How to Handle Life With Trigeminal Neuralgia

REST, RELAX, PRAY! Find a comfortable place to be where you feel safe. Do not be alone! Use a speakerphone to talk to others, or visit support sites online. If you get to visit with a fellow patient, you will feel so much better. Experienced fellow sufferers are an invaluable source of info. Plus they really can relate to what you are going through!

Visit www.facepain.org This invaluable Web site of the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association deals with many facial and head pain syndromes. They will reply to you very quickly with real practical help by phone or mail or email. You can also get medical abstracts from them to take to the doctor with ideas you may not have tried. Remember we are all unique, what works for one person might not work for another so keep on researching. They also have a great book called "STRIKE BACK" all about TN and other head and facial neuralgia.

Get a RESEARCH NEUROLOGIST Or if you can't find one. When you go to your first appointment ask how many Facial Pain Patients this doctor treats. Chances are, the more patients, the more this doctor knows. IF they treat you with disdain, or are not patient to listen to your needs then FIND ANOTHER DOCTOR. MANY Of us have had a LOT of doctors, the website above is helpful to find really good doctors in your location.

At your neuro appointment, Request an MRI to see if you have a possible microvascular decompression. That is when the Trigeminal Nerve is pinched by an offending artery or other part of the body. There is surgery that can put small "pillows" of teflon between the nerve and the offending problem and bring relief. IF you have had this condition less than 2 -3 years you have a high success rate.

Type up your medical report. Being in pain can cause you to forget important details. How to do this? Write down the history of the disorder, when the first attack came, what precipitated it. Write down all medications you have been on, All the drugs you are taking, as well as herbs and vitamins. Add the names and contact info on all doctors as well as your closest contact person, such as your spouse. Be specific on surgeries and any strange symptoms.

Increase your nutrition: Take Magnesium, 400 mg a day, this prevents spasms. B complex, especially B-12, is very important for normal nerve function. It is hard to eat properly sometimes with this affliction so you need very good multivitamin and minerals daily! Try to eat very live foods like greens, a good way to remember is to eat the rainbow!( a colorful diet) Vitamin D will help with exhaustion. If you make shakes, do not drink them ice cold, this can trigger an attack. Use OTC numbing agents for any oral cuts or cold sores, pain in the mouth can trigger attacks.

Try Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation which helps the nerves to learn how to be normal again. This is a cumulative treatment and in time you won't need to do it so much. Try it for at least 3 weeks in prescribed physical therapy to see if it will work before you invest in a device to use at home.

Avoid touching the facial area & stimulation of the face by hard kissing and hugging. Avoid drafts, especially cold drafts. Keep your face covered with a gentle warm breeze-proof scarf in cold or breezy weather. Wear a pin on your blouse to remind loved ones to avoid that side of your face. Keep some instant warm packs in your purse or pocket. This will help you if you get a sudden chill on your face. Apply the heat through a scarf to keep your face more comfortable.

Try Botox, Neurological Injections from a Reputable Neurologist, not a cosmetologist! This is a type of chemical denervation that will help you have relief. The nerve will grow the covering back so you need to have it done every few months.

Hit pain at the start & Keep your prescription medication with you at all times, do not wait to go into a severe attack before you medicate, it takes a great deal more medication to stop an attack then to prevent one.

Try heat or ice to Keep your neck muscles relaxed. Roll a a hand towel up and try this under your neck instead of a pillow. Keep your head and face covered during sleep. Try not to sleep on the affected side as that will worsen pain in the morning. Hot tubs can be wonderful for pain management.

Be creative. Draw, Paint, Sing, journal, daydream and keep your mind busy, read and get absorbed in whatever you find enjoyable. If you enjoy doing something, you will get into a good time of concentration and you will see that you can have some wonderful relief.

You may be wondering. HOW DID I GET THIS? Many have gotten this disorder after a root canal. If this is the case, I beg you to NOT get your teeth extracted! Many have sadly discovered that when the teeth were pulled the pain is still there. The pain comes from the Cranial Nerve called the Trigeminal Nerve, if you pull your teeth out, the pain will NOT stop because the nerve is still there! If you had a severe infection, make sure you were medicated with antibiotics because the infection from the abscess can move on to other branches of the nerve. Some of the population got this because of Multiple Sclerosis. Please again, get checked out by your doctor. Sometimes, we do not know why this happens and there have even been documented cases of babies with the disorder. Many times TN will begin after age 50 and will start with a dull constant pain. Again, PLEASE Speak to your Doctor to get an accurate diagnosis and proper care.