cause of facial pain

[mstatum38]

In 04, I came down with a serious case of Salmonella Poison that led to a stroke. After many months of recovery I can do most things but have 2 ongoing issues that the drs. here in ky can't seem to help me with. The stroke led to me developing Expressive Asphsia now my speech is very distorted however the drs. repeatedly tell me there's no damage to my vocal cords they don't know why I can't talk. The other problem is since 1/4/06 I got very upset and once again felt stroke like symptoms only this time after undergoing several brain scans no evidence of another stroke was determined however, since that date I've had severe pain all over my face esp. the cheek area it feels like I'm always blushing even my lips have been affected. I've seen two neurologist as well many different medications nothings worked and the drs. can't seem to figure out where the pain is coming from or why. It's been bothering me for over a year now can someone with knowledge of these symptoms give me some advise?

[vja]

Hi
I am sorry I do not have a remedy for your face/cheek pain, but I can tell you that my mother had a stroke in 2003 which left her right side paralyzed and with global aphasia.  She constantly has her left hand on her right cheek or mouth area.  At first I thought she was concerned about her mouth drooping, which she does not have or that she was concerned about drooling and not knowing it, but now I believe that she has face pain in that area as she always has her hand on that area..she indicates that it does hurt...but due to her stroke, I can't be sure as her yes's and no's are sometimes mixed up.  Her vocal cords are also strong, as she sometimes cries out in fear when she tries to walk, but she cannot speak.  I cannot believe the Dr's do not know why you cannot speak...tell them to look up aphasia.

[mstatum38]

I think I'm living in the wrong city I need to be in a big city where drs are more up to date with rare cases of illnesses I know someone somewhere should know the cause and can help me find a cure.

[caregiver222]

I am not doubting what you state, but I am always interested in learning as much as I can about strokes. I cannot see any connection between salmonella poisoning and a stroke. I am not saying there isn't any. Did your physician explain the connection?

[mstatum38]

All I know is from the Salmonella Poison it caused a temp. of 105 for several days and because of such a high temp the stroke occured.

[caregiver222]

Thanks for your prompt answer. Dehydration during illness can cause a stroke, and dehydration often results after a high fever. Have they placed you on any medications?

[caregiver222]

Also, specifically and in what does were antibiotics provided? Were you by chance on Levaquin?

[caregiver222]

Search your medical records and find out specifically if you were treated by a class of antibiotics known as quinolones.

[tiggeral]

I came across your response to facial pain after stroke and am very interested in your instruction to mstatum38 to find out if he was on Levaquin.  My mother just had hip replacement surgery and suffered a watershed stroke during the procedure.  She has been on Levaquin via IV and most recently orally at 750mg.  Is there a link between the stroke and the use of levaguin prior to surgery?  Thank you.

[caregiver222]

Among the many jobs I have had in the medical field, I worked for a time preparing "NDA"'s (New Drug Applications) for the pharmaeceutical companies. Levaquin, and the class of antibiotics in which it falls, have a troubled history. This is not to say that there is any malpractice involved in the prescription of these antibiotics. People have died from bacterial infections. Cipro is another drug with a history. A little research on the internet will make you aware of many of these issues. Without doubt there is a possibility that the facial and neurological problems COULD be connected with the antibiotic treatment. Certainly the FDA should have been contacted with a report of the symptoms after the treatment.

[caregiver222]

By the way. I have used Levaquin and will never again use it. It is an extremely punishing drug. Do a little research on the internet using a search engine and the issues will become clear.

[mstatum38]

I've been on Cymbalta, Tegretol, Darvocet, Carbapazine which caused my hands to become numb, and several others with no relief but I've never used the to drugs mentioned in prior posts. I don't know if the Salmonella caused the stroke. I know that for several days I had a temperature upwards 105 degrees that the drs.couldn't get down so it's my assumption this is what caused the stroke. I'm not a dr. I'm only going off what I've been told.

[javaski]

Please let me know other ideas on your concerns of facial pain.  My mother has suffered with this since her stroke 8 yrs ago, and we are still to find a solution.  She can feel sores on the inside of her mouth, that are not visible.  She gets sores on her lips that are not cold sores, just red sores that hurt.  She was to the Dr again on Thursday because she could not stand the pain, could not talk, could not eat or put food in her mouth.  They gave her "dental paste" for her lip, which dried it up and hurt it even more, and gave her a steroid type pill.  I keep thinking it is and has been a reaction to some of the medications she is on, or an underlying deficiency or infection.  We don't know what to look for anymore, and I feel so bad for her as she can talk and communicate just fine, but it hurts her to.  She has a Baclifyn pump implant, but not sure if that has anything to do with it or not.  

[jayzee2000]

We are just embarking on this journey as my husband's stroke was 4 months ago, but he is having some pain/burning sensation in the arm and leg on one side, and it has been suggested to me that it may be something called central pain syndrome.  Apparently that can occur with stroke survivors months or possibly even years after the stroke, and it occurs when the brain mistakes the signals from a part of the body as being pain signals even when they are not.  Apparently there are some meds that can help with this, from antidepressants to antiseizure meds and more.

The person who sent the info about this to me also sent me info about some online groups for people who have this condition, so feel free to get in touch if you want me to send you some of this info that was sent to me :)

Jen

[nobby511]

over the past 2 days, ive felt pain on the left side of my ugly mug. today however, my cheek has swollen and dropped down. i can only speek through the right side of my mouth, and ive found that i am dribbling a little from my left side. does anybody have any suggestions.??? also i have apparently become a little beligerent. mike  manchester,england.  this is the third time now!! help.

[howdy23]

Hi Nobby,
I strongly suggest you go to your local hospital and admit yourself for investigation.  A sudden onset facial weakness can be indicative of several neurological conditions, stroke being one of them.
Post stroke medication may be required to prevent/dispel any blood clots which have caused the stroke and it is essential that this is provided as soon after onset as possible.

[howdy23]

Regarding the expressive aphasia you developed, this has nothing to do with the functioning of your vocal cords, the difficulty is in processing the information from the language centre in your brain and in formulation the words.  For example, you mention 'distorted speech'  - this may refer to sound errors in your speech which happens or may refer to word finding difficulties.  Both are common after stroke and speech therapy can be offered to rehabilitate.
I am surprised your doctors have not offered this service, as aphasia is a common language disability.  I would urge you to seek out speech therapy as they can offer rehabilitation as well as alternative forms of communication if needed.