Tingling in face due to stess?

[Anxiety?]

I've had tingling/crawling sensation in my face on and off for the last 6 months.  Sensation has been all over my face (forehead and both sides).  When I press on it, the sensations get worse.   It also gets worse when I'm in stressful situations, but I feel it at other times as well.  I've been to a nuerologist and had an MRI.  The doctor didn't think it was anything nuerlogical (like MS) and my MRI was clear.  I also have hypothyriodism and heard it could be attributed to that.

I found a person in this forum who had a similar experience.  The doctor's response was that it may indiciate a mental health problem.  Can you be more specific?  Why does this happen with stress?  Will it go away on its own?

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

Stress has been called the great imitator because the sensations caused by stress can take  place any where in the body, especially when one secondarily starts worrying about and observing small, usually overlooked, normal variations in the sensations of  consciousness.  Not a mental problem per se, but a sign of expression of distress.

[LukeL]

One reason might be that during high stress times adrealine is released into your body and you get ready for a fight or flight situation. During this time blood is sent to vital areas of your body like your brain, heart and lungs, and less blood is sent to to other areas. This could cause tingling in the fingers, toes, and face.

People like us also face the problem with stress that when the symptoms come on we stress about that which only leads to the symptoms getting worse. If you have had a clean bill of health I would try not to worry about it and attempt to manage the stress instead of the symptoms.

I am not a doctor and this is only my opinion and advice from my own experience.

[Martadi]

Are you taking any medications ?

This can be a side effect - Dr's always blame the patient before looking at the problems treatments cause !!

[Aruba417]

Yeah, I get facial tingling and have had all the neuro exams as well. I have GAD and Panic Disorder. I can even feel the tingling in my eyeball sometimes. Sounds weird, but it's true! And this happened before I was on medications, so it isn't that. It's actually gotten a lot better being on medicine. Good luck and God Bless!

[sally456]

If that is your only symptom, I wouldnt worry about it being ms or another neurological disorder.  Im not a dr. but I have had alot of anxiety over wondering if I have ms, so I have done alot of research on the disease.  I also have had tingling in the face, in my head..all over. Dont do as I did and research it on the internet..you'll become obsessed with it and depressed.  Just go on with your life, you'll be fine.

[SteveIT]

Tingling in the face can also be caused by tightness and spasms of the muscles in the jaw, neck and upper back and shoulders. That's where a lot of people carry tension, and it's made worse by using a computer, sitting at a desk, bad posture, and so on.

[Jenny Wren]

My face feels like little bugs or a hair on it.  Has been doing this for around 5 years.  When it first started, it only happened on occasions, but over the years and the stresses I've been through it is there almost all the time.  When it's really bad, I take a half of a xanax and go about my business, it's funny how when your busy you don't even think about it or feel it.  Anxiety is a terrible thing.

[Anxiety?]

Have you ever sought therapy?  Is this something you just have to live with?

[Jenny Wren]

I never sought therapy.  Never had the money being I don't have insurance.  When it gets really bad I take a half a xanax and it goes away.  I feel it's anxiety or tension related because when it happens my shoulders are usually really tight and kinda get a little lightheaded.  Took Prozac for a while didn't seem to help, so what's the sense of taking it.  Xanax works for me.

[Anxiety?]

So are you pretty sure its due to anxiety and nothing more serious?

[Jenny Wren]

What did you ever find out about your tingling feeling on your face?  Is it anxiety?  Do you take meds for it?  I think if mine was caused by a more serious problem I would know by now, it's been doing this off and on for 5 years.

[ABCMomof3]

It's anxiety. I have it too. Please try not to worry about it, its perfectly normal to have those sensations when you have anxiety; its one of the symptoms. It's yucky, I know, but at least I know its from anxiety and nothing else.

[Jenny Wren]

How long has your anxiety been there?  What's weird is it doesn't seem like there is any anxiety when this happens.  It just comes from out of the blue.  Did you take anything?  Did you have any tests done?  Your support would make me feel alot better.  Thanks again

[worrybutt]

crazy, i have been going through the same thing. tingling in the face, mostly on one side, and around the eye also. Went through cat scan, mri... the whole MS possibility. It all came back clear. I've been miserable for weeks worrying and worrying... some doctors thought possible migraine, when it happened together with a strong headache around the eye. But lately it's just the very faint tingling, tightening almost. Nothing happens if i touch my face, it doesn't hurt more or anything. Just comes and goes... I've had a lot of back pain lately too... so i don't know.

