Left side stopped working, now pain in face when touched.

[Cuyk]

34 year old Male.

For the past 10 years I have woke up twice a year with vertigo.

7 years ago I woke up with vertigo and just waited for it to go away (usually 8 hours). Well it never did then I realized some other strange stuff. Stumbling, knocking over glasses, not being able to type. After a few days I figured out exactly what was going on. All non-voluntary movements to left side stopped working. When I walk my knee would not bend when it normally does, when I picked up a glass the hand would not stop when it touched it and just kept going. All the thinks you do not think about in a normal day stopped working. If I walked and though about the fact I needed to bend my knee it was fine, but if I just walked it would stumble. Also left side would feel numb or not there at times.

Saw a doctor, MRI ect and they found a brain lesion on nerve on stem that was the cause. Tried to find other cases of demyelination (thought optic nerve) but could not. Spinal tap tested negative for MS markers. 60 days to the day later in a matter of 2 hours everything came back. No Dx just said wait and see hopefully never comes back.

For next 4 years whenever I got vertigo my left side would have the same symptoms but very minor (a little numb ect.) and would go away in 8 hours.

2 years ago I had the strangest thing happen. I would get a pain in the back of my head when I even just barely touched the hair in the middle of my right eyebrow. Just flick the hair and pain in the back of the head. It lasted a few months and went away.
2 weeks ago about one inch above the same spot on my eyebrow it started doing the same thing. I barely touch that spot and I get a pain in my head (feel more towards the front and top this time).

Every serious on set has been in the winter if it matters.

Anyone else ever hear of this? Could it be another nerve issue? Something unrelated?

[Christopher R Newey, DO]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

I am not sure what you mean by vertigo. (It has many different meanings to different people). However, a common cause of true vertigo can be structural problem in/near the brain. The most common is a benign tumor called a schwanoma (also called acoustic neuroma). This is diagnosed by MRI of the brain. I am not sure if this what you mean in your description, but I assuming it is. As you mentioned multiple sclerosis can also cause vertigo, but often, other symptoms are present as well. A normal MRI of the brain (i.e., not consistent with MS) excludes multiple sclerosis.

The pain you are describing may not be related to the vertiginous symptoms you have experienced. Do you have a history of migraines or other type of headache? Migraines/headaches can have associated allodynia, where there is pain to a nonpainful stimulus, much like you describe.

I suggest that you discuss your symptoms with your primary physician.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.

[Cuyk]

I had lots of MRI when the left side stopped working.  That is when they found the spot where the brain leison.  Certainlly no tumors.

Dont get hung up on the vertigo.  The real problem was the left side not working and now the strange face pain 7 years later.

I have no history of headaches.  Sure I get them now and then but this is a sharp pain only when I touch that spot, not like a dull head ache pain.