Seeing headache/ facial pain doc Tuesday- teeth flaring again- Hot Pepper Cream ;)

General General TN & GPN (Old Site)
1

Hi everyone ~ <3

I am getting a second opinion Tuesday from a pain management doctor who is in private practice. He only deals w/ headaches and facial pain… As the neurologist I saw did not order an MRI, essentially said this was psychosomatic- and said they only “gave medications there”-- ( i.e.- no testing)- I do not plan on mentioning this doctor to the new one. I wish ONE of my doctors would feel around on my face to see where the pain is!!!

I have all of my information together. I ended up having to see my endodontist again Thursday due to pain from the same two upper teeth… Things had calmed a bit-- then my dentist painted temp. lacquer on those two teeth and a few others-- and now I am in a mess. My left ear is ringing - and the pain is shooting beside the left side of my nose. Nothing stops either- not even the DermaTran cream- all it seems to do lately is dry out my face and make it a bit scaly.

The Gabapentin has stopped working - essentially. The pain had hit such a point I tried a small bit of Capsacin (sp?-- that hot pepper cream) - beside my left ear b/c it hurts there very much too-- and GEESH!!! I did regret that! (It mentions this in the book Striking Back- I do NOT recommend it, however. LOL-- Maybe it works b/c your face is burning so horribly- all the other pain vanishes-- LOL—)

The endodontist said that if a tooth has gone bad- it can originate in the ear- like mine did. I have read Striking Back again-- and wonder if I could have pulpitis… from what I can tell, you can get inflammation of the 5th nerve from certain teeth going - bad… Pulpitis (from what I gather)- doesn’t always show on x-rays…

The endodontist- said this could be “neurological- maybe Trigeminal neuralgia.”-- (He mentioned the term not me- He barely examined my teeth- I think he was afraid to at this point.)-- “or it could be dental- .” He has seen me many times now-- following the 2 teeth that consistently give me a bloody fit.

At this point, I don’t know how to tell. If this pain doctor- does not order an MRI-- or something-- my family is going to try to get me to the Orofacial Pain Center at Chapel Hill… I just don’t know how we can do this… This whole situation has been causing problems b/c I just can’t do so much b/t the ear ringing returning after the dentist putting lacquer on those teeth-- and not being able to get a certain answer from the endodontist.

I know everyone says- DONT GET DENTAL WORK DONE YET— but if he did a root canal on the tooth that originally presented w/ pain-- I just wonder if my life would return to normal?? or would I end up worse off? What if both teeth need it? The root canal tooth done by an inept dentist? and the tooth beside it?

I am praying this pain doctor will have seen enough of this stuff- to HELP ME.

My pain does not lessen at night (like it mentions in Striking Back)- though once I am asleep (finally)-- it doesn’t wake me up. It starts back- the minute my feet hit the floor-- right along w/ the ear ringing.

I have seen posts here where people thought it was TN- but it was dental…

sigh… I don’t know …

It is just causing so many problems… I don’t know how many people get ear ringing and tooth pain w/ TN— and if the tooth pain is just in TWO TEETH… only TWO… My pain rather bounces around except for the same 2 teeth.

I don’t know what to say to this pain doctor-… Yes, I have filled out the paper work… and written down additional information… taken a drawing I printed out of the left side of my head- where the pain is… but if he doesn’t help— getting me to Chapel Hill will be really hard-- and though any neuro stuff they do - or ENT stuff- would be covered— dental stuff will not- b/c I don’t have dental insurance…

I don’t get on the computer very much as it seems to make the pain worse for some reason…

You all are in my prayers-- xx

I guess I wondering, too- if it was okay to tell this doctor if he can’t help me-
I am going to lose my freaking mind-- and my family is going to fall apart? I don’t feel like sometimes, I can handle this pain-- not just because of the incessant pain- coming from my ear, teeth and under my left eye- but b/c I can’t do my part of what needs to be done in the house anymore…

I feel like pulling out these 2 teeth-- JUST TO SEE-- but they are upper frontal smile teeth… If they were back teeth- they would have been gone already.

xx
beekeeper

2

Oh my!!!

My TN was kicked off by an oral surgeon giving me whiplash I believe --- its just a freaky thing.

Have you ever tried lidocaine mouthwash to kill the pain in your mouth? Works for many here

Have you tried lidocaine patches or cream for your face?