[Jenny Wren]

My neck muscles are very sore when you touch them on my affected side.  I can push on them lightly and then the feeling comes.  It's kinda like a pressure then the bug crawling feeling starts.  When this first started I thought there was a hair or something.  Mine is not painful either just very, very annoying.  It's been like this for around 6 years.  I worry everyday, every doctor I've been to says it's anxiety.  Then why does it happen when your not even stressed.

[darnel]

JennyWren- what i have come to learn, through this forum and from other resources, is that you absolutely, positively do not need to be feeling stressful or anxious at the moment you get anxiety symptoms.   feeling anxious and stressed, in the short term, can be said to be different then having an anxiety issue in the long term.  everybody feels stress and anxiety, but not everybody has a mental health issue of anxiety.  everybody has felt stress in their lives, from giving a big presentation to taking a big exam etc.  you might even feel physical symptoms from this such as butterflies in the stomach, etc.  basically, the tingling sensations, and all these other symptoms are just more intense and less common anxiety symptoms, which can represent a disorder, and can occur AT ANY TIME, even when you are laughing with your friends or in a good mood.  in fact, i came to found out that getting a little overexcited in the workplace brought on anxiety symptoms for me.  like laughing and talking and telling jokes etc.  id say to myself, wait, im having fun, why am i getting all anxious and having these symptoms.  for me, my anxiety symptoms would be spasms in my forehead. i have a facial tick where i move my forehead and ears sometimes, without even thinking about it, when i get into conversations and i get overexcited, and it must bother the nerves or muscles in my forehead and causes a spasm, and this freaks me out and makes me nervous.  but when i calm down, and take deep breaths, the overexcitement and the anxiety, and the facial ticks and the spasms all go away.  so in the end, anxiety sucks, and therapy and medication can be very helpful. the symptoms of anxiety can occur at any time and creep up on you for no particular reason.  but just relax and drink lots of water, breath deeply, and most importantly . . . .HAVE FUN!

[darnel]

JennyWren- what i have come to learn, through this forum and from other resources, is that you absolutely, positively do not need to be feeling stressful or anxious at the moment you get anxiety symptoms.   feeling anxious and stressed, in the short term, can be said to be different then having an anxiety issue in the long term.  everybody feels stress and anxiety, but not everybody has a mental health issue of anxiety.  everybody has felt stress in their lives, from giving a big presentation to taking a big exam etc.  you might even feel physical symptoms from this such as butterflies in the stomach, etc.  basically, the tingling sensations, and all these other symptoms are just more intense and less common anxiety symptoms, which can represent a disorder, and can occur AT ANY TIME, even when you are laughing with your friends or in a good mood.  in fact, i came to found out that getting a little overexcited in the workplace brought on anxiety symptoms for me.  like laughing and talking and telling jokes etc.  id say to myself, wait, im having fun, why am i getting all anxious and having these symptoms.  for me, my anxiety symptoms would be spasms in my forehead. i have a facial tick where i move my forehead and ears sometimes, without even thinking about it, when i get into conversations and i get overexcited, and it must bother the nerves or muscles in my forehead and causes a spasm, and this freaks me out and makes me nervous.  but when i calm down, and take deep breaths, the overexcitement and the anxiety, and the facial ticks and the spasms all go away.  so in the end, anxiety sucks, and therapy and medication can be very helpful. the symptoms of anxiety can occur at any time and creep up on you for no particular reason.  but just relax and drink lots of water, breath deeply, and most importantly . . . .HAVE FUN!

[Jenny Wren]

Thank you for the imformation.  I have tried medication, both Xanax and Prozac, they did not help.  Therapy either.  My tingling sensations are everywhere, face, legs, back, head, and arms.  It seems though it all started in the face.  And since I concentrated on this so much, it's gotten worse and spread everywhere else.  I guess I'm just a mess at this point, but hey, I'm still here, after 6 years of buggy sensations.  I can walk, talk, eat, and everything else.  Anxiety is a horribel thing.  Thanks so much for the info.

[chewbacca]

My name is Jim, , 42yo. This is the first time writing to a forum. I have been reading the heart forum alot but Iv'e gotten new symptoms. I have tried to post a new topic, but I cant get on. In February 05, I rear ended someone at about 35 mph. The following day my heart started racing and I went to the ER thinking heart attack. There was no heart attack but my enzymes were elevated so they kept me over night.

They did a lot of tests ekg, treadmill, chest xray, blood test, thyroid, ultra sound of heart and neck, 30 day monitor, 2 day monitor. They said every thing "structurelly" is fine with my heart.

