Are there others out there that were diagnosed with TN and then found out they have MS? I am very nervous now as a girlfriend of mine was just diagnosed with MS and her only symptom was a funny feeling head...she explained it as like someone had teased her hair...they did an MRI immediately and then the spinal tap, and sure enough she has MS. Now the one side of her face went numb...but no real pain. I started out with the numb, dull pain on the right side of my face that then went onto the top of my head and carried around onto the other side...I said it felt like I had a tight pony in my hair and it hurt to brush my hair. My family Dr. diagnosed me and sent me to the neurologist, who wouldn't do a MRI as he felt like I didn't have TN as I wasn't collapsing to the floor with pain. My family Dr. put me on Gabapentin and that seemed to help. Lately now I have been experiencing some shocking pains and numbness in my extremities...I do have an appt. with another Neurologist. The clinic said the last one retired and not to worry that they were going to "Disregard anything that Dr. Norbeck had said!" NICE! Hoping this Dr. knows what he is talking about. Anyways,.. was anyone first diagnosed with TN and then MS?? Thanks!
According to statistics published by the TN Association of the US, about 5% of TN patients also have MS. Pain in your extremities may not have anything to do with TN. And there are other issues that may result in such pain, notably auto-immune disorders like Lupus, Fibromyalgia, or diabetic neuropathy. There is a group among our subject-specific groups (menu above) for people who have MS as well as face pain. Feel free to post there, or to research other discussions on the topic via the search window at the top right of our pages.
Yes, I was one of them. I was a bit older (50ish), so MS wasn't really considered, although you can get it at any age. Regardless of what that other neuro said, you should have an MRI. I went to a facial pain conference in Richmond, VA, in May and the neurologist said everybody with facial pain deserves an MRI. A diagnosis is so important. I have documented my agonizing journey on my website if you want to take a look at it. www.jennifersweeney.ca
Thank you Jennifer and Richard for responding...I will follow up after my wed. appt. with the neurologist. But face pain has been worse today...I feel I have a very high pain tolerance and sometimes that doesn't help when talking to Dr.'s. I also worry as I do not do well on strong meds...inherited my Grandmothers weak stomach. Just want to really know if it is actually MS...5 years later (or 10 years since I had carpal tunnel testing that was negative!) Thanks again!