The nickname "tic douloureaux" means "painful spasm,"...and I had come to believe or learn the grimace and tic are part of this deal. I have an ESL student who looked at me one day and said, "there's something wrong...with your face..." (not being cruel). He then tried to describe the wincing I was doing. "Your face, it's...something wrong."
He could not have been more correct.
I get that tightness in the throat, too. But it's only an irritation as opposed to the rabid porcupine fighting for it's life feeling in my face.
I too have a hard time swallowing when I have a bad flare up.. like right now.. feels like something is sitting on the back of my tongue.. right after surgery, I could tell it was that nerve for sure bc it was numb as could be from where he had went in and messed with it.. every part of my face that that the nerve controlled was numb.. this stuff is rough... hope everyone feels better!!
I get the grimacing thing on my left side which is the side I have my Atn on. It feels like everything I’d firing on that side and I just can’t relax it. It’s crazy. All part of my TN. I haven’t known what it’s like to have the two sides of my fave feel the same in a year and a half. Someday…