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Trigeminal Neuralgia*
My 92 year old father was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia more than a decade ago. For a long time Amitriptyline kept the 'strikes' at bay. He became symptomatic again last October. In March they did a Gamma Knife radiation treatment. This halted his symptoms for about 6 weeks. Two weeks ago he started having daily 'strikes' again. His PCP switched him from Amitriptyline to Lyrica. Now that he is weaned completely off the Amitriptyline and on the full dose of Lyrica he is having 'strikes' several times a day. The local neurosurgeons won't consider surgery, but we are desperate. Any insights at all on any therapeutic modalities would be appreciated. Acupuncture was not effective.
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Hi Big Red. I too am having a horrible time with my pain due to Trigeminal Neuralgia. Mine has been keeping me awake for the past 3 nights, so sleep is impossible. It seems like a couple hours after I fall asleep, it starts. Then every hour on the hour, until I get out of bed for a few hours and start moving around. I'm SOOO tired! I've been on Gabepentin for 3 1/2 years, 3X day. It doesn't help. My doctor has me on Tegritol now.JUST started the nighttime does, so hoping and praying it helps! My nighttime pain started a few days ago when our weather abruptly got 20 degrees colder with snow.
I too would do ANYTHING, ever the medical marijuana if it would help.
For me, really hot waster in my mouth on the pain side seems to help SOMEWHAT.
How do you control the pain? I've tried so many things, but would be interested in knowing how others manage. Lately, mine has been keeping me up ALL night! Even if I sleep in the day, it starts up.
I had pain all the time hard to brush my teeth shower eat or drink anything. lived on applesauce grits & soup. Tegrital helped somewhat but I was so drugged up I couldn't work or drive. I had a procedure done took about ten minutes where they burn the nerve radio frequency lesioning. I am off medication life is back to normal . my face feels like I had dental work on one side and tongue tingling took about a week for my speech to return to normal. its been almost a year I was told the pain may come back if so I will just go back and redo.
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1 ReactionI'm so thankful this procedure has brought you relief.
The sleep deprivation is what bothers my dad the most. I did find a pillow for him that is shaped like a C; I think it is designed to avoid wrinkles! But it also avoids pressure on the cheek while he is sleeping. Many nights he resorts to his recliner.
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2 ReactionsFACIAL PAIN I WAS TOLD NOT TO HAVE SURGERY OR IS THIS CALLED SURGERY WHAT KIND OF DR. DID THIS?? THEY SAID MY FACE MIGHT GET PEARLIZED. AND NOT TO DO IT.???
@bigred80 I don't know who your comment is directed to or what it is in reference to, but this link might help explain the procedure my father and others have had. It isn't really a surgical procedure, but a neurosurgeon and radiologic interventionist usually collaborate on the procedure. http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/stereotactic-radiosurgery/home/ovc-20130212. The surgery your physician might have been referring to is Microvascular Decompression https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/neurosurgery/for-patients/treatments/microvascular-decompression.aspx. Either procedure can result in loss of sensation of movement of some facial muscles (similar to Bell's Palsy) but a lot of people choose to chance these complications rather than live with the pain of Trigeminal Neuralgia. I hope this helps explain things.
THANKS I WILL LOOK INTO THIS. HAVE A GREAT DAY
Hello
This hurts So bad!!!