Hi Everyone, I was wondering if anyone has the same experience with TN as I?
Here's my experience thus far, I have a constant pain right where the right side of my nose touches my face about 1/4 inch toward my cheek. That pain is a constant burning/stabbing pain. On bad days the slightest touch to the right side of my face gives me the electric shock "attacks" They run from that spot (nose/cheek area) across my cheek bone upwards toward my temple, from my temple down the side of my face by my ear, along my jaw line and to the right side of my chin and from right above the right side of my eyebrow, again, to my temple.
However, I do not have any attacks when the left side of my face is touched and I also have days where I can wash the right side of my face or rub my eye and I suffer from no attacks at all. The spot by my nose is always in pain though. It's not always the electric shock feeling but there's always a burning/stabbing pain regardless if I'm having attacks or not.
Yes! Everything you said except on my left side. I couldn't smile w/o it hurting. (I ended up having a crooked smile without knowing it because it was ok to smile on the right side but not the left.) And I completely know what you're talking about when you say the corner where the nose/nostril meets the face. Even though light touches can make me get zaps, since that spot hurt constantly, I would press on it very hard with my middle finger then press my cheek bone near the eye with my index finger. The pressure was somehow soothing even though it didn't get rid of the pain. My pain would also radiate to my ear.
I had microvascular decompression (MVD) surgery 11 months ago. The surgeon found an artery wrapped around my trigeminal nerve and another one around 2 other nerves near the ear. My ear pain is gone. The constant stabbing pain on my eye, nostril, teeth, and cheek is gone. I no longer trigger shocks to my face if I smile, lightly touch my face or brush my teeth. Yay! I do still get occasional pain that feels like the old stabbing pain and it lasts for a couple of hrs. I get zaps every now and then too. Considering that I was told that the surgery would probably not help the ATN pain, only the TN pain, I feel like it was a success. The constant pain is gone. I'm not pain free, but I am much better than I was. I still take Tegretol, Topomax and pain medicine as needed. The proof that I am better: I have not been to the ER for pain since surgery. That's a record because I have become a frequent visitor at my local hospitals these past 11 years. So frequent the staff remembers me. The year that I went to the ER the LEAST amount of times was when I went only 8 times. So yes, I call my story a success story. :)
Hi. Thank you so much for you reply! On your good days would a touch to the left side still trigger the zaps? That's what I'm confused by right now. Yesterday the wind, a splash from my kids in the bath tub and even my hair touching my face caused the electric shocks. Today, my 11 month old daughter stroked the whole right side of my face and I had no shocks. I still have the constant burning/stabbing pain no matter what but no shocks. Did you ever have days where stimulation to your face didn't cause attacks?
ihold said:
Yes! Everything you said except on my left side. I couldn't smile w/o it hurting. (I ended up having a crooked smile without knowing it because it was ok to smile on the right side but not the left.) And I completely know what you're talking about when you say the corner where the nose/nostril meets the face. Even though light touches can make me get zaps, since that spot hurt constantly, I would press on it very hard with my middle finger then press my cheek bone near the eye with my index finger. The pressure was somehow soothing even though it didn't get rid of the pain. My pain would also radiate to my ear.
I had microvascular decompression (MVD) surgery 11 months ago. The surgeon found an artery wrapped around my trigeminal nerve and another one around 2 other nerves near the ear. My ear pain is gone. The constant stabbing pain on my eye, nostril, teeth, and cheek is gone. I no longer trigger shocks to my face if I smile, lightly touch my face or brush my teeth. Yay! I do still get occasional pain that feels like the old stabbing pain and it lasts for a couple of hrs. I get zaps every now and then too. Considering that I was told that the surgery would probably not help the ATN pain, only the TN pain, I feel like it was a success. The constant pain is gone. I'm not pain free, but I am much better than I was. I still take Tegretol, Topomax and pain medicine as needed. The proof that I am better: I have not been to the ER for pain since surgery. That's a record because I have become a frequent visitor at my local hospitals these past 11 years. So frequent the staff remembers me. The year that I went to the ER the LEAST amount of times was when I went only 8 times. So yes, I call my story a success story. :)
Hi, you're not alone. I have the same thing on my left side. Nose and ear are the worst. Sometimes it feels like someone is taking an icepick and shoving it in my ear. I also have the constant burning pain, most times along the left side of my nose, below my left eye, the temple and left ear. When its bad nothing can touch me on the left side. I have to sit up in bed because the pillow is even to much. I hope you find relief....
Thank you for your reply. What about good days? Do you still get attacks if your face is touched on good days? Some days I'm fine and I can put on makeup and wash my face without an attack and some days even a breeze can trigger an attack. Most of the time I'm scared to even attempt anything but a girl has GOT to wash her face once in a while so on the days when I DO attempt it and nothing happens it leaves me confused.
houston man said:
Hi, you're not alone. I have the same thing on my left side. Nose and ear are the worst. Sometimes it feels like someone is taking an icepick and shoving it in my ear. I also have the constant burning pain, most times along the left side of my nose, below my left eye, the temple and left ear. When its bad nothing can touch me on the left side. I have to sit up in bed because the pillow is even to much. I hope you find relief....