Pain Question

[figuerpa]

Ok well today I woke up and my eye feels like it is going to pop out of its socket everytime I move it. The pressure is killing me. Now that it is evening my jaw is starting to hurt kinda like a toothache but more pressure, and back towards my ear. It is on the right side of my face though and all my other problems is on the left side of my body.

does this sound like it is MS related or something else to you?

Thanks,
Paula

[figuerpa]

Thank you all for your input. Pain is still here today but it is not excruciating so I am guessing it is not TN from what you all describe. Hopefully it is what Lulu said and just from the weather change. Only time will tell.

Thank you,
Paula

[rendean]

Paula,

I can't ofer any info/experieince with the eye pain you describe but I do have chronic eye pain for weeks at a time. MY TN is another issue and can spread to the areas you mentioned around the ear etc.

I hope it improves quickly if not, go to the ER for pain relief.

Ren

[doublevision1]

The eye pain you describe sounds like what I experienced with ON, though I had no jaw or facial pain.  TN sounds like a possibility.  My episode came on over a matter of hours, started as painless filmy vision in one eye, quickly progressed to sharp stabbing pain whenver I tried to move my eye.  Within 12-15 hours I had to go to the ER the pain was so intense.  I was given morphine, twice, which didnt help the pain but made me so sleepy and stoned I think my pain threshold increased.  Started me on Solumedrol, I think I did 1g x 5 days for that episode.  Within several hours of the first dose, the pain had remitted.  Within a few days, vision was back to normal.  Saw my ophthalmologist a few days later, couldnt detect any change from pre-ON exam.  

Anyone know how likely it might be for ON and TN to come on at the same time, one relapse affecting both of these nerves?

[supermum_ms]

I started posting and realised my answer just adds up to 'maybe' which doesn't really give you anything and deleted it, then thought well my point is that its hard to know one way or the other sometimes and it could still be of value so here is my two cents lol.

Sometimes i think its definitely a conundrum eg for about a month i've had an daily itch on my face, just under the spot that sizzles, I thought it was just another of the same thing, possibly due to the heat of summer setting things off. It wasn't until one side of my face started puffing up and i was sneezing every two seconds, that i realised it probably wasn't what I thought it was. I started taking antihistamines and the swelling, sneezing and itch settles until the meds wear off but the sizzle continues as it has since it started so still the usual lol.

Now the weird quarter upper lip tremor/tug/twitch thingy that stated this morning is still on the maybe, maybe not pile and yet to be determined lol see its really hard to know whats going on when you already have somethings going on in that area.

I've had jaw issues for donkey's years and often assume its that when my face along my cheek bone hurts, I totally missed a growing ear infection and again i blamed my face when it was in fact a cracked back molar. The reverse of that is when i've assumed its a tooth or ear issue and its turned out to be just my unidentified face pain thingy.

I think it never hurts to adopt the motto of if in doubt get it checked out!

Cheers..............JJ  

[drsdonthelp]

sorry to hear about the eye pain as well as the face pain. I can totally relate!  Anyway, I don't have much to offer here just hoping you get better.  

Just tonight i felt some short burst of pain on my left jaw but it went away quickly. I have had it before but it never lasts long, I hope it doesn't get worse either. ouch!!

Pam

[COBOB]

I guess I should have said that ON and TN are more often than not related to MS.  A high percentage of ON cases go on to develop MS and TN in the under 50 population is pretty much limited to people with demyelinating diseases.

Bob

[figuerpa]

Thanks Bob,

I know it isn't always MS, I was just curious if it could be related. I will call the neuro if it doesn't improve by tomorrow.


Lu,

Makes sense to me. Hopefully when this front moves through it will dissapear and not get worse as Bob described. I am hoping it doesnt get worse cause it is pretty painful now, I can't imagine it getting more painful.

I hear you are going to get more ice than I am down here in Cincy, stay safe if you venture out.

Thanks
Paula

[COBOB]

I gave up a long time ago.  We have a humidifier in the house year round since we live on the high plains.  Having had ON and pretty chronic TN,  (plus dealing with difficult folks at work,) I always have some kind of pain banging around in my head.  Since they have not found any lesions on my cord, I can get away with it "All being in my head."

Bob

[Lulu54]

Hey Paula,

One other theory that Bob hasn't had the pleasure of experiencing (at least I don't think so!) is living in southwest Ohio we have almost everyone affected by problems with pain when the weather fronts move through  (which is about now for this big snow/ice storm).

And the eye doctor just today told me she had an inordinate number of patients with various head pains right now because of how dry the air is in our homes and cars, thanks to the heat running non-stop.  

I get the pain behind my right eye and side of my face and in to my ear when there is the pressure changes like we're having right now.  what do you think?   TN/ON or our lovely Ohio weather?  

Whichever one it is, I hope you feel better soon. Lu

[COBOB]

By the way, it cold also be something a simple as a tooth abscess in the maxilla or a sinus infection.  It isn't always MS.

Bob

[COBOB]

The trigeminal nerver runs above the ear and splits into three branches one for the lower jaw, one for the upper jaw and one for the surface of the eye and forehead.  If the pain in your eye is on the surface of the eye, it could be Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) .  If the pain is behind your right eye and increases as you look laterally that could be Optic Neuritis(ON).  

You should consider calling your neuro.  TN's symptoms can be treated and it can get VERY painful really quickly.  ON can be treated with IVSM.  The danger with ON, is that the optic nerve can be damaged pretty easily.  There is some evidence (the ONTT) that indicates that early treatment may be beneficial.  There is also evidence that oral steroids on their own, do little good for ON.

Bob