Zap, Zings, Pings and things???

[Mom2boys]

Hi Guys :confused:

When you have zaps likened to typical TN are they usually in the same place?
Break Through Pain? Is this usually associated with the zaps or more of an ongoing non stop pain more like ATFP or ATN (I personally believe they are all the same when “atypical” is applied to face pain)


I had suffered with a tooth ache on and off for three years and have been Dx with trigeminal neuropathy. I have noticed a bit more twitching or fluttering in my TN side almost as if I was to look into the mirror I would expect to see a light muscle spasm. I don’t know if it is a result of the meds or that the TN is progressing. I cant say Im not nervous but I beyond the mind gripping fear I had a year ago when first Dx’d.

I do believe I have neuropathy on all three branched but not all at the same time. I am able to manage my pain with Trileptal and Doxipen which I spit out after applied. For those of you with all three branches do you have days when all three are upset or is it more one or two at a time. The funny thing is the moment I wake up I know what type of day Im going to have. And happily many of those days are good ones and my pain is controlled but I defiantly am feeling “The Flutters”.


Thanks,
L

[RStapler]

Breakthrough pain is pain that breaks through our medications.

TN pains occur in the same area of the face affected by one or more of the three branches of the 5th cranial nerve that is affected (you have one of these on either side of your face). The 5th cranial nerve exits the skull cavity next to the ear, where it then splits into three branches (the "tri" in trigeminal). From there it reaches out to the major areas of face (forehead and crown = V1, cheek, eye & upper mouth = V2, and lower mouth, jaw and chin = V3), where it splits again before terminating in nerve endings. These nerve endings are the most sensitive areas where we have our "triggers" of pain. However, the sensation of pain is not limited to the nerve ending, but can be felt all up and down the nerve ganglion from ending to pons, and sometimes 'reverberating' into adjacent channels.

You can get a better appreciation of what this looks like at: http://www.umanitoba.ca/cranial_nerves/trigeminal_neuralgia/manuscript/anatomy.html

Bob S

[baywatcher]

My thunderbolts can start in one of the branches and then suddenly leap to another one. I can't remember ever having all three firing at once, but two is not unusual. All three branches do act up though.

If you've read any of my old posts you'll know that I'm a non-believer when it comes to the typical/atypical stuff. I guess if you never ever have one of those lightning strikes you might call it atypical or something. But I have always had both kinds of pain and I find that a level of meds that controls the zing doesn't control the aching or burning pain. I can tolerate that, and would rather put up with it than raise my dose of medication. I've got a life to live and don't want to spend it any dopier than I am now.

One thing that must make it hard - even for our doctors - is that we just aren't cut out from a pattern, having exactly the same symptoms. I complain about doctors but mostly it's because they are so dogmatic about what they "know" instead of listening to patients and learning something. TN/facial pain is a big tent and maybe we even move around in it from time to time.

Better days for all - Nancy