Has anyone seen a chiropractor for some relief? I know it sounds far-fetched possibly, but the premise is that the cervical chiro will straighten your neck, giving your nervous system an opportunity to heal itself. I have had this disease for going on 10 years; I have taken every medication they could give me. I have tried a special anti-inflammatory diet. I have had Microvascular Decompression. I have never had a remission, except for when I was pregnant. After seeing this chiropractor for 2 months, last week I had the best week I've had in many years. I feel he is helping me. I can't say enough good things; what's more, he sees so many sick patients, and every one of them has nothing but great things to say about this type of treatment. Even if I have not had complete remission yet, I'm hanging on to hope now. Please, if nothing is working, try this out. At least do some research- it's amazing, the various treatments. I was ready to give up, but I read What Time Tuesday? and I have been motivated. If he could get relief, so can I. And I am, a little bit at a time.
When I first got diagnosed I saw an Upper Cervical Care Chiro and had no pain for 4 months. Then my insurance said I couldn't go there any longer, so I started seeing a regular chiropractor. My pain was not daily back then, but over the last couple years it was getting worse and worse. I decided to go back to the UCCC on the chance that what he did actually helped at my own expense. I have been back for a month or two now and the relief is unbelievable. I have had many days with no pain.
I went to a NUCCA-certified chiropractor from Janusry to May this year (package deal). I saw him at least weekly and also had neuromuscular massage every other week as that helps adjustments stay in place.
It was amazing how much it helped my pain level! However, it only continued to help if I went for weekly or twice a week adjustments and bi-weekly massage. If I did anything that was too active...I'm talking walking through a park or running after my 3 year old grandson, the TN pain would start back.
Once I got to May it was then costing me $75 a session for the chiro and $65 a session for massage, plus he was 60 miles away from my house & I have arthritis that makes driving painful. Needless to say, I could not continue.
So, if you have the financial means and the time to take off to go once or twice a week then this may be a good treatment option.
I saw a chiropractor for the first time since I had TN and he did some UCC and adjusted me normally He also did this light therapy I think it has helped some I was skepitcal I only went because my Dad made the appointment for me and said he would meet me there So what was I supposed to say but I think it helped and I may go back I am hoping to lower my dose of gabapentin I am up to 2800Mg a day do much feel like space ranger I will let you know but all you can do is try it It could make it worse or better you will never know until you try it.
This does not sound far fetched. I was seeing a Chiropractor for neck and shoulder pain and realized my TN was relieved somewhat from the manipulations. I notice if I look down for a long time, say reading a book my TN gets worse that day. If I keep my head straight and look forward it eases the pain, it doesn't seem like a coincidence to me. I can not take a lot of the medications that are suggested so have done some research of my own and also came across an article called "The Miracle of Magnesium" it's worth a read. I have been taking magnesium supplement Slo-Mag for about 1 month now and also noticed decreased pain. I was at the point where I could not even brush teeth, sometimes couldn't speak and wind hurt my face so bad it made my eyes water. Now I have noticed a marked difference. Of course I guess that could just be a natural remission, but I'm going to keep taking my magnesium. I am on acid reflux medicine Prilosec for 14 years and have read that this disrupts the absorbsion of Magnesium & Calcium so I supplement and take with food. Also, all magnesium supplements are not the same, some forms get better absorbed than others, similar with calcium.
Tuesday I saw dr drew hall with upper cervical care. I got his name on a blog from a woman whose husband saw him and has been pain free for a year. After one visit I am 80 percent better. I saw my nerologist and he said if it works go for it. Dr hall has offices in Los Angeles and Carson. You can get a free evaluation. You have nothing to lose was the way I felt. He is very gentle. No cracking or twisting.
It has been over a week now and I can't believe it is still holding! I hope it helps anyone else. I have been trying to find the woman who posted on this blog so I can thank her with all my heart. With over 4,000 suffers, it is a task to find her.
If you see this THANK YOU, THANK YOU. THANK YOU!!!
Also I ordered a book on amazon called STRIKING BACK, The Trilgeminal Neuralgia and Face Book Handbook by George Weigel and Kenneth F. Casey, M.D. It is so good at explaining the disease in laymens terms and also goes into the alternative therapies for anyone interested. Dr. Casey will be one of the many doctors speaking at the TN seminar in San Diego in October and is very well known and respected. The diagrams are excellent for those of us that knew nothing except we were in extreme pain. Information is powerful.
My best wishes to my follow suffers, I do feel your pain.
Dr Casey says only use NUCCA…for me that is 2 states away!
What state are you In?The book by dr Casey has a page to look up chiropractors I can scan and email to you if you want or look up your state and get one for you.
