and also an intense achy feeling like id been hit, HARD. After about a week of this pain, and no OTC meds helping, I went to the ER on March 30th. After an explanation of my pain, the first question the Dr. asked " Do you have a history of Bells Palsy?" the answer "yes". he already knew what it was... Trigeminal Neuralgia, of course, was my diagnosis. He sent me home with Nortriptylene and Motrin 800mg. After 11 days of taking these meds I was disappointed that my pain remained the same. I went back to the ER with friends and they then prescribed to me Carbamazepine and Oxycodone/Acetamenophin. With the Carbamazepine, i noticed side affects i could not tolerate, Incl; blurry vision, dizziness, slurring of speech, inability to get words out, fatigue, loss of memory and just an overall "spaced out" feeling. I went back to the ER, alone and the Doc told me I needed to switch back to the Nortriptyline and double the dose to 2 capsules before bed time. Its been about 3 weeks and my pain level has increased. I recently had two major attacks of pain that sent me into a crying fit that was so extreme i ended up on the kitchen floor in a puddle of tears and did not remember even getting up out of bed. The pain changes constantly and I am finding it hard to cope with everyday responsibilities. TN is affecting my quality of life, my relationships with my spouse, children, family and friends. I find myself resenting other people who complain about pain because i know they cannot be in nearly as much pain as i am. I cannot tolerate sun very well w/o pain, cold or wind w/o pain, it hurts to hear my son cry or my kids playing, to chew chips or meats, to talk or have a conversation, to yawn, sneeze or cough, brush my teeth and hair and most of the time it hurts just for no reason. When the dogs bark it sends excruciating pains through my face. I tried to start a diet of foods that needed less chewing such as soups and puddings, but soon found myself VERY hungry. The stress of a mother is something you cannot run away from, but the pain from the stress is intolerable. Ive always been an EXTREMELY outgoing woman, and now i find myself thinking " if i were dead, id feel no pain". My hope for relief is fading quickly. ANY tips, suggestions etc... would be GREATLY appreciated. Please feel free to contact me via text message or email; 562-■■■■■■■■ or ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
Oh Brenda,
This is horrible. I fell your pain and it is no fun. Please find a neurologist that specializes in TN or headaches as soon as possible. Call before you make an appointment and ask if they can treat TN. If they don't know what TN is, call another one. Getting to a good neurologist will change your life. This is a manageable condition, but when it breaks through it a nightmare. I've been out of work for almost 3 weeks. Before I had never missed more than 3 days.
Wish you the best.
Thee is light at the end of the tunnel. I promise you
Carolina
Well the next problem I have is that i have no medical insurance =\
I have applied for medi-cal (state funded insurance) but the process takes a while. My emergency visits and Rx's were covered by the hospitals Medical Financial Assistance Program(MFAP) thank goodness. Thank you all for the support