Pain in Left Temple area

[Roger108]

About 20 months ago I felt something breakdown in left temple area behind left eye. Ever since then that area feels stressful and painful, and I've also been having symptoms of depression- sadness, crying, difficulty sleeping without pills, etc. It feels agitated and stressed out in the left temple area chronicly since then. I've tried herbs, vitamins, and anti-depressants but they haven't seemed to help. I've had MRI's and CAT's but they say they are all normal. Xanax seems to give a little temporary relief, but not much. The anti-depressants seem tolerable for a few days and then the stress there seems to get worse. I've tried several different ones and the doctors tell me I have to stay on them for several weeks before I'll know if they help, but the stress seems to get worse and the longest I've been able to tolerate any of them is about 7 days.

I was thinking maybe it's temporal arteritis because the stress point is always in the same spot on left temple area. It feels like something broken down there, but so far doctors haven't been able to find anything physically wrong. They say temporal arteritis can cause some symptoms like this and won't show up on MRI's or CAT scans. Wondering if I should have biopsy to see if that's whats causing all this pain and suffering everday. Don't know where to go with it at this point. Any ideas- it's very difficult to live like this with left side of brain shut down everday.
I'd sincerely appreciate any advice you might offer.

Thanks,
Roger  

[Roger108]

I spoke to a psychic that was highly recommended to me. I'll try anything- medical doctors haven't been able to help me or even anything abnormal in my temple even though it feels squeezed and knotted up ALL the time for 5 years.
It's amazing to me they can't help me. Anyway the psychic said I had a large worm like entity in my left temple! She worked with the help of God to remove it out of the top of my head but couldn't get it out that way. Then she removed it out the side with some effort. It left a large gaping hole there. They patched it up with some kind of turquoise material. I felt awful the next few days but am feeling better now.

I hope and pray something is starting to work. I don't know if it's her, the meds I've been taking or what but I really hope and pray it opens up and returns to normal there. What a relief that would be!

[Roger108]

It is a downer and I feel for you.

Maybe it is sinus, I don't know. I'm checking that out in a few weeks. It feels like the brain there is all squeezed and knotted up all the time plus clinical depression. I've been meditating more lately which feels better this morning. Maybe if I meditate enough it will all go away, or at least I won't care anymore.

Thanks for your help!

[rumpled]

No, I am NOT a doctor. I am a layman. However, I have been through the wringer - so I have trigeminal neuralgia myself and read up and was put through all the drugs myself. I use the topamax for it and migraine prevention. It is not perfect but ok.  I have had a couple of pituitary tumors myself, had surgery. Had family members with brain tumors. So I just try to go through stuff I went through.

Sinus stuff can be nasty and persistent - so that could contribute for sure.

The current economy is a downer! It is good that you are even able to work and stay open. That is a feat for sure. I had to give up working a little over 5 years ago.

[Roger108]

Yes. Nuerologist had me try Topamax early on. Didn't have any effect. Later tried Gabapentin with no effect. I'm afraid you are right, the MRI and MRA showed normal.

Dentist checked for TMJ saw no signs of it. Dentist did XRay of teeth and noticed a lot of infection in left sinus area where I had 2 teeth pulled a few years ago. The sinus extends up near the left temple area where I have the pain- small possibility it's related to my problem. I'm going to talk with oral surgeon next week about it. I hope that will help- it should be dealt with in any case. I tried EMG several years ago which didn't show anything. Very strange thing.

Psychiatrist thought I may be deluded and tried Seroquel- no help- just made me extremely drowsy in morning. It's been there every minute of everyday for 5 years now, so I have no doubt it's real. Vicodin helps get me through the day and also makes my mood better since I have major clinical depression as well.

I own a small business with 12 employees which in this economy is pretty depressing. Been doing it for 20 years and have always enjoyed it even though it has it's difficulties. I go to work everyday despite my problems. I noticed staying at home doesn't make them feel better and going to work helps me take my mind off of them. I really wish I could go back 5 years and return to my former self the rest of my life. I call them the "good old days" for economic and health reasons but primarily health. I really wish I could get to the bottom of this health issue. Never really had any health problems until this occurred 5 years ago.

Are you a doctor? You seem very knowledgeable regarding medical issues.

[rumpled]

Nerve pain in the face can be awful - but there are other classes of medications such as gabapentin, keppra or topamax that may be more helpful for it - were those tried?

MRIs will not show nerve pain - were any EMGs done? TMJ?

[Roger108]

Vicodin helps, that's about only thing I've found that helps so far. At least it keeps me alive and allows me to carry on with my business. I still don't know what's causing the pain. It feels squeezed all the time, or like it got rammed in with a pipe. I'm going to have another MRI and MRA of the area in 2 weeks. There must be a reason and something that can be done for it.

I'm seeing my third nuerologist now, who suggested I get the MRI and MRA's re-done. Last time I had them was 2008. But maybe they overlooked something. I don't know. It's hard to live like this, especially when I don't know what it is or what's causing it. They pretty much ruled out temporal arteritis because I'm too young 57 and the blood test showed normal range for that. It's not tender or sensative on outside part of head either. It could be trigeminal nerve pain. I'll as my doctor. Any other help would be appreciated so I hope and pray I can live a normal life again with some enjoyment and not just pain and misery.

[rumpled]

Have they thought of trigeminal nerve pain? Or maybe your pain is too high up for that?

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/809492-overview is about temple arteritis.

Have you seen a neuro-opthomologist?