I began getting rapid heart beats about 2 - 3 times per week. for about 4 months. About 4 month later they came back.

About 3 week ago I started getting "skipped beats", scared the heck out of me. They happen 3-4 times per minute, but sometimes they stop for a few hours.Went to ER, they did all the tests and said anxiety. This is the third MD who said aneiety. Iwas given Ativan 1mg.

I now get a numb tengling afeeling round my face, mostly forehead and sides. I can really feel it when i raise my eye brows or scrunch my forhead. Can this all be anxiety related.

I have a hard time believing anxiety because until the car accident I was in PERFECT health. I also had bronchitis prior to the skiped heart beats.Since the sipping started, the rapid stopped.

Any feed back is really appreciated. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to die. I am really scared at times. I stay strong for my wife and kids.

My private email is ***@****

[BarelyThere]

On January 2nd of this year I started to have a tingling feeling on my forehead. It started suddenly that day, but was pretty mild; a minor annoyance that I described to my husband as "weird." I assumed it would go away but over the next few days it got worse and worse. I still have the sensation every single day, and it has grown stronger and more intense. It varies from a tingling (not pins and needles, but more of a tickle), to pressure/tightening, to skin-crawling, to an almost cold sensation. It is worse some days than others but I rarely have a mild day. Also, it has spread to my eyebrows and nose as well. I have had an MRI, a CT Scan, been to an ENT, two neurologists, and of course my regular doctor, and none of them could diagnose anything.


I thought it was something wong with my sinuses but the CT Scan didn't show any problems there. I have no clue what causes this, but I am concerned about Pre Trigeminal Neuralgia. At this point, I think it's something wrong with a facial nerve.

I am at the end of my rope. The tingling is so bothersome that it has pretty much ruined my life. Nobody can relate to what I'm going through and the doctors havn't offered any help at all. I am actually going to be traveling to another state to get an "expert" opinion. Let me tell you, reading these other posts has both helped me and scared me. The thought of this going on for another 6+ years like the previous poster sends chills down my spine.

Anyone who might know what is causing this, or if you just want to relay your own experience, please email me at ***@**** .

Also, I am considering medical botox for this problem. Anyone else had it or considering it?

[BarelyThere]

Forgot to say that the Chiro I just started seeing told me it IS my trigeminal nerve. It makes sense, but I'm not sold on it. I've started getting adjustments but it hasn't helped yet.

[Jenny Wren]

Hang in there, I've had this for 6 years, it started out faint, now it's there every blessed day.  My MD thinks that it is migraines, which I do get on the affected side, my ear hurts down inside, my neck and shoulder muscles hurt also, there is no pain, just pressure, kinda like a tightening, and then the tickle and crawly feeling.  I've never had a MRI, scared that I'm going to be diagnosed with MS.  If you had a MRI, if it is trigeminal neuralgia, alot of the info I gathered is these people have terrible, terrific shooting pain in there face and nothing ever shows on a MRI.  TN is sometimes a precursor to MS.  Do you get these sensations anywhere else?  Head, legs, arms?  I do.  Never did in the beginning, until I went to the chiropractor and he told me that he thinks I have the early stages of MS, that's been 3 years ago, after that , the crawlies went from just being in my face, to everywhere else.  Don't know if it's anxiety, Lyme's (live in Pennsylvania), Ms, brain tumor, TN, who know's.  Some days it's there just a little, but if I have that tight feeling in my neck, I've noticed the facial thing is worse.  Someone posted and said that tight neck and shoulder muscles can cause this.  By the way, when mine started, it's was about 2 months after a minor fender bender, don't know if thats related to it or not.  Maybe hormones.  Take care.

[BarelyThere]

I don't have it anywhere but my face. Nothing happened to me before it started, although I deal with quite a bit of stress on a daily basis and I do have problems with anxiety. Trigeminal Neuralgia is a shock like pain that comes and goes, but PRE TN can feel like tingling, aching, or paresthesia and begins days to years before the first pain attack. MRI will only show TN if it is due to a tumor pressing on that nerve. Stress can bring on TN. I wonder if there are other disorders or irritation of the different facial nerves that could be responsible for this? I am VERY depressed over this. The doctors can't treat me and they look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them about it. I pray every night that it will go away. It starts up every single morning and is there until I go to sleep...and sometimes I can even feel it in the night. I have also developed sleep problems as a result of this. I wake at least 4-5 times per night and have a hard time getting to sleep. Don't know what to do, but words cannot describe how awful this is. I feel so bad for you that you have had it for so long.

