Trigeminal neuralgia and Migraines

[myfacehurtswi71]

I have been told that I have trigeminal neuralgia type 2 or atypical. Just last night I was coming down with a migraine so I took a imitrex. The burning pain in my upper and lower teeth went away. Could this possibly be facial migraines and not TN?

[frankenkittie]

They mean lumbar PUNCTURE or "spinal tap"

[myfacehurtswi71]

Hi. I hope you are feeling good today.  Don't worry about what the doctors or dentist think. You know you are having this pain. I went to one of my three dentists two different times. I bet he thought I was mad also.  Yes I know about the three different branches. I thought the pain in my eye was from my migraines. I had it happen to me again. My migraine medicine didn't work. Now I am sure that was from my TN. You have had this pain since January? Have they tried any medicine? My neurologist diagnosed me right away. Gave me tegretol which seemed to work great for awhile. Still have slight burning in teeth. What is lumpar puchar? Never heard of it. Hey don't give up. I bet one day we both will no longer  have this pain. Please take care. Please remember others know how you feel and know what you are going through. Take care.

[ladyhodson]

Hi there just reading all the notes and responses you sound the same as me.... I am seeing a professor as Neuro and ENT dont know what todo with me my doctor thinks Im mad the dentist think Im mad .... anyway The Trigeminal Nerve has 3 seperate branches one which serves the eye (not the eye but around the eye) the forehead and temple area the other branch is the nose and cheek and I think top of lips and there ai another branch that feeds the mouth and Jaw (all are cranial 5) if you have eyeI problems this is cranial 6 i think?? but yes I have CT MRI and xray and am now having a lumpar punchar still waiting for my hospital date ( I do have cervical arthritis for which i receive steriod injections) and I am also Celiac apparantly there is a link for TN & Celiac. I have not been diagnosed as yet its taken since January and I am still battling on although some days i want to give up but been good for 2 weeks now. why dont you ask your neuro if he would do a lumbar punchar there apparantly not very nice but hopefully it may give you some results?

[painterchic]

Yes I had an MRI of my head. When I went to the ER with the mother of all headaches. I had a CT to rule out anything quickly. The said if it didn't go away in a week to get an MRI. Which I did, and of course, it showed nothing - I am "normal". yah right. But my neuro said most of the time nothing shows up for TN, until surgery, although some people have it visible.
I feel like I have 2 different things going on. My head (forehead, sometimes top of head on right) for which I put ice on) and my face, whole new ball game (for which I like heat). I'm strange I know. Nobody has an answer except "atypical TN or atypical facial pain. For which there are fewer options. I used to get migraines years ago, but no longer. (I am thinking hormones may have been part of those back then? Who knows.) This is not really like one most days. Good idea with the journal, it helps to keep track of these things. I feel frustrated that there isn't something diagnostic they can do besides play guinea pig with drugs you know? I hope this answer helped a little.

[myfacehurtswi71]

Hi I hope you are feeling better today. Just wondering if you have had a MRI. Did your neurologist say that they didn't see a compressed nerve?  Do you get migraines?Sorry so  many questions but your pain seems so similar  to mine.  I recently saw my neurologist and asked if my migraines have anything to do with my face pain. He said these were two different problems. But I am starting to wonder. I am starting a headache journal now. Wish I would have a few months ago. Take care.

[painterchic]

I really need to read this book, I keep hearing about it. Facial migraines, that's new to me, haven't heard of that. How do they know the difference between an FM and TN? You asked where my pain is. It changes, but I would say most consistently it is under my cheekbone, back molar/jaw, and forehead near my hairline/temple. Sometimes it will get me in my eye, front teeth top and bottom, lip. Rarely I will get one in the ear. Sometimes I get numbness on my nostril and cheek. Not so much burning for me. I am seeing a neurologist still and have seen two neurosurgeons, who were reluctant to do surgery because it's more ATN than classical TN.
I hope this helps explain things. I've been worse the past few days, with the change in weather/pressure, almost like it's affecting me like it does headaches/migraines. I'm going to keep track of that also.  

[myfacehurtswi71]

I had a CT scan ,MRI and had gone to 3 different dentist to rule out my teeth. No one can find out what is causing my pain. I was given Tegretol that helped at first. My primary doctor told me that I have migraines. I always thought it was my sinuses. Have you seen a neurologist? I wish mine would say it was my migraines causing my pain. I read about facial migraines in the book   Striking Back!   It is about trigeminal neuralgia and face pain. There is a part in there about how migraines can occur anywhere in the head. But when they occur in the face they're called facial migraines.It says that they are ones that are most likely confused with TN. It says pain usually occurs on one side. That it typically affects the nostrils,cheeks, gums and teeth. Which is where my pain seems to be most of the time. Where is your pain at?

[painterchic]

How is it that they came to this diagnosis in the first place? Did you have xrays, scans, MRI's, drug trial and error like tegretol, etc? I had to first prove it was NOT migraines and go from there. I've never heard the term facial migraine. Interesting. Someone else with ATN posted they had used Topomax and had no more pain. Got me thinking now....