I went to the Chriopractor on a wednesday as you can see from the post below On sunday night the pain started bothering me really bad increased gabapentin the pain was pretty bad yesturday(Monday) went to the Chiropractor again today (Tuesday) around 2PM He did the same light therapy stuff on my face and adjusted me put some capisan cream on my faceI stoped at my favorite resturant and picked up dinner I was able to eat normally with only one small twinge I ate salad Garlic bread and calzones I even cought myself chewing on the TN side of my face without pain I am talking and eating with slight pain not horrible pain my teeth are still a little sore and sentative. I am still not sold on it yet but we will see. NOTE: doctor is not a NUCCA certified
I will have to keep you all posted on how long it remains this way I hope it last and I can wake up tomorrow with minimal pain hope every do the same
KATTHOMPSON4 said:
I saw a chiropractor for the first time since I had TN and he did some UCC and adjusted me normally He also did this light therapy I think it has helped some I was skepitcal I only went because my Dad made the appointment for me and said he would meet me there So what was I supposed to say but I think it helped and I may go back I am hoping to lower my dose of gabapentin I am up to 2800Mg a day do much feel like space ranger I will let you know but all you can do is try it It could make it worse or better you will never know until you try it.
Well Update its Wednesday Morning and the pain is back But I sure did enjoy my dinner last night guess my family will have to eat the left overs that sure was a expensive meal by the time I paid for the Chiropractor and the food. But I think it was worth it to be able to eat a meal like a normal person I go friday to the chiropractor again we will see what happens
KATTHOMPSON4 said:
I went to the Chriopractor on a wednesday as you can see from the post below On sunday night the pain started bothering me really bad increased gabapentin the pain was pretty bad yesturday(Monday) went to the Chiropractor again today (Tuesday) around 2PM He did the same light therapy stuff on my face and adjusted me put some capisan cream on my faceI stoped at my favorite resturant and picked up dinner I was able to eat normally with only one small twinge I ate salad Garlic bread and calzones I even cought myself chewing on the TN side of my face without pain I am talking and eating with slight pain not horrible pain my teeth are still a little sore and sentative. I am still not sold on it yet but we will see. NOTE: doctor is not a NUCCA certified
I will have to keep you all posted on how long it remains this way I hope it last and I can wake up tomorrow with minimal pain hope every do the same
KATTHOMPSON4 said:
I saw a chiropractor for the first time since I had TN and he did some UCC and adjusted me normally He also did this light therapy I think it has helped some I was skepitcal I only went because my Dad made the appointment for me and said he would meet me there So what was I supposed to say but I think it helped and I may go back I am hoping to lower my dose of gabapentin I am up to 2800Mg a day do much feel like space ranger I will let you know but all you can do is try it It could make it worse or better you will never know until you try it.
I had a terrible relapse, if you can call it that, a few days ago. I haven't been sleeping well because of the baby, and I find when I don't sleep well, I have more attacks. I saw my chiropractor yesterday, as I see him every Tuesday, and left feeling a little better. Woke up today, and had severe attacks and pain in my neck and right shoulder. I went to see him again; he explained that working on the neck is like training a toddler -- It takes a long time, and it's a stubborn process. He said it is like my neck and my bones are so used to being in one position, they are fighting the changes he's making! He also said I was borderline scoliosis, so that also is something to factor in. Either way, my neck and shoulder feel better now, but I'm still having the TN pain. I get it in my right eye, and sometimes I wish I had it in my jaw like so many, since I have trouble seeing out of my eye a lot. But then I remember, that most of the time I can still eat. So it could ALWAYS be worse. I tell myself that often these days, as I've been coming to terms with the fact that this won't ever go away. But if I can get a few days back, like I did a week ago, I appreciate life so much better... In fact, I broke down today at the chiropractor's office. I told him that all these doctors act like they care, but when I call them with an emergency, there is nothing they can possibly do. Well, this morning was an emergency, and when I called, I was put on the phone with none other than the actual doctor! What doctors answer patient calls?!?! This doctor does. NUCCA doctors do often. He is wonderful. I told him I had the best few days in years recently, and it's because of him. He gave that to me... And humility is his nature, because he INSISTS it is NOT because of him, but because of me. Our bodies have the potential to heal their selves. With the right tools, and the correct treatments, our bodies will do what they should.
Hang in there. I’m still holding at about 70-80 percent improvement since adjustment after two weeks and one adjustment. He said he won’t be happy until I hit 100 percent. You seem like you have other problems than TN which I’m sure makes it so much more difficult but you are making progress.
i have a great chiropractor, but even though he wanted me to try adjustments, but looking at how the artery/vessels get attached to the nerve, i dont see how it would work...but try it by all means and see if you get relief
Are we allowed to give information about specific doctors in this forum?
Hi Olmeq, the answer is yes if positive. because of legal implications negative comments must be by private message. We don't as you know allow spammers but you have been an active member for a good while now, don't think that is the case here :)
OLMEQ said:
Are we allowed to give information about specific doctors in this forum?
I am so loopy on meds... I couldn't remember protocol. Dr. Larry Gordon - Chiropractor in Houston Texas 713-■■■■■■■■ .... He has been a big help .....