[Jenny Wren]

Try a Xanax.  I take a half a one, and it does seem to help.  Did your chiropractor say what causes this?  Not to be nebby but sometimes this can be caused by hormones, what's your age?  Did they ever say anything about Lymes?

[Jenny Wren]

Just wondering how your doing. Keep me posted on any of your progress, I know how you feel, believe me.  It keeps you wondering and worrying.  If your like me, I'm sure there has been thousands of thoughts that have gone through your mind.  Sometimes you wonder, Is this the calm before the storm?

[BarelyThere]

I am in my mid twenties. I asked my doctor's phone nurse about hormone testing and she practically laughed at me because of my age. However, I am still going to pursue that possibility just in case.

Yes, I have thought of tons of possible causes. It seems that one day I was going along living my life, and then this happened and now my life is about finding a cure. It's especially frustrating because nobody can tell me what it is.

I haven't been told anything about Lyme Disease, although I think I read the description at some point and it didn't fit exactly. I am open to exploring any possibility though. I do have a small bottle of Ativan that I take only when I really need it (because I don't have refills and it's the first bottle I've ever been prescribed) and it helps very little. Of course, the dose of Ativan is very low...a normal dose is like two of my little pills.

I know they eventually close all the threads on this site, so if they do please feel free to contact me at the email address I gave in a previous post. I feel very isolated and alone and wonder all the time if this will ever end. Nobody understands.

Last night it spread a bit to my temples which is a new thing for me, and it also felt kind of like dripping water on my face, but kind of burning at the same time. Chiropractor that I'm going to thinks it's the trigeminal nerve and says alot of TN cases originate from stress.

:(

[BarelyThere]

Anyone else out there who is having this problem?

I know the previous posters have said this is anxiety related. Is that because the anxiety/stress actually causes problems with the nerves?

[nada76]

BarelyThere, I have had the exact symptoms as you.

I eventually learned that this sensation is caused by the muscles around the skull contracting as a reaction to stress, anger or anxiety. In my case this led to tension headaches as the muscle contractions got stronger.

This is one of those conditions that gets worse as your anxiety increases, and as a result the symptoms get worse. It's a vicious cycle that will go on as long as the sensation causes anxiety.

Try to pay attention to your emotional state and what type of thoughts or events precede these symptoms and you will probably learn that this is more likely an emotional state manifestation than any serious medical problem.

[BarelyThere]

Thanks for your post. Did your doctor tell you that was what was causing your sensations? How long did you have yours for and have they stopped yet? Did your type of sensations vary?

I have noticed that the sensations tend to get stronger when I am stressed or angry but that isn't the only time they are around. It is actually a constant thing, always there, it just varies in severity from hour to hour and day to day. It also tends to get worse in the late afternoon and evening hours.

I don't know what to do to relax the muscles, if that is what is causing this. I have been practicing progressive muscle relaxation for a couple of months now and it hasn't done anything to relieve it.

Again, thanks for your post. Any info you can share on what you've done to help yourself would be really appreciated. I am willing to try anything.

[Jenny Wren]

The muscles in my neck are sore but I don't know that unless I rub them when I take a bath with wash cloth.  That's what I was saying about www.round-earth.com. When my neck hurts I can feel the tension in the base of my skull that is when I have the tingles in my face, even though it seems like my neck isn't hurting I can still feel a soreness on the side of my neck under my ear, that's probably why the Xanax works because they have small amounts of muscle relaxants in them.  Hang in there, Barely There!

[nada76]

My neurologist told me this. He explained that stress and anxiety can cause the muscles in the upper back, neck and around the skull to contract and the muscle contractions around the skull can cause a tingling sensation.

For me it comes and goes. It used to bother me daily but now only occasionally. It tends to bother me when I have pent up anger, like when I have a dispute with someone at work and think about it a lot. It starts with the muscles in the upper back and neck getting stiff and then if I continue to be angry/stressed the muscles around my skull start to contract and tingle. Sometimes it's on my forehead and other times on the sides or the back. The exact sensation is hard to explain but it kind of feels like having cold shivers or an electrical current.

For me the best way to avoid it is to avoid disputes as best as I can and when something makes me angry I try to take a deep breath and think about something else. For you the root cause might be something else so I would recommend you look for an underlying factor like stress, anxiety, depression or anger and present this issue to a neurologist or psychiatrist.

