TN or Cluster Headaches or neither?

[shayshay76]

About a year and a half ago I started having excruciating pain on my right side. It happened mainly at night but a few times during the day. I was told I had TN and I was put on Tegretol. About a week later they were gone and did not return until about a month ago.
This time it is worse! The pain is worse, where it spreads to is worse and the after affects are debilitating.
The pain started feeling like it was my teeth and it was dull and achy and I went to the dentist and he did not see anything wrong except some sensitivity to my teeth. At that point is what not interfering with my life. As the days passed it started to get worse and the pain I experienced before returned. This time time leaving me with tender spots on my head, the pain in my teeth and a burning sensation around the outside of my nose. All this is is on the right side.
I went to MD. She upped my Tegretol and put me on Lymictal and sent meet to a Nuro. This has been in less than 4 weeks. I went to Nuro Yesterday 11/5/09 and he told me it was not TN and that it was cluster headaches.
He said not "classical" cluster but that is what it was. He put me on Topiramate and a course of steroids and Immtrex for abortive med. I am staying on tegretol for now.
What gets me is I seem to have the criteria more for TN then Cluster. I dont get a watery droppy eye but I dont get severe sinus pain. The pain does hurt my eye but it hurts the whole side of my face including my head. It is constant pain with sharper jabs throughout the intervals lasting anywhere from 15 min to 2hrs.
I never feel like the pressure is gone even after the pain is gone and my teeth still seem to be sensitive. I almost feel like I have both or something else all together?
It is driving me crazy because I cannot function. I could really use any help at all possible here. Thank You.

[painterchic]

Your description and experience sounds like mine. My neuro said I most likely do not have TN because I don't have the typical skin sensitivity associated with it, just the headaches, facial pain and tooth sensitivity, which is pretty much a half my head and face ache. This is following a bout of shingles on my head and so the lines become blurred between this, possible post herpetic neuralgia and if he is right, migraines. Then I am throwing in the possibility of fibromyalgia into the mix as a possibility as well as a long ago C-6 spinal fusion. Who knows. SO much information. Do you have neck and shoulder pain? Skin sensitivity? Mine is less "electric" and more achey and sharp.
Anyone's input would be appreciated.
Thanks,
J

[nancy99n]

My suggestion would be to find a large educational hospital that has a Facial Pain clinic.  Facial Pain specialists are doctors who deal with this stuff every day.  I went through multiple doctors (dentist, ENT, internist, neurologist) before I found a Facial Pain specialist who diagnosed me correctly and got me on the proper level of medication to stop the pain.  Once the pain is under control, research and find out what options are available to correct the issue.