symptoms don't match Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia

atypical trigeminal neuralgia -- for wife
by jbbarry




jbbarry
Member since Nov 2008  



, 7 minutes ago
Tags: -tip, atypical trigeminal neuralgia
Started for Wife who had mild toothache over a year ago, but before she scheduled an appointment - the pain was gone, But it came back, so off to the dentist, and she had a root canal, on an abscesed tooth, she came home in a lot of pain, from the procedure, they used something to keep her mouth open for an hour or so.,

She flew on a plane a few days later and thought her tooth would explode

Pain continued in the tooth with the root canal, was sensitive to heat and cold, and I put ambsol on that tooth only with a q-tip, she felt the liquid on the tooth with the root canal and it was  painful, a few weeks later and another root canal, then a crown and two bite gurards in 2  months and still the pain continued -- pain is located on left side of face lower jaw (where the root canals were) later after trips to her Endondinist, Dentist, Emergency Room, and a another Endondist for a second opinion 15-20 minutest, they think is is atypical trigeminal neuralgia. -- it matches up on the Medical Web.

After months at a Pain Clinic, she is referred to CCHP top guy, with all the x-rays, and notes from all the dentists and Endondinists and he also thinks this is atypical trigeminal neuralgia.

She is nornally pain free in the mornings, sleeps without pain, yet by mid to late afternoon, the pain starts and seems to increase until she goes to bed many days by 8 pm but has no trouble falling asleep.  Some days she is pain free or almost pain free, on my observations (since she will not keep a log of this) it apprears the worst on her 10-11 hour day, as a nurse in a doctors ofiice and running that office also.  It also seems worse when her stress level is higher

Here comes the part, I do not understand, she has no pressure points on her face that start the pain, also an ice pack, reduces the pain, when I understand cold is usually a trigger for atypical trigeminal neuralgia -- Since her pain most times starts mid afternoon and continures to build into the evening, some days she is in bed by 8pm -- all this seems opposite of  the symptoms, I have seen for TN

The Dentist, 2 root canals, 1 crown, 2 bite guards later - did nothing to help,

The CCHP Pain Clinic had her on lyrica and seemed to help, but could not take the side effects -- was feeling out of it - she described it as loopy.

Referred to main campus Cleveland Clinic Pain Center, with all the Dentist, and Endondists x-rays, notes, and an MRI -- still believe it is TN -----so far she had had 2 pain blocks - no relief at all, TENUS for electroic stimilus, same result -- did not help at all, now an attemped a Radial Frequency Abrasion, to kill the nerve, but this less than two month old MRI did not show all the veins that are there now, so procedure was aborted

With her pain not matching the atypical trigeminal neuralgia pain, I am concerned that the next thing they will want to do is drill a hole in her head and hope hat fixes things --- I cannont help thinking this is nothing more than a bad root canal.

Would appreciate some help