TN or Atypical facial pain

I was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia in 2005, and only had a couple of attacks a year until latter 2007. November 2007 til now has been awful. I have not had 24 hours pain free yet.

I have seen 3 neurosurgeons and 2 neurologist. The neurosurgeons say MS. The neurologist say no way. To my question.

The last neuro I saw in Tennessee says not only do I not have MS but I do not have trigeminal neuralgia either. He says Atypical facial pain. I say what is the difference? And I have read that you can have both. He gave me 2 new meds to take which I have mentioned before and they are not helping.  

Can you have both TN and AFP? Is there really a difference in the 2?  And isn't TN a better diagnosis of the 2? Why after 5 years is my diagnosis changing?
Is it because I have progressed so quickly?

I also read that in AFP some patients have peripherial neuropathy and other things. That can't be good. and this neuro was acting like this was a better diagnosis and nothing else has ever happened with patients besides face pain. What a goob.

[emschick]

sorry diagnosed in 2003

brain infarct.

[OperaMBA]

Read the Johns Hopkins schpiel on atypical facial pain syndrome...

It explains how  atypical facial pain shares some features with TN...

It seemed to be good info.

I googled +"atypical facial pain".....   It was the 4th one or so down the page....

Richard
OperaMBA

[emschick]

thanks i will google and see.

[Quixotic1]

More and more researchers in the field of TN are accepting that TN can present "atypically."  this is usually with a more constant, boring and deep facial pain.  There may be stabs of severe pain on top of this.

There is a site, fpa-support.org, that describes these new categories.  My neurologist clearly accepts that TN may often present atypically, but he does have affiliation with OHSU whcih developed the diagnostic questionaire.

If you go to that site and take the interactive questionaire it will tell you what your diagnosis is likely to be in the new scheme.  

If your face pain resulted from dental work or surgery or trauma to the area of the nerve it is not strictly TN.  It is Neuropathic Face Pain.  But, it you read throught that site you'll see the different categories.

Quix