Tongue Piercing Caused TN

[macy]

Just thought I would pass this on. Our local paper carried this article today. A sixteen year old girl developed Trigeminal Neuralgia. After a lot of pain, medicines, etc. it was determined that her tongue had been pierced recently and that had caused an infection which damaged the nerves in her tongue and presto, she had a classic case of Trigeminal Neuralgia. Good news was that when they removed the tongue ring she had no more pain.
We need to all talk to our children about this. I would hate to see one of my children go through this pain. I have always believed my pain is connected to the inside of my mouth after a Dentist butchered me during a deep cleaning procedure(actually his Dental Assistant did it, but using his method).
Anyway, I thought this was interesting.
So all you folks with Tongue Rings remove them NOW. LOL
My son-in-law is the one who noticed this article first. He had a lot of fun teasing me about having a secret tongue ring. (I am 65). That is what made it funny, plus the fact that I almost fainted when I had my ears pierced. That was enough for me.

Macy

[ToTs11]

My son had his tongue pierced when he was 16, I remember it like it was yesterday, I had to be scrapped off the ceiling where I hit the roof.
I still don't like it now, he bit down on the tongue bar once and broke a tooth!

Tracy.

[baywatcher]

Gee Macy, I think we ought to post that in all the school hallways. As if the fact that they look dirty and make people mumble wasn't bad enough - tn on top of that? Besides, it hurts sooooo much when you bite your tongue, it must be a killer to have someone poke a hole in it. Now ears - I don't promise not to go get another hole or two in my ears! Oh yeah, tn again. Not a good idea I guess. But Macy, I have to tell you that when my ears were pierced apparently the nurse fainted! I'm a bleeder and it took her by surprise. But I'll be sure to pass on that word about the tn/tongue connection to all my friends with young kids. Nancy

[ella138]

OK out comes my tongue ring! ;)

[EE03]

No tongue rings here! I've heard that kids and people who do that take a chance of losing their sense of taste. I can't imagine going through life without being able to enjoy the taste of food:eek: . Of course, it would probably help to keep one's weight down:rolleyes: , but in light of these stupid AEDs, i've decided thats hopeless!

[ella138]

BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- A Chicago teenager suffering from a nerve disorder sometimes called "suicide disease" tried prescription painkillers and drugs to alleviate the extreme pain in her face four years ago before finding a simple cure: she removed the metal stud from her pierced tongue.

The account in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association is the latest documentation of complications, some life-threatening, linked to tongue piercing.

Other reported problems include tetanus, heart infections, brain abscess, chipped teeth and receding gums. One woman developed so much scar tissue that it resembled what she called a “second tongue."

In the latest case, the young woman's tongue stud apparently irritated a nerve running along the jaw under her tongue. That nerve is connected to the trigeminal nerve, one of the largest in the head.

"There are people who have been dropped to their knees" by trigeminal neuralgia, said Alana Greca, a registered nurse and director of patient support for the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association. "That's how intense and how horrendous the pain can be."

The teenager said the stabbing pains in her face felt like electrical shocks that lasted 10 to 30 seconds and struck 20 to 30 times a day.

Jeanne Fritch, owner of Personal Art, a piercing and tattooing studio in Lake Station, Ind., said she has not heard of a similar case in her 21 years in business.

"Certainly, this was an isolated case, an extremely rare complication of this kind of piercing," said Dr. Marcelo Galarza, a neurosurgeon at Villa Maria Cecilia Hospital in Ravenna, Italy, who reported the case to the journal.

The tongue is "a particularly dangerous place to pierce" because it is rich in blood vessels that can spread infection to major organs and because it is near important nerves and the upper airway, he said.

Stefania Fraccalvieri, the patient in the report, is now 21 and a student in Rome. Her advice to people considering tongue piercing: "Don't do that. My experience was so bad. I was so sick and now I feel much better." Enditem

[EE03]

Thanks Ella! Its always good to read the story but how can removing the piercing stop the pain if it was actually TN to start with? That seems weird or maybe I'm just weird!!!

Anyway, Thanks for posting!

E!!!

[ella138]

Thanks Ella! Its always good to read the story but how can removing the piercing stop the pain if it was actually TN to start with?
E!!!

First of all don't believe everything you hear and read in the media. It's often skewed to create a bit of sensationalism. I guess TN is boring, add a tongue piercing and voila...you've got news!

[KIMMERS]

That same article was in our news paper. It said that when she removed the piercing, the pain went away immediately. Ok, they might have hit the nerve when they pierced her tounge, but to me, that isn't TN. I don't think it should have taken a dr. to figure that one out. She should have been able to put the pieces to the puzzle together for herself.

[EE03]

Kimmers, Ditto, ditto, etc.....

Ella, I often take news articles with a grain of salt. Its kind of hard to imagine that the TNA would be quoted in the article and not rebut. This condition is hard enough to diagnose and treat and it appears to me that the article makes light of everything we (and our doctors) struggle to deal with.

Its very disappointing to see that kind of stuff in print!

But then, I'm probably preaching to the choir....:rolleyes:

[EE03]

Of course, they probably called the TNA and just asked for info and used it in the context they wanted to!

Don't mind me, I'm just rambling on.......

[baywatcher]

I hope that, as reported, once the hardware was out all was well. On the other hand, I'm a little surprised about what has happened over time with surgery that I had in the mid-70s on a parotid tumor. After the operation, I had widespread numbness - my ear, and below and behind my ear. It was that strange combination of a numb feeling combined with tiny shocks when the area was touched. So far as anyone could tell me at the time, that would be permanent. I got so accustomed to it that the recovery snuck up on me, until one day I realized that sensation was slowly returning and the painful shocks were fading. So far so good - but now, about 30 years later, I am noticing that my earlobe is definitely growing more sensitive and can be painful at times. There are more mysteries in life than we might guess, especially where nerves are concerned. It isn't bad enough yet to keep me from wearing my earrings, but I wonder whether I'll reach the point where I'd trade back to numbness instead. (And no, this isn't the tn side, so the surgery and tumor had nothing to do with my tn.)

So if the young lady has an end to her pain forever, that's great. But I can't help but wonder. News items are so often like that, they make me curious and then never take me to the end of the story. Nancy