Is this Trigeminal Neuralgia?

[shellie623]

I have recently been experiencing facial numbness with external sensitivity to light touch, like hair brushing my cheek.  I also have some pretty bad pain that just won't go away.  I have been MRI'd, CT Scanned, and blood drawn for the last 2 months.  I am living in AK and we just can't get any answers.  The doctor's last thing was " I really don't know what is going on."  I need answers, does Trigeminal Neuralgia pain last this long?  All the websites say it's an intense pain lasting only a few second or minutes, this has been several weeks now and in the last 4 days has gotten to where I can't function.  Some one have any answeres?

[nancy99n]

Is there a large teaching hospital near you?  If you could find a "Facial Pain Specialist" you may be able to get a proper diagnosis and treatment.  These doctors deal with people with facial pain every day.  There are so many different "flavors" of TN and TN-related diseases.  And unfortunately, it is a diagnosis of exclusion -- excluding every else, listening to your symptoms, and ending up with TN.

It's helpful if you keep a pain journal -- where the pain is, how long it lasts, what it feels like (electric shocks or burning, short jabs or continuous pain), what triggers it, does it only happen when you're awake or does it wake you up in the middle of the night?.

Wishing you the best -- take care!
Nancy

[susan122]

yes shellie,
it can last actually for years and really impact a person's life.  
Did they not put you on Tegretol?  
It is prescribed for the condition
the generic is called Carbamazapine

If it goes on for a long, long time get back to me
there is a doctor in the US that can cure this condition with surgery.  

good luck
and try Iris' suggestions previously sent to you

[iris986]

Pain for Trigeminal neuralgia can last as long as 30 days or longer as other people in the forum have said. I have it and mine has been going on this time for the last 7 days. With mine, it hits about mid afternoon and usually last for 3 hours at a time. Brushing your teeth, light touch, the wind blowing on your cheek and eating can cause it to act up, or sucking on hard candy or cold stuff.

To stop the pain put Extra Strength Orajel on the inside of the jaw that the pain is on and then take a tube sock and fill it with rice and tie it off and microwave it for 1 minute 30 seconds and hold it to you face until pain dies down. Laying down also helps it, don't understand why but it does.