I’m starting to notice a trend. When I’m up against something stressful I have increased pain. Usually the pain effects my nose, teeth, lip and tongue. When stressed I have all that plus the jaw and eye socket pain.
Have others noticed the connection between stress & pain?
Absolutely. I've decided along with that as well, as getting really tired. My pain level goes way up whenever I get overly tired, and stressed. Although I have never liked that word. I don't consider things stress, they are just everyday life and none of us escapes it. But I do know when I'm exceptionally tired, my pain is just awful by evening. My eye socket as well and the high cheek bone hurts bad. I try to rub the eye and at my and I shouldn't do that because it damages the skin. Myself like everyone else prays for some new found relief soon. Probably not in my life time, but I sure pray for a miracle. Marsha
I don't believe stress causes tn pain, but being stressed I believe makes tn pain worse. I am sorry you are dealing with this monster also. After five days of not functioning I tried to brush my teeth, which I did a so, so job, but when I started to wash my hair in the tub so I could also take a bath (shower is not a option, feels like acid being poured on head) ended up on bathroom floor for over a hour with a panic attack, waited for a good friend (like family) to just wash my hair as I covered face, plugged ears, and cried and shook. Also have anixiety as pain builds through out the day. So sorry you have to go through this also. (Soft Hugs) dawn
I find this too. I think it’s to do with involuntary clenching my jaw, affecting the muscles and therefore the nerves, but I am no doctor! I find I then get into a vicious circle as I become stressed about being stressed!
Another thing I have realised is that certain movements like bending down to put in shoes, increase my pain and gives me that sickening feeling all over my face. Only answer I have found is to ask for help, embarrassing but a lot less painful!
I find that stress increases pain but also happy/positive excitement might trigger pain )-:
Yes me too. I try to keep the stress levels down. But some times its not working. If i dont get my sleep to rest then its acting. Its freaking you try everything but nothing is helping. ( Stress makes the heart pump in a higher rate so the Blood vessels are wider and so its rubbing on the nerve or pintch it more.) who knows why. It comes over my ear and then front of my face right side and the chin. Bahh kiss! left side is then a wake too. i hate it.
Hi Kim - I absolutely agree with you. An anxious or stressful moment can instantly trigger an electric shock along my jaw. I have also noticed bending down can spark it. I often get trapped in the vicious circle of being stressed about being stressed! Stress/anxiety/bending down are pretty much impossible to avoid if trying to live a normal life so I am constantly striving to conquer this horrendous pain which is frustratingly impossible to explain to anyone who has never suffered it.
This happens all the time for me. I'm going through it right now. Very stressful at work, and since I'm on the computer all the time, eye strain is a huge trigger also. I find I clench my teeth without even realizing it, which sets off the whole side of my face. I try minimize the stress and calm down but it doesn't seem to help. I haven't found any relaxation techniques to help yet. I hope the stressful time passes for you quickly!
I also find that stress/anxiety/and being overly tired makes my tn much worse. I also believe that I involuntarily clench my jaw causing me more pain. The times that I have ended up in the ER were always because I was extremely stressed out and my meds were not touching my pain. I am taking ativan now and it seems to help when I get stressed. I pray for all of us to find relief from this horrible disease......
I agree - I am also seeing this trend. Whenever I'm stressed out or anxious the pain is worse. Unfortunately that's a way of life for me, so I don't know how to control it - it's my personality
Absolutely is related to stress for me....I'm a CEO, and noticed the shocks significantly increased when facing a high pressure situation at work. Got so bad I couldn't do my job properly...couldn't talk at all without shooting spasms of pain that would rend me speechless. I couldn't eat without severe pain, and at night, I would toss and then wake up in spasms of pain that would leave me doubled over on the floor. My heart wrenches for those of you suffering...keep heart...there is healing. Mine is completely, 100% gone now...never a single attack...no drugs, and no surgery. I'm 100% convinced my TN is related to pressure on the brain stem from the C1 atlas bone being wrenched out of alignment. Got that back in place, and shocks were gone 97% within 4 days, and 100% within about three weeks, and they stay gone, as long as I'm careful not to wrench my neck, and if I feel it pop, to get it back in place as soon as possible. After a bad wrench, if I don't get it corrected, I'll have shocks in 3-4 weeks again. Don't know if it would work for everyone, but for me it was nothing short of a miracle. Check your hip alignment by standing barefoot at a bath vanity...place your toes evenly against the kickboard and check the distance each hip is back from the vanity top. If one is further away than the other , your C1 is absolutely rotated. If you look in the mirror and one shoulder is down lower than the other, it's slid to the side. (One foot each on different bath scales will show a weight difference as well in this case. A normal person will be balanced within 3 lbs...I've had 20-30 lbs more on one foot than the other in the past.)
For me, it's usually rotation (hips can be up to 1" difference), and if I gently apply pressure to rotate my C1 in the direction of the forward hip, I can straighten my hips out instantly while standing there...sounds unbelievable, but it really works! If you can't get the hips straight and the shoulders level on your own, find a good upper cervical chiropractor, and don't let them stop until you get there. Normal chiropractors don't have any idea how to do this...the crack, crack method of my local chiropractor didn't work for me...actually stretched my neck ligaments and made the neck go out of place easier. May God bless you with a sense of his love as you journey through this!