When I do get tense I have found a massager like the Osim iPamper helps relax the muscles in the upper back and as a result also the muscles around the scull. Relaxation and breathing excercises help as well.

I also tend to have anxiety about perceived medical problems and learning that this sensation is a benign nuisance rather than a serious disease helped to reduce it a lot. I found that just by being focussed on this sensation and worrying about it made it a lot worse.

I hope this is helpful for you, good luck! :)

[Skyeyes27]

I was reading about the anxiety and tingleness and speasms people get.  I understand what people are going through.  I get these sensations as well in my forehead, temple area and face.  I especially had a horrible experience on decending on a plane.  I went to a neurologist last week and in the past two years have had 2 CT scans, 1 MRI, EKG, Chest X-ray, Neck X-ray, blood work done.  Everything has come back normal.
The neurologist suggested a certain kind of migraine, stress and an anxiety disorder.  It is amazing what nerves and stress can do!  I get the worst headaches ever, and also dizziness.  Dizziness is also a sign of anxiety.  Remember when you get to this state as well, your muscles tense up and your blood pressure will rise, which will make the symptoms you feel worse.  After all this time of being worried, crying, praying for help, I am just going to do my best to live with it and leave it in God's hands.

[BarelyThere]

***@****

Please email me with any ideas!

[BD1742]

Hey everybody, I have the exact same symptom(s) as some of you have described, pressure/tightening of muscles above the right eye and occasional muscle contractions and tingling that moves around indescriminantly.  GP said it is most likely stress (at age 18 I guess there's not a lot else that is likely to cause any of this) and told me to take my mind off of it.  I find it gets worse when I'm doing something stressful or worrying about something in the future.  I just hope it'll stop soon, its been driving me nuts.
Word of the wise (though I'm sure most everybody posting here is guilty of this): Don't research everything on the internet, then you start thinking you have brain tumors and MS, even though you are probably more likely to find a $100 on the ground tomorrow than have any of the aforementioned conditions.
Anybody know of anything that can be done about this short of taking Xanax, Prozac or the like?

[BarelyThere]

I sure don't know of anything that can be done to stop it. I have tried everything. I would not recommend taking Prozac because there are many side effects that are not talked about that can be worse than the problem you're treating. Same with the other psychoactive drugs. Maybe a mild or lose dose antianxiety agent would help, but that's as far as I'd go.

I sometimes wear a hat when it gets really bad because the pressure on my forhead seems to help the sensation. However, it has now spread to other parts of my face so the hat isn't as great of a fix anymore.

On a side note... Has anyone here ever heard of something called a "sensory tic"? Any other ideas about atypical TN or other facial nerve disorders would be great. It's frustrating because it isn't pain I'm experiencing, so there's no explanation. I do occasionally get quick, sharp pains in my temple, but that's about it.

[BD1742]

Do your eyes occasionally wig out too?  For example one eye becomes a little heavier to open than the other (though it doesn't look all that droopy), or will your eyes randomly water?  That happens a lot when I aggravate my situation more by touching my forehead.. Often when I touch my forehead and then release i get that odd pressure/tightening feeling, is this what you are experiencing? Like right now it's going crazy, I think its because I've been up late doing work for a few nights already this week...Also anybody else who knows more about nerve disorders, I would appreciate your input.

P.S. I just read a book called The Trauma Spectrum: Hidden Wounds and Human Resiliency by Robert Scaer, M.D., in it he explains why many neurological symptoms in specific can becaused by traumatic events (little or small), anxiety, you name it.  Often times after car accidents or other heavy trauma (Chewbacca, if you're still reading this forum this book may be of interest to you).  So if the doctors can't find anything, perhaps there isn't any organic cause (read: serious physical disorder), but rather a mental cause. Thoughts?

[Dando]

I've had these sensations for many years mine like most started intermittantly then became more frequent and intense! At first I could only describe as weird then a tickle, crawling, stroking, tingling feeling across forehead, bridge of nose and around eyes with a pressure/weighty/heaviness over eyes. Also throbbing and watery eyes. Felt tired all day and very sleepy at times hard to concentrate on anything as pre-occupied/distracted by it.As a result I miss a lot of things and thoughts are laboured and tiring. Also groups of people can make it worse, anxiety?? and bright /strip lighting like in office or supermarket!!

I've tried just about everything I can think of MRI, ENT, eye
consultant, 2 neurologists, Allergy testing, food intolerance testing lots of bloods all normal, infact i'm told i'm very healthy, but these sensations have ruined my life!!

