Sneezing

[Sailorsong]

I've been having a problem with sneezing for quite a while now. I'll have fits where I'll constantly sneeze for 15 - 20 minutes at a time. The sneezing fits happen for no apparent reason and throughout the year and almost daily. Nothing that I have tried seems to help at all. My doctors have also tried various things to help with this (Nasal sprays, allergy medications, etc.).So last night I decided to do some research on sneezing on the Internet and found some, what I think, very interesting things. One of my reason for doing the search was to see if maybe the sneezing is related to my MS as I also have daily hiccups spells that seem to be caused by my MS.

Turns out that the signal to trigger sneezing travels along the trigeminal nerve. This is the same nerve associated with TN. This makes me do one of those Hmmms as I have had several TN attacks and I think the sneezing started around the first time I had TN.  

The trigeminal nerve is also the source of the signal to your mucus membrane to produce the mucus in your nose. This is making even more sense as I also have a  daily runny nose for no reason. So when things are added up (Runny nose, sneezing, & TN) all on the left side it seems to me like this must be due to my MS.

Dennis

[Sailorsong]

The hiccups you describe are like mine. From what I have read this could be caused by a lesion in the brain stem if you do have MS.

Dennis

[Sailorsong]

I actually prefer my hiccup episodes over the sneezing.  With my hiccup episodes it is one or two hiccups at a time but they occur throughout the day and every day. That beats 15-20 minute of constant sneezing any day in my book.

Actually now that I think about it I haven't had any hiccups in a couple of months.  Now if only the sneezing would go away then I would be a happy camper. :)

Dennis

[Dagun]

Hi Dennis,
I can relate a little, I´ve had a different sneezing than usually. It is like I can´t control the muscles in my mouth, and my sneezing is very "messy" instead of me usually sneezing very quietly with closed mouth for all my live (mom sneezes the same way).

My sneezes changed last fall sept-oct when I was in some kind of flair (alot was happening, but begun with tight throat) and then I´ve been having a very simular kind of flare, last for over a month now.

I also have had the strange hiccup episodes since last fall, on and off, sometimes one hiccup and then few together. Very strange, not like a normal hiccup episode.

But I don´t sneeze more than usually, I think, it only changes. But I have though had some kind of trigerminal pain, like pain here and there in my face and the feeling og squeesing (?) with a big tool from my eyesoccet to my jaw. I´m not dx yet, and sorry for my English :).

My best,
Dagun

[jensequitur]

I have frequent hiccuping episodes, but so far all my sneezing is because of allergies!  Thank goodness.  The hiccups are bad enough.

[Sailorsong]

As a PS

I forgot to mention some of the other interesting thing I found out.

1) The air from a sneeze can travel at 1054 km/h which 85% of the speed of sound.

2) Some people do sneeze when they look at bright lights. Doctors suspect it is caused by crossing of pathways between the nerves for controlling the pupil and the sneeze reflex in the brain. It only happens during the first exposure to the bright light,

3) Physical stimulation of the trigeminal nerve can trigger a sneeze. (this might explain why most nights when I go to bed no sooner than my head ( left side) hits my pillow I will start to sneeze.)

Dennis

PS You can read more about this at medscape . com.. I found this by goggle of sneezing and MS.