I don't think UCC is far-fetched at all. I was in full-blown TN three months ago & saw a UCC practitioner here in Lake Worth, FL several times. I liked him & found his methods very sincere & logical. I thought i was getting some relief initially but then got discouraged. It was relatively expensive since he didn't take insurance. (Our insurance company would rather pay for surgery!) At the same time I tried the anti-inflammatory diet and had great relief from it. I'm now off all meds and have been pain-free for 2 months.
I'll never know for sure whether the real cure was the UCC or the diet or it just decided to go into remission. I credit the diet. Sorry it didn't work for you. How long did you stick to it?
This is the 3rd time around for me in 28 years, so I know the cures aren't permanent. I'm just glad it's gone!
It's amazing how successful some treatments are for some that don't work at all for others. It may be that there are different causes.
Good luck! Really hope you get relief soon.
Hey I have taken Daniel my 3 yr old grandson to a chiropractor here in monticello ar and it does seem to help but i have to take him several times before it gets alot better He is in the hospital alot and when i take him to the chiro. he says his neck is out real bad and the dr is familiar with tn
Hello,
I have been an avid follower of Bens Friends for the last 5 years. I can’t tell you how this community has helped me in my quest to understand what was happening to me as my husband and I struggled with the painful effects of atypical facial pain and the various methods of relieving the pain. I’ve wept with those that I was in the same boat with and cheered each one as you found some measure of relief.
I appreciate the vast amount of knowledge and practical advice that has been collected here and all the effort there is to really help and understand each other. I can’t thank you enough!
So this is my personal journey:
On Sept 15th, 2014( I will never forget this day), I was struck with such a severe pain to my lower left side of my face that I couldn’t talk for hours. It kept coming in waves of sharp, stabbing pain that I had never felt before (and I have a history of chronic migraine with aura along with TMJ problems).
As soon as I got home that day, I went to Doctors Care. A very nice physician was familiar with it and recognized the signs of trigeminal neuralgia (I am very grateful that it was diagnosed so soon, as I have found that so many suffer so long before finding appropriate help). I met with my primary care doctor, who referred me to a neurologist. They tried a couple of different antiseizure medication/antidepressant combination first, because I am the type to have many side effects and react negatively to medication. Ultimately, the other medications failed, and I was prescribed Tegretol (carbamazepine) and Elavil (amitriptyline).
It took months for it to build up in my system and several months after that to almost completely get rid of the pain. So, it would be about a year before I could catch my breath again, pain wise. Inevitably, every year, another tooth would just crumble (I used to think the grossest thing to bite into was a shell in egg salad, but NO your own tooth in egg salad is WAY worse). Not because I was eating anything hard but managing to bear caring for the teeth above once a day seemed impossible. Also, I later found through the help of other sufferers that Tegretol also CAUSES rapid tooth decay, which seems like the cruelest side effect. (although pain had subsided, I had to avoid all of the triggers such as eating anything that was not soft, eating anything that was above or below the temperature of my mouth, any wind or ac on my face, hair/blankets/myself/anything touching my face, any clothing that would touch my neck and/or collarbone.
So the cycle continued for 4.5 years, a year of medication, another tooth would crumble, triggering the whole process to start over again. Medication also kept on becoming less and less effective each year.
My husband and I are ones that really rely on faith to see us through this time. I firmly feel that life is a gift from God, and it isn’t mine to take away. Oddly enough, it was the fact that at anytime that life COULD end, and that pain would end, that provided me added comfort when I simply couldn’t take the pain anymore. It’s amazing what the human mind is capable of to enable a person to endure such pain.
Then, in Oct of 2018, I read a post from here where a fellow sufferer told about how he was helped through upper cervical chiropractic care. At this point, my husband and I has already gone into deep debt with doctors’ bill and the fact that I have been unable to work for years. We were reluctant to spend more money. Then I had an acquaintance who mentioned he tried the same thing and found relief. Even better, the office was decently close to my home in Charleston, SC.
I found what I had been hoping to find for 5 years (12 years for migraines and hormonal issues) a physical, fixable problem! My atlas was off by almost 40 degrees. With the first adjustment, I started to feel relief, and more and more as I continued going. It literally felt like my head was turned to the left, but I was looking straight, my head was finally set in the correct position.
The hardest part was trying not to get my hopes up too soon. I had never felt pain relief for more than a couple of weeks at a time. I’m a strong placebo responder, so I waited 3 months before I allowed myself to get excited.
Over the course of the last 6 months, my neurologist and primary care doctor have helped me to wean off all the medication I had been taking (which, as I’m sure you are all aware, was a nightmare. I am still amazed that I have not had any facial pain for 8 months now. Even the frequency and severity of migraine is reducing steadily.
I am not promoting/unpromoting any particular treatment, but with how much help this community has provided me, I was wanting to give my story incase it would help anyone else. That being said, if you are wondering where I received this treatment, it is in Charleston, SC at Charleston Upper Cervical Chiropractic.
Thank you again for all your help, and I hope that you will find relief soon, and the strength to bear all things.
Amber