I take a Beta Blocker for migraine over left eye and pain down left side of neck (I experience strobe like flashing then it sort of merges and I go completly blind one side for 20-30 mins. then get thumping headache as sight returns. The beta blocker works well and has pritty much sorted the migraine....THANK GOD!!

I turned to alternative medicine started having accupunture which did help at first, the throbbing and stroking felling seemed to move and then go, I thought great progress but things didn't improve anymore so I tried a second more authentic one, unfortunatly things remained the same so I stopped going. Now I take a herbal supplement called Zheng Tian Wan (999)and Xiao Yao Wan, anybody wanting to try it just needs to type names on internet I get it from America its still cheaper than buying through accupunturist even with shipping costs and tax duty.I find it helps quite a lot, takes the edge off, I noticed a good improvement within couple of days. I only take Zheng Tian Wan now. i'm trying to get another appointment with neurogist right now, maybe have scan on neck see if something there?


Every day is a struggle espically having to work with it so anyone else reading this please write in all thoughts and
ideas welcome!!

Also my email address is ***@**** if anybody would like to get in touch. STAY STRONG!

[marylindah]

I to have had the tingling in my face,,,, it first started in my lips,,like little bugs,crawling around,and then it went to the sides of my noise,,then the burning seem to start,it seemed like everytime i breathed,it would burn,somewhat like going swimming and getting water up your noise.then it went to the left side of my face and onto my forehead and eyebrowers,,everytime i would frown,it seemed like the mussles in my eyebrow would tighten up and have a burning like feeling,,it sometimes even goes to my throat,,with jabing sharp neddle like pains..MY face systems seem to be the most bothersom,,but i also sometimes get a jab or to in my leg and ankles,,you can even see the movement in my ankles when you look hard enough.And i dont know if anyone else feels this but i also get like tic like sound that seems to come from inside my noise,,when im trying to sleep,,but who can some times with all that going on,,on your face all night.This has really distroyed my life,,my mood and my personality.I have been to every doctor around,,and just mention that your feel like this crawling,,and look at there face,,they look at you like your really nuts,,its embarrasing!!!And you are really in pain. Well i have had a mri,,nothing.ct scan,,nothing,,I have heard anything from tmj,,lyme disese (disease),,trigeminal neuagal,,anxity,depression,,stress,,nasal congestion,and the new one is WHAT<<LISTEN TO THIS ONE>>> artheritise in the joint of my jaw causing,,the mussles to spasmum in my face and by me cliching my teeth at night from my sress it is also causing my teeth to become loose,,so buying a brase for my teeth should help all the pain in my face to go away and relax the mussle by not clincing my teeth.Well im going to get this brace and see if all this symptims seemed to disapear,,Ive been suffering now for 3 yrs I WOULD say that this should be covered under soc sec diability,,due to the fact that it is a very painful thing and it just doesnt go away!!! IF THE DOCTORS CANT HELP THEN THEY SHOULD AT LEAST STAND BEHIDE YOU AND SAY THAT IT IS A DISABILITY BECAUSE IT REALLY IS!!! WELL AT LEAST I KNOW THAT IM NOT THE ONLY ONE OUT THERE THAT HAS THIS!!!AND IM PRAYING EVERY NIGHT THAT THERE IS SOMETHING TO HELP,,NOT ONLY FOR ME KNOW BUT FOR ALL OF YOU TO!! GOD BLESS AND TAKE CARE     ANY NEW REMADIES PLEASE E-MAIL ME PLEASE  ***@****   GOD BLESS!!!!!

[ncarter123]

Hi everyone,

I've been having a tingling/sticky feeling across my right eyelid and eyebrow. Feels almost feathery sometimes, and gets worse if i touch the area. I've been really worried about MS, and had a neuro appt prior to this symptom. Neuro said MS was very unlikely, and could find 'no clinical evidence of any neurological deficit'. The feeling lasted about a month when i first had it, then i was distracted and worried less and it seemed to go away on its own. I recently had an MRI scan (awaiting results) and am about to take some really important exams, and now the feelings back again. Could this all be down to stress? One of my original symtpoms was tension headaches at the base of my skull down into my neck? I hate this feeling, as it makes me think somethings wrong with one of my facial nerves and all my MS fears are back again. When i have it (like now), a hot bath/shower tends to relieve it for an hour or so, and if i'm really distracted it sometimes goes away on its own for a bit. Your thoughts and comments would really be appreciated, is this similar to what any of you experience? I'm sick of this - i'm only 18, i'm supposed to be healthy and carefree!