You have the TN bible --- I know it's still a guessing game

Please ----- make sure any doctor you see if neurologist OR neurosurgeon is VERY well versed in TN.....or atypical face pain....

I suggest everybody goes to google images and type in both --- Trigeminal Neuralgia.....and atypical face pain.....

print off whatever image shows what you feel is close to your pain paths.

Look at doctor tab here -- anyone close by to you?

If you don't like the new doc....get another.... you have to have the best with this....! You deserve it

AND

my advice is please stay away from dental chairs till you try plan A/B/C

3

Thank you. I hope things go better tomorrow--- ...... I am still a bit confused as to what atypical facial pain is- my dentist told me- that it simply means they don't know where the pain is coming from....... I also know the neurontin isn't helping...... I am allergic to lidocaine...... so that isn't an option.

Will see how things go tomorrow.....

xxbeekeeper

Kc Dancer Kc said:

Oh my!!!

My TN was kicked off by an oral surgeon giving me whiplash I believe --- its just a freaky thing.

Have you ever tried lidocaine mouthwash to kill the pain in your mouth? Works for many here

Have you tried lidocaine patches or cream for your face?

You have the TN bible --- I know it's still a guessing game

Please ----- make sure any doctor you see if neurologist OR neurosurgeon is VERY well versed in TN.....or atypical face pain....

I suggest everybody goes to google images and type in both --- Trigeminal Neuralgia.....and atypical face pain.....

print off whatever image shows what you feel is close to your pain paths.

Look at doctor tab here -- anyone close by to you?

If you don't like the new doc....get another.... you have to have the best with this....! You deserve it

AND

my advice is please stay away from dental chairs till you try plan A/B/C

4

There is also prescription ketamine cream.

If you look at google images for atypical face pain -- at least you get a visual of what it looks like and can share with doctors

5

I don't know if my root canal is bad. I just know since I had it- it has never settled down- and the tooth beside it always hurts too... the x-rays show nothing bad--- ..... No, it was something to conceal the tiny bit of gum recession I had to see if it would help and it didn't-- it aggravated the whole situation...... When there are two teeth side-by-side and the x-rays show nothing bad-- what is the endodontist to do? Root canal both of them? only to have a patient with more pain in different teeth--? I don't know they are bad- I just know they hurt all the time--- pain started in my ear- moved to my face- and into two teeth..... one got the root canal-- the one that was tapped on and sent me through the roof...... it still hurts- so does the one beside it..... Everyone says they are fine---- dentists, (many)-- and 1 endodontist.... I don't know what to do......... truly.

6

I have been sent to the Oral Facial Pain Center at Chapel Hill on the 29th of August - for an "evaluation." It is 4 1/2 hours from my home--- My Mom has to take me- -- When I called to schedule the appt-- the girl said -- oh we don't deal with teeth--- )@(#&%*U)@(#$*)(@ LORD-- seems to ME the source my my face pain anymore is 2 teeth. It is over 400 dollars-. They set up a treatment plan and whether or not I need to come back- . Well, we _cannot_ afford to go back for a second time. There are so many variables to this situation, I don't see how this doctor-- in one hour (how long my appt is) can sort them all out----------- It started when my grandmother went into the nursing home- and I had a huge out break of cold sores--- and the ear pain started--- spread across my face and into 2 teeth. I had a root canal- a balance test.... in the beginning I was sooo sick-- I lost a lot of weight, had vertigo so bad- I fell out of bed twice--- I couldn't do a thing-- the tinnitus was so bad--- I could NOT SLEEP. I wanted to die. Now I have pain in 2 teeth- still- ear ringing-- and am on enough Vicodin and such to keep the sharks a bit a bay-- but I know they are under the water-- and I don't know what the heck to do.......My family - just me and mom--- I am on DISABILITY- -- We both have fibro- I am 40 she is 60---- We can't make that trip 5-6 times...... and I don't see how THIS ONE DOCTOR_ can unravel this in one hour-------- If it means I totally lose my sanity in bed from this---- well, I guess I will lose it-- b/c I don't see any more answers..... I am finally getting an MRI--- LOL------- and this started in November--- . :( Headache doc ordered it and he didn't know what was going on--- hence-- Chapel Hill.