MUSCLE SPASMS WHEN I SMILE

[sandie490]

Hey Everyone!

Been away a long time.  Still in limboland. neuro wont dx me with just the one lesion. havent actually seen my neuro in a long time. he kinda discouraged me. I've been dealing with other issues and kinda put the ms subject away for a while.  
My neuro had dx me with the Psuedo-Tumor Cerebri or Intercranial Hypertension and its been kicking my butt along with the Fibro and other things.  I get these nasty headaches with this disorder .  Anyway I see a neuro-opthamolalogist on a regular basis, and recently i have been getting weird images mostly when i wake up. When I move anything, eyes, arms fingers, I can actually see the movement as its moving the blur behind for ex my hand. looks almost like an accordian, almost like a moving shadow of whatever I am moving.   It mostly happens after I wake up, but lately has also happened during the day.  So my neuro eye doc says this is a brain problem sounds like an abnormality in one of the frontal lobes.

The other thing that has been happening is when i smile the corners of my mouth feel like they want to stay up and it starts spasming and jerking, and of I of course still get the tremors in the face, head,chest and arm.  So its been over a year since i last saw my neuro and i am seeing him this week cause my eye doc says i need a brain scan.

My urologist cant understand why my neuro wont just dx me already cause of my pain in the butt bladder. He says it neurological my bladder problem that is.   So anyone know whats causing my facial spasms and my weird images.    Thanks  appreciate any feedback   Sandie

[Deb61]

Trigemenial neuralgia may cause the facial spasms.  I've had problems with facial spasms when trying to smile and have been diagnosed with TN.  I also get stabbing pains in the nose and a tightening or banding like feeling in my face.  

Is your doctor doing anything about the intercranial hypertention and pseudo tumor?  I'm not a big fan of doctor hopping, but I think it's probably time to find a new neurologist if your doctor isn't doing anything about these problems.  This visual symptom sounds pretty significant to me.  

[jensequitur]

I have to agree - you're getting worse an this neurologist isn't helping.  At this point you've had a long history of remitting/relapsing symptoms, and no medication to help you feel better.  He's so focused on the MRI that he's neglecting the patient.

Well, you can always get another MRI, and see if it shows anything different.  Sometimes it seems like getting diagnosed is a waiting game!  Waiting for something to show up...

It sounds to me like you have a problem with your optic nerve - latency or something is slowing the signal to your brain.  The facial spasms are probably related - if you have a lesion in one of the cranial nerves, it'll cause similar symptoms.

[LisaJF]

I hate having to repeat my answers in two posts, but to me, it is the only sound advice I think that is pertinent to your situation:  Get a new Neurologist.

Although I hate the idea of changing doctors because of continuity of care and the mere fact that no one wants to start over for fear that the second one may be just as bad as the first one.  But the Neuro you have now is not leaving you much choice now is he?

I'd get all the laboratory and diagnostic tests (Urologist's urodynamics testing, Lumbar puncture, etc) together as well as obtaining CD's of your last MRI of brain and spine and go elsewhere.  

This time, shop a bit more with scrutiny.  If you have MS clinics or centers and they accept your insurance carrier, I'd start there.

Lisa