[BD1742]

Hey, I'm also 18 and I've got the same thing, press it it gets worse, sort of a feathery sometimes pressure feeling like a muscle is contracting and then releases, only on one side of my face though.  I find that when I have a ton to do (like AP or IB exams coming up in the next few weeks, college stuff, etc.) that it gets worse, but when i'm relaxed and kicking back it hardly ever comes around.  It is definitely possible that it is related to stress (and most likely is), all other conditions that can cause similar symptoms are pretty rare to begin with, and at our age highly unlikely.  Stress often causes minute changes on the biochemical level that produce all sorts of physical symptoms (if you are interested in the science behind it, i'm sure i can dig it up).
Good luck with your exams, and try and relax a little and have fun (I've gotta do the same!)!

[Jenny Wren]

I know exactly how you feel, I too get the headaches in the base of my skull, they feel like someone pulling your muscle tight, and its kinda like a burning, nagging pain for me.  It also extends down my neck and into my shoulder, heating pad helps, and definently hot baths and showers, but only for a little while.  When mine first stared, I worried about MS too, I never had a MRI though, I'm so scared, being I always have feared the worst my entire life, I've had these facial feelings for 6 years now, and they haven't ever led to pain of any sort just really weird, and then when it happens you start to worry.  I take a 1/2 of xanax sometimes and that seems to calm it down.  Let us all know how your MRI results turn out.  Anxiety will cause all kinds of WEIRD sensations.  Hang in there, your to young to feel this way, I'm going to be 35 next month, so I'm allowed to, ha ha! Take care.

[Sheezy]

A few months ago I had a sexual encounter with a female, I was infected with a Yeast infection.
A few days later i started to get these tingling itches on the sides on my nose my forehead, cheeks, ears, behind the ears, eyes, nose, underarms and chest. Now the itches have spread all over my body. sometimes my knucks and fingers get these tingles and also my feet. I dont know what it is but it is causing extreme distress. I also get itches around my mouth and my lips get extremely dry. I have to use vaseline all day. If I dont use vaseline for 3 days I cant open my mouth becasue of the dryness. I cant even smile or eat properly. When I get out of the shower or when my lips touch water it gets really try too. Someone please help me.

[Jenny Wren]

If there was these symptoms for 7 years, with 2 clear brain MRIs, clear cervical (except for bulging disk at C-3), then what else could this be.  I have facial tingling, have had it for 7 years, I am also a migraine sufferer, would it be safe to rule out MS at this point.  I visited the site that you posted and seen that you have worked somewhat in the MS field.  I have no other symptoms of MS like numbness, weakness, heat intolerance, balance issues, etc...  Although I do get vision problems about once in every three years before my migraines hit home.  Thank you kindly!!

[Jenny Wren]

Hi there, no I am not the same person as "anxiety",but I have endured the facial tingling for 7 years now, it is aggravated by neck movement, this is also the side that I get migraines on most of the time.  Yes, I am anxious over having MS.  My story is long, it all started when I began having migraines 8 years ago, I didn't know that it was migraines then, I feared a brain tumor or something awful, didn't have insurance then to have a MRI done, I worried and worried until one day it caught up with me and I started having panic attacks, then with the panic attacks came nausea, when I googled nausea, I got MS as a culprit.  I freaked out, see, my gram was diagnosed with MS at age 60.
Sooooo, long story short, I live in fear everyday of what the hell is wrong with me, I have weird bug crawling sensations on my skin, buzzing, and just recently razor burn feelings at random spots.  I have already had 2 brain MRIs, cervical MRI, and a ton of bloodwork, everything is normal.

Then why do I feel this way?  Is this Anxiety?  Is it MS?  Do I have Lyme disease?  Am I started through perimenopause?  Migraines and MS run on my maternal side of the family, what should I do?

Thanks for your time!!!!

[Jenny Wren]

