Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN): Sinus problem trigger

@tnpainisreal Hi, I do not have TN, but I do have severe peripheral neuropathy. I probably have some sense of the pain you feel. About your sinus problem: if your sinuses get extremely stuffed/blocked I have a product that I absolutely swear by. I know a few people who have avoided sinus surgery taking this. It is called ALJ. It is an herbal capsule by the Sunshine company. It is about 20 bucks a bottle. Since I started using it for blocked sinuses, I have no more problems whatsoever. It contains stuff like fennel, horseradish root, and a host of others. It comes in capsules, and you have to play with it, to decide how many capsules to take. I have never even taken as much as the recommended dose. Just type in "ALJ" and a number of companies will pop up that sell it. I used to get bad sinus headaches, would be on antibiotics. Nothing anymore. Sinus problems gone. Hope this helps. Lori Renee

I had the surgery for those splitting "sinus headaches"...Some were so bad I went to the ER to get a "Demerol" shot for relief.... During the surgery they straightened my septum, and made a new opening for one sinus cavity to drain better... so all those fixing all those problems 15 yrs ago solved my problem.. but which correction contributed most to the relief I have experienced is anyone's guess...See a Great ENT as well as a neurologist ....

Thank you, I will look into it. I am tired of antibiotics. Allergist said I am allergic to nothing, I dispute this because I react badly to pollen.

Thank you for your reply. I used to see an ENT, who gave up on me. I began to see another ENT after my current neurologist insisted I see one. CT scan early December. Follow up with the new ENT plus another one, both of them know each other and about the appointments.

@tnpainisreal Good luck! Yes, give ALJ a try. It saved my sinuses.....Lori Renee

Hi all,
You may also be interested in this main discussion on Trigeminal Neuralgia in the Brain & Nervous System group.
> Groups > Brain & Nervous System > Trigeminal Neuralgia https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/trigeminal-neuralgia-2273cc/

I'd like to bring in more members to this discussion, like @kim_o @vickylynn @jmjlove and @carmelo1morrone

@tnpainisreal, have you ever used a Neti pot to help with your sinuses?

Hello. Yes ! And it really took me by surprise. I didn't have blocked sinuses, could breath through my nose normally and suddenly boom - horrible pain set in from lower right neck, all around and deep inside my right ear, up into my scalp, back of and around my right eye, the sinus region and right upper and lower molars descending down as far as the lower incisor. Lamaline didn't touch the pain. Luckily I had some left over 5mg morpine tablets. I would take one but it would take over an hour to reach the spot and calm the pain. This went on for three days. Trying to ease the tension and get some sleep, I took an equivalent to Antarax. On waking up and drinking hot coffee, suddenly my right sinus started releasing very short fibrous and seemingly almost dry pieces of infected matter. Over the period of say two hours matter kept releasing until seemingly nothing remained. The tension in my lower neck, ear area and teeth dissipated quickly. The facial pain and sensitivity rolled back, notably in the sinus area and I noticed a clear improvement in the right eye and overall pain diminished by 90 % over the following hours. I had thought that the trigger was a sonic toothbrush I had bought and started using a few hours to the onset of the trigeminal radiating pain. However, clearly it was some deep silent sinus infection and as the infected matter was evacuated the relief was pretty much immediate (after 10 hours or so almost all flashes and waves of pain had disappeared and I only took two Lamaline during that time). Hope this experience can help others.

Did you ever receive a diagnosis or have your issues resolve? I’m having similar issues & doctors keeping passing me off to each other with no ideas for what’s wrong.

Welcome @pmc52, I'm sorry to hear doctors keep passing you off to each other with no diagnosis or treatments to help. I'm not sure if @tnpainisreal is still following Connect and will respond to your question. @ken82 might be able to share some suggestions. Also, you may be interested in this main discussion on Trigeminal Neuralgia in the Brain & Nervous System group.
> Groups > Brain & Nervous System > Trigeminal Neuralgia https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/trigeminal-neuralgia-2273cc/

Have you thought about seeking help at a teaching hospital or major health facility?

I have sinus pain as a symptom of my migraines but often wonder if it is a cause of my migraines as there is congestion in the side of the head that has the migraine as well. ENTs have found nothing significant to cause the issues that could be repaired but minor deviated septum. Which is so surprising as it feels so mechanical. One thing I have found for release has been various yoga poses, although I am sure this alone wouldn’t save me from my pain but is an additional tool.