Trigeminal Neuralgia Update

Oh happy day!  I have good news to report!

My trigeminal neuralgia is gone! GONE!!!

How did that happen?

I noticed that the pain was on the right. Last time, it was left.  I thought it might be in my neck, instead of my jaw.  I called around looking for a chiropractor who had treated this successfully (and also took our insurance and was close to home). I hit pay-dirt on the first try.  One treatment, and it was significantly better.  Second treatment, and it was gone.  I've continued to go back for minor adjustments every week or two, but not for pain in my face.

 

There’s a bonus. I am also feeling better all over.  I can bend down to pick stuff off the floor without groaning. I have greater range of motion in my neck than I’ve had for years.  I can open my mouth wider and without all that jaw popping. My hips are not in such chronic pain.

I’m a believer.

Chiropractic care can do a body a world of good!

Blessings to you,

Mamita

Praise

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

For the first time in over 4 months, I have not taken any pain relievers of any kind in more than 36 hours! 

Every day this past week, I have been able to skip a dose here and there, or take less than the maximum. 

Prior to that, I was on daily, round-the-clock prescription and over-the-counter meds, at the maximum allowed limits or I was curled up in a fetal position, whimpering to my hot water bottle (sometimes both).

I don't know what happened, but I'm hoping I've turned a corner.  :-) 

I know some of you have been praying for me and I thank you for that.  Don't stop yet, please.   :-) 

Blessings to you,
Mamita

Did I Say?

From the website yourspine.com:

Trigeminal neuralgia is a disorder of the fifth cranial nerve which causes episodes of intense, stabbing, electric shock-like pain in the areas of the face where the branches of the nerve are distributed - lips, eyes, nose, scalp, forehead, upper jaw, and lower jaw. The disorder most often affects one side of the face, but some patients experience pain at different times on both sides. Trigeminal Neuralgia is considered to be one of the most painful afflictions known to medical science. 

Did I say, "Aleve doesn't work as well for this pain."?

What I meant was, "Aleve is completely worthless for this pain."

As for good news:  Last night was the first night in 3 weeks that I didn't wake up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain and need an ice pack just to survive.  The pain was mellow enough that I slept all night.  It felt so good to wake up refreshed this morning.  :-)  Thank you, God, for medicines that do work.

Blessings to you,
Mamita

Trigeminal Neuralgia

So that's what I have.

I haven't shared much about my dental woes here, but boy, have I had woes lately.  It's been hard (literally) to smile for months. 

That's not the best thing for therapeutic parenting either.

For you newbies, I have genetically inferior teeth. My mouth has more silver amalgam than teeth.  Most of my fillings were done in childhood.  That means they are 35-40 years old now.

This is how it went down.  (This post is more for me than for you. It's a record of what happened.  You know, like history.)

Short version:  

In the past 3 months, I've had 3 separate toothaches, 1 root canal, 2 crowns and severe pain on the left side of my face.  Went to the Doctor.  I have TMJ and the nerves in my face are screaming.  I'm on meds.  Hopefully, relief is on the way.

Long version:

At the end of March, my lower right molar screamed every time I ate something cold.  I used ibuprofen a couple times a week.  Mid-April, I had my regularly scheduled cleaning.  I told the hygienist and she was super careful around that tooth.   She noticed my upper left molar was in very bad shape and needed a crown ASAP.  So I made an appointment to have it fixed mid-May.

Unfortunately, the sensitive tooth went ballistic and I used my May appointment to have a root canal and crown on the lower right.  We scheduled the upper left tooth for immediately after my dentist's maternity leave - June 22.  Before I even had the permanent crown on the first tooth, in mid-May, the second tooth was going crazy.  I continued the ibuprofen in higher and higher doses, more and more often just to make it through each day. 

Got my new crown on tooth #2 in June and it was a rough one.  The novocaine didn't quite cut it.  They had to shoot me up again halfway through the procedure.    My jaw kept locking open.  My mouth was pretty torn up.  When the numbing wore off, the air blowing outside felt like ice cream on a sensitive tooth.

Time passed and my teeth and jaw still hurt.  After a week, I went back to have the crown adjusted because it had a high spot.  The trouble:  The high spot was pummeling a very weak, cracked, falling apart molar on the bottom left. 

You know what's coming...Bottom left needs a crown. 

But I was still having a lot of pain and they couldn't do the crown until my bite is right and I'm pain free.  Meanwhile, I was taking prescription strength ibuprofen every six hours and the pain was still breaking through.  It felt like the "top" of a throb in my jaw, under my teeth (upper and lower), traveling up my eustachian tube, in my ear, and into my temple.  It's like someone drilling into your brain, blowing a horn directly into your face, and smacking a gong inside your head.  Not fun.  

I went back a week later and had it adjusted again.  No relief. 

Switched to Aleve this weekend.  It doesn't work as well for this pain, but I had to get off the ibuprofen after more than 3 months on the stuff.

Today, I went to my doctor just to check for an ear infection that could be complicating matters.

After giving him the scoop, he tells me I have Trigeminal Neuralgia.  Basically, I have TMJ.  The jaw joint is the circuit box for the nerves on that side of my face.  All that dental work traumatized my jaw.  Those nerves are not happy.  I'm on meds to help them calm down. 

I got home and looked online.  It confirmed what the doctor said.  I'll be doing a little more research, but I'm so happy just to know that it has a name and it can be treated.  

Hopefully, I'll be smiling again soon.

Blessings to you,
Mamita

PS.  I like my dentist and she does a really good job.  She's very gentle and precise and is very sensitive to patient pain.  I just have really bad teeth and a small mouth that's hard to work in.