Thanks for your reply.  My neuro says that the disk is not the cause, but my pain mangement doc says different.  They tell me that everyone has bulging disks and they do not cause pain, I beg to differ.  My husband has three of them in his lower back and everytime he does things that involve working over his head he is in pain.  Its funny that when I move my neck in a certain position I get the tingling up the left side of my face, then when I reposition my neck it stops, go figure.  As far as perimenopause, I'm only 36, but my maternal gram went through menopause, naturally, at 39.  I had my FSH tested, it was normal, I heard that they can sometimes be misleading, along with the ELISA for Lyme.  I never seen a tick on me, no rash, but my husband has had a few on him, we live in SW Pennsylvania, I think this is the 2nd highest in the country for Lyme.  I have no joint pain, just weird sensory issues going on, but never no numbness.  I know one thing, my PCP told me that I was suffering from anxiety so he put me on Prozac, wow, everything became about a 1000x worse.
I have been on several antibiotics over the past 3 years, because each time I have a brain MRI done the radiologist report says "EXTENSIVE" sinus thickening, the last one done this Spring said every sinus opening in my skull was affected.  I never had a herx from the antibiotics like they say people with Lyme do.  I'm at a loss here.  I have no fatique, or any other symptoms of an autoimmune disease, just weird feelings throughout my body.  I can't wear tight fitting shirts or jeans because it drives me nuts, if it starts acting up with the clothes that I am wearing, I pull the shirt away from my back and its gone, weird!!!
Maybe I'm just psycho, who knows.  I have never been an anxious person before this all started 8 years ago, I just want these feelings to go away, forever.

Thanks for your help and understanding!

Jennifer

[bowhunter0310]

Dr. Carone,

Thanks so much.  I try to tell myself this everyday.  If just one doctor could tell me this is the reason fo my sensations then I could learn to live with that and not worry everyday of my life about what "could" be wrong.  Thanks, you have been a great friend!!

Jennifer

[Lostsoul665]

I have nerve damage.  I have tingling on the right side of my face, down my right arm, numbness of my right foot, a chronic headache, and I see blue or white flashes in my right eye.  Guess what I was told by a neurosurgeon. I needed to see a foot doctor and I was pretty much imagining the rest.  I went to a physical therapist who worked only on my neck and the numbness in my foot went away. I had CT scans and MRIs with and without dye.   I was told I was fine.  I have a slightly bulging disc at C6 and blood tumors in my neck I most likely have had forever. I went to a chiropractor and found out I had whiplash (again), a bridge building between C3 and C4.  I developed arthritis in C1 and C2. (Interesting to someone who was “fine”).
To make a very long story shortER, I paid a LOT of money to MANY doctors to finally find some answers.
1. The ligaments in your neck can tear and cause shifting that irritates your nerve (face, hands, and legs).  They do heal, but they do not go back to normal so the tingling, for me, will be there forever.
2. Same ligament problem causes TMJ (cool isn’t it). It you feel like your ear is on fire and the doctor is telling you nothing is wrong with your ear he is right.  The ligament shift causes a shift in the jaw which allows the 12 year old molder to sit on the nerve under it.  This causes all kinds of nerve issues.  I had my molders ground down to lift them off of the nerves and the burning went away along with some of the tingling. I bring this up because if you asked most doctors and dentists about this they would think you mental.
3. The bulge in your disc can and does cause the problems you are describing (I had a nerve study done. They painful, but revealing).
4. The flashes in my eye are caused by central nerve damage. Believe me it was a fight. I did not want to believe them.  I went to two eye doctor because I was convinced I torn something in my eye.
This could be a much longer story, but I think you get it: any shift in your neck, no matter how small and insignificant it seems, can irritate your nerves.  You could go to a GOOD chiropractor and have your spine decompressed. See it you notice the change.  A good chiropractor will take his own x-rays and REALLY look at what you neck is doing.  
Chiropractors have always helped me the most. Just remember not all of them are GOOD.
Also blood tumors are a BIG deal. As your neck deteriorates these tumor can start to “leak” cause severe pain and tingling in both arms.  I found one case where the caused a woman to die.  
Pain can cause mental health issues. Remember the main issue is the pain not that you are crazy.

[bowhunter0310]

BTW, Dr Carone, if you haven't noticed, I posted to you on my other computer, I am really Jenny Wren.  Sorry for the confusion.
Thanks again, Jennifer

[bowhunter0310]

Thanks so much for the comforting post.  I truly believe that something is going on with the rest of my body because of my neck.  Its hard to grip this, but with all the other tests being normal, I have to learn to accept this and try to make it better.  Of all the tests that I had done the bulging disk is the only thing that showed up.  My neck pain varies from day to day, one time is an ache the next time its a burning, nagging pain.  The tingling extends down my back to around the scapula area when I bend my neck, but not all the time.  The worse is the ear and teeth pain, and the muscles of my neck under my ear are very sore and painful.  As far as the nerve study, was it on your face?  I bet that was painful, ouch!!!
All the docs look at me like I'm crazy, even my husband, he tells me its all in my head, I feel like slapping the **** out of him.
Its very nice that you took the time to help others out, I thank you tremendously.

Jennifer