Hi i have to write a report soon on my condition and the pain level would i be right in saying its worse than child birth as most people can relate to that ?
Absolutely, and I had an agonising birth. The main difference is you get a baby at the end and with TN/ATN you usually get more pain tomorrow and the next day....................
I have three children so I have gone through the childbirth experience in every way imaginable. Since I have had from natural birth, c-section, epidurals, etc. I can say after having gone through a TN pain attack that left me crying and screaming for almost 8 hours with just no relief in sight that TN is worth than childbirth. The worst part about TN is just not knowing when the pain will ease up. It is just a sharp shooting pain that is manageable for a few hours, but after several hours it just becomes unbearable and there's no telling when and if it will stop. I finally ended up in the ER where I was given morphine for the pain since by blood pressure at this point was at 245/160 due to the shock. Yes TN pain is the worst pain I have ever experienced.
I would have to say I would hate an eleven year labour!!
I do remember the pain of childbirth it is very bad ,but you are prepared for it ,it gets worse and worse but then it stops and you have a baby !!
TN goes on and on ,the pain is sharp ,it stabs,
it shocks ,when it does stop for a while ,there is no reward ,and then when you think you are ok and you can do something normal ,it comes along and laughs at you !
the constant throbbing and burning all day long ,that pain is not as bad as childbirth but it wears you down ,and the stabs and shocks join the party .
given a choice childbirth or TN ....childbirth !
reality ...hysterectomy prevents that ,thepain after that was awful ,but at least it stopped ,
love to all xxxx
sorry disjointed ramble xxx
Steve,
I would have to say some attacks are on the milder side but the severe ones are indeed much worse. Worse yet: The differently perception and treatment that you get from the public and medical community. With childbirth everyone is there to support you, give you medicine, rush in to do an epidural (still haven't figured that one out-sorry) and get you ice chips galore. Today I am on day 4 of a bad attack. While my co-workers are trying to be sympathetic, when I left work early today to go the ER the look on their faces was frustration and eye rolling - not empathy. No one was rushing to get me ice chips. The ER Doctor basically told me I was wasting his time and he refused to give me ANYTHING for pain before sending me straight out the door. He didn't even ask me to describe or rate my pain.
So yes Steve, the pain can be more severe but the treatment from the medical community and the public is tenfold anything worse than you will ever experience with any other 'visible' medical condition. So not only are we in an incredible amount of pain, we are getting mental butt kicking while we are down.
Elaine
I attended an Expressive Arts Therapies summit in NYC a few weeks ago. (Before the onset of this horrid condition.) One of the classes was on MANDALAS. I have fallen in love with drawing them. This morning I drew one to go with the medical history form I will now be carrying around with me. The picture will be attached.
In the picture I depict a head with the three branches of the Trigmenial Nerves. On the nerve where I have my problems I have drawn a locomotive, a sledge hammer, 2 people with jack hammers, and electrical zig zag lines.
I forgot the giving birth depiction and my gallbladder attacks. I need to add these in. The nerve is in the colors of black for death, red & yellow for fire.
So when I am asked how bad the pain is all I have to do is show this picture.
Regards,
Phoebe
Absolutely! I tell people that I would rather birth 100 children with no medications than to experience that pain in full attack mode EVER again!
Phoebe, I fully “get” your picture, that’s how my mind feels if you know what I mean. Why not post it on the Art and Poetry Group so we can all see it, Jackie
Phoebe said:
I attended an Expressive Arts Therapies summit in NYC a few weeks ago. (Before the onset of this horrid condition.) One of the classes was on MANDALAS. I have fallen in love with drawing them. This morning I drew one to go with the medical history form I will now be carrying around with me. The picture will be attached.
In the picture I depict a head with the three branches of the Trigmenial Nerves. On the nerve where I have my problems I have drawn a locomotive, a sledge hammer, 2 people with jack hammers, and electrical zig zag lines.
I forgot the giving birth depiction and my gallbladder attacks. I need to add these in. The nerve is in the colors of black for death, red & yellow for fire.
So when I am asked how bad the pain is all I have to do is show this picture.
Regards,
Phoebe
Yes it is 1000 times more painful than childbirth. When I had my daughter, at no time did I scream "I just want to die." I have done that during an episode of TN pain. I am new to this, newly diagnosed. I have to say that I have never, ever felt this type of pain in my life. Not when I had a spinal tap, not ever. This is unlike anything.
I do believe some of it is psychological in that we don't know when it will stop, if the pain could get worse (which is unimaginable) and like someone else mentioned, we don't have a bundle of joy at the end... I would do ANYTHING to make the pain stop... anything.
Hello, Steve.
I am not sure about the classic TN attacks, with their electric shock type feelings and triggers of wind and cold.
However, haven given birth naturally without any pain relief, by way of C-Section and with the benefit of an epidural, making me a multipara who has given birth three different ways, I would have to say that I have had Type II flare ups which were comparable to the most severe of my Atypical TN, or Type II facial pain flare-ups.
I have seen it written in many pieces of medical literature as the "possibly what is worst pain known to medical science".
1000% times worse. I describe it as a police tazer being shoved in my cheek - unexpectedly - several times per day.
HI you have been a great help Thanks Steve
Jackie said:
Absolutely, and I had an agonising birth. The main difference is you get a baby at the end and with TN/ATN you usually get more pain tomorrow and the next day....................
I think the answer to your question is clearly yes lol I too have had 3 children all births with absolutely no pain relief and I can easily say compared to my medicated tn pain it was a walk in the park!!
Unfortunately for us TN sufferers there is no large dose of oxytocin to help us forget how bad the pain is!
Mr. Steve Hill,
What a great question for a guy to ask.
I inadvertently answered, "After over 7 hours of labor, Lamaze went out the window, Bless her heart. She stopped swearing at me at the sight of our daughter."
However, I have yet to be tasered;) bob
Give it time Bob! Don't tempt fate!!
Bob Snodgrass said:
Mr. Steve Hill,
What a great question for a guy to ask.
I inadvertently answered, "After over 7 hours of labor, Lamaze went out the window, Bless her heart. She stopped swearing at me at the sight of our daughter."
http://www.livingwithtn.org/forum/topics/the-characteristics-of-you...
However, I have yet to be tasered;) bob
So funny. (NOW) When I was in labor:
1)My husband tried to smother me with a pillow because he was afraid I would disturb the other patients;
2)The nurse I threatened to kill with a sub machine gun turned to me and said "now you should have thought about this before hand".
3)I was LIED to about getting an epidural, I don't c are how fast my daughter was trying to get out;
4)and for me getting tattooed is right up there on the pain scale.
I suppose being one of those people allergic to pain does not help my cause :)