Tingling in face due to stess?

[Anxiety?]

I've had tingling/crawling sensation in my face on and off for the last 6 months.  Sensation has been all over my face (forehead and both sides).  When I press on it, the sensations get worse.   It also gets worse when I'm in stressful situations, but I feel it at other times as well.  I've been to a nuerologist and had an MRI.  The doctor didn't think it was anything nuerlogical (like MS) and my MRI was clear.  I also have hypothyriodism and heard it could be attributed to that.

I found a person in this forum who had a similar experience.  The doctor's response was that it may indiciate a mental health problem.  Can you be more specific?  Why does this happen with stress?  Will it go away on its own?

[Lostsoul665]

I have nerve damage.  I have tingling on the right side of my face, down my right arm, numbness of my right foot, a chronic headache, and I see blue or white flashes in my right eye.  Guess what I was told by a neurosurgeon. I needed to see a foot doctor and I was pretty much imagining the rest.  I went to a physical therapist who worked only on my neck and the numbness in my foot went away. I had CT scans and MRIs with and without dye.   I was told I was fine.  I have a slightly bulging disc at C6 and blood tumors in my neck I most likely have had forever. I went to a chiropractor and found out I had whiplash (again), a bridge building between C3 and C4.  I developed arthritis in C1 and C2. (Interesting to someone who was “fine”).
To make a very long story shortER, I paid a LOT of money to MANY doctors to finally find some answers.
1. The ligaments in your neck can tear and cause shifting that irritates your nerve (face, hands, and legs).  They do heal, but they do not go back to normal so the tingling, for me, will be there forever.
2. Same ligament problem causes TMJ (cool isn’t it). It you feel like your ear is on fire and the doctor is telling you nothing is wrong with your ear he is right.  The ligament shift causes a shift in the jaw which allows the 12 year old molder to sit on the nerve under it.  This causes all kinds of nerve issues.  I had my molders ground down to lift them off of the nerves and the burning went away along with some of the tingling. I bring this up because if you asked most doctors and dentists about this they would think you mental.
3. The bulge in your disc can and does cause the problems you are describing (I had a nerve study done. They painful, but revealing).
4. The flashes in my eye are caused by central nerve damage. Believe me it was a fight. I did not want to believe them.  I went to two eye doctor because I was convinced I torn something in my eye.
This could be a much longer story, but I think you get it: any shift in your neck, no matter how small and insignificant it seems, can irritate your nerves.  You could go to a GOOD chiropractor and have your spine decompressed. See it you notice the change.  A good chiropractor will take his own x-rays and REALLY look at what you neck is doing.  
Chiropractors have always helped me the most. Just remember not all of them are GOOD.
Also blood tumors are a BIG deal. As your neck deteriorates these tumor can start to “leak” cause severe pain and tingling in both arms.  I found one case where the caused a woman to die.  
Pain can cause mental health issues. Remember the main issue is the pain not that you are crazy.

[bowhunter0310]

Dr. Carone,

Thanks so much.  I try to tell myself this everyday.  If just one doctor could tell me this is the reason fo my sensations then I could learn to live with that and not worry everyday of my life about what "could" be wrong.  Thanks, you have been a great friend!!

Jennifer

[Jenny Wren]

Thanks for your reply.  My neuro says that the disk is not the cause, but my pain mangement doc says different.  They tell me that everyone has bulging disks and they do not cause pain, I beg to differ.  My husband has three of them in his lower back and everytime he does things that involve working over his head he is in pain.  Its funny that when I move my neck in a certain position I get the tingling up the left side of my face, then when I reposition my neck it stops, go figure.  As far as perimenopause, I'm only 36, but my maternal gram went through menopause, naturally, at 39.  I had my FSH tested, it was normal, I heard that they can sometimes be misleading, along with the ELISA for Lyme.  I never seen a tick on me, no rash, but my husband has had a few on him, we live in SW Pennsylvania, I think this is the 2nd highest in the country for Lyme.  I have no joint pain, just weird sensory issues going on, but never no numbness.  I know one thing, my PCP told me that I was suffering from anxiety so he put me on Prozac, wow, everything became about a 1000x worse.
I have been on several antibiotics over the past 3 years, because each time I have a brain MRI done the radiologist report says "EXTENSIVE" sinus thickening, the last one done this Spring said every sinus opening in my skull was affected.  I never had a herx from the antibiotics like they say people with Lyme do.  I'm at a loss here.  I have no fatique, or any other symptoms of an autoimmune disease, just weird feelings throughout my body.  I can't wear tight fitting shirts or jeans because it drives me nuts, if it starts acting up with the clothes that I am wearing, I pull the shirt away from my back and its gone, weird!!!
Maybe I'm just psycho, who knows.  I have never been an anxious person before this all started 8 years ago, I just want these feelings to go away, forever.

Thanks for your help and understanding!

Jennifer

[Jenny Wren]

Hi there, no I am not the same person as "anxiety",but I have endured the facial tingling for 7 years now, it is aggravated by neck movement, this is also the side that I get migraines on most of the time.  Yes, I am anxious over having MS.  My story is long, it all started when I began having migraines 8 years ago, I didn't know that it was migraines then, I feared a brain tumor or something awful, didn't have insurance then to have a MRI done, I worried and worried until one day it caught up with me and I started having panic attacks, then with the panic attacks came nausea, when I googled nausea, I got MS as a culprit.  I freaked out, see, my gram was diagnosed with MS at age 60.
Sooooo, long story short, I live in fear everyday of what the hell is wrong with me, I have weird bug crawling sensations on my skin, buzzing, and just recently razor burn feelings at random spots.  I have already had 2 brain MRIs, cervical MRI, and a ton of bloodwork, everything is normal.

Then why do I feel this way?  Is this Anxiety?  Is it MS?  Do I have Lyme disease?  Am I started through perimenopause?  Migraines and MS run on my maternal side of the family, what should I do?

Thanks for your time!!!!

[Jenny Wren]

If there was these symptoms for 7 years, with 2 clear brain MRIs, clear cervical (except for bulging disk at C-3), then what else could this be.  I have facial tingling, have had it for 7 years, I am also a migraine sufferer, would it be safe to rule out MS at this point.  I visited the site that you posted and seen that you have worked somewhat in the MS field.  I have no other symptoms of MS like numbness, weakness, heat intolerance, balance issues, etc...  Although I do get vision problems about once in every three years before my migraines hit home.  Thank you kindly!!

[Sheezy]

A few months ago I had a sexual encounter with a female, I was infected with a Yeast infection.
A few days later i started to get these tingling itches on the sides on my nose my forehead, cheeks, ears, behind the ears, eyes, nose, underarms and chest. Now the itches have spread all over my body. sometimes my knucks and fingers get these tingles and also my feet. I dont know what it is but it is causing extreme distress. I also get itches around my mouth and my lips get extremely dry. I have to use vaseline all day. If I dont use vaseline for 3 days I cant open my mouth becasue of the dryness. I cant even smile or eat properly. When I get out of the shower or when my lips touch water it gets really try too. Someone please help me.