George
I feel the same way. Stress is one thing that I think does trigger it. Maybe its not the cause, but I do think it triggers mine. I wondered in the past if it wasn't the actual cause, because of job and family stress I dealt with. My original neuro said no its not a cause. I say yes, it is a trigger.
Over my 16 yrs of coping with TN I have heard 3 different times that maybe there is a virus connection. The last recently came from a anesthesiologist friend I have. We were fishing one day and the subject came up and he said he said "you know when they do find a cause for TN one day, they may find that's its caused by a virus". Of course, this is just passing statement on his part, a thought, no scientific proof. I told him that's the 3rd time I have heard that. I would think though with all the time TN has been called TN that would have been checked on thoroughly. I don't know. Nobody does. I want to say this. The NS that did my Gamma Knife and Cyberknife treatments said "sometimes when we do the MVD we go in and find the nerve compressed by a blood vessel". We all know that. But then he just shook his head, and I said "sometimes nothing". He nodded and said "nothing". I guess that's why they gave me the GK and 9 yrs later the CK. They said the MRI showed no compression. Who knows, but God Himself. Its a weird and dreaded disorder or disease. And that has yet to be fully explained to me also. Is it a disorder or disease. Of course, nowadays our society calls everything a disease (out of self-delusional reasons, in my opinion) - such as alcoholism, drug addiction, ADHD, self-defeating lifestyles, and on and on. Back to the subject matter. Stress a trigger?? My vote is yes...from experience.
I truly believe stress can affect (not cause) TN. For this reason I had to resign from my high pressure job as a mortgage loan officer. I’d been in banking for 30 years and loved it and was NOT ready to retire. And I’m only 52, so I’m way too young to retire! But after second failed MVD my happy, everything will be ok, glass is half full attitude went out the door. Depression (which I’ve never suffered even with having this horror for 8 years) set in and I couldn’t shake it. Now, I can’t smile or laugh for very long without it setting out a long bout of pain. On the good side, my husband has realized that if we argue, I get very sharp pain in my check and eye, so we just don’t! But seriously, I don’t know what I’d do without his love and support. Best wishes to you and us all.
Definitely a trigger for me - to the point that I’ve read up on ways to reduce stress and I’ll even put in a few hours of work on the weekend in order to reduce the stress during the week.
Boy Howdy does it. My wife calls it her little polygraph. If the boys start an argument or I have concern over things…ZAP, ZAP…
I too notice when I’m excited or talking a lot, it hits. When I went to a Demo Derby it’s hard to tell if it’s me or the cars making more noise. One thing I notice at church is if I sing, along about the second verse…ouch. So I thought I’d try something different and hum. Bad idea, it was worse. The breezes flow through the chapel so I end up putting a mask on. I look like a bank robber.
I have found that a small dose of Lorazapam slows the pains down and abates the faster. Everyone seems to have little tricks. I look forward to the day that they discover it can be diagnosed and treated with Gene therapy. Then I can look some people in the eye and say “Told you so”
My two cents, all it's worth, is that most of our efforts are spit in the ocean. The underlying cause is like a tank and we come to every shoot out with either a pea shooter or a box cutter...the latter turned on ourselves. After coming to terms with this conclusion, I take heart in my humanity. Something I rather not try to put into words. A secret place. Meditation is an essential pathway. I'm still finding the discipline but know that once I hit a level of routine it will be amongst good addictions.
My wife is a connoisseur of supplements. Must be thousands of dollars of them in the pantry. Grand that others find such dramatic outcomes with such, but for me it's sleep, meditation, deflecting stress....and distraction.
Well, there is one herb, which some call "the herb." With marijuana making its way to hospitals, better research may not be far behind. Could be a rocket grenade in the pipe line. Ultimately, it will be something far more sophisticated in league with stem cells and virus's that fight virus's.
I can so relate. …stressful times cause me to experience pain in my ear and tongue and my jaw as well…I need to chill out and relax so I can avoid a full blown attack!
I learned Transendental Meditation (TM) back in the 1970's. I haven't practiced it in over 35 years. I've been suffering with Bilateral Type A TN for 3 years. Recently, my psychologist, who still teaches TM, encouraged me to practice it again. I meditate twice daily for 20 minutes. My stress level and depression have reduced considerably. I highly recommend meditating. Whether it's TM, Buddhism, or any other form of meditating, it will reduce your stress. It's been scientifically proven. And it's free!
I do agree that stress can make it worse. When I get anxious I get electric shocks along my nose, half my lip, prickles around my eye, and stabbing in the eye. I take 1200 mg of carbamazepine a day and pain pills. It still breaks through. The burning never goes away. I feel for all of you that have this. Thank you for this support group.
Absolutely! It seems that I would have more pain with more stress. Problem is-can't eliminate stress.