Columns Fall Down, Get Up Again- a Column by John Connor My Latest Trigeminal Neuralgia Attack Was Like a Knife Through the Molar My Latest Trigeminal Neuralgia Attack Was Like a Knife Through the Molar by John Connor | June 4, 2021 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link Screaming. The pain from this trigeminal neuralgia (TN) attack was worse than any previous attack. And there have been aplenty. I couldn’t function! But boy could I scream. It was 8 a.m. and I was stirring awake. My tongue merely touched one of the bottom molars on the left side of my mouth and a knife was plunged into its roots. My wife, Jane, turned up next to my bed and tried to understand my terrible miming. Not happy! (Photo by John Connor) There was no chance of speech, only incessant screaming. She scrambled to find the two pills needed to quell monster TN attacks: oxcarbazepine and baclofen. I also use gabapentin, but it is useless in an emergency as it works slowly. They were all in my bulging drugs bag next to me. I pointed frantically to the section they were in. Jane kept offering me water, but I just as frantically waved it away. Liquid would kill me! The pills are small, so I could slip them in the right side of my mouth and just about swallow them down. As ever during an attack of this nature, they hardly made a difference. Screaming continued. We both had an answer: Where were my lidocaine patches? I jabbed a finger on my left hand. Jane asked if they were in the box of drugs under my desk. A big thumbs up. As soon as the local anesthetic went on, the pain began to subside. That was two days ago, and there has barely been a twinge since. For me, TN is a bit like an earthquake ā lots of warnings, a major move of the Earth. A few aftershocks. When the pressure goes away, it leaves peace. I’m sure it’s not like that for everyone. We MSers are more prone to TN than the rest of the population. In people with MS, the condition is often caused by damage to the myelin sheath around the trigeminal nerve. Eventually, if the drugs stop working, you can have surgery to cut the nerve, but it doesn’t always work. I wrote a more detailed column about this a while back. I guess if you are lucky enough not to have TN, I probably lost you ages ago. Because I write this column mostly as a diary, I don’t have a choice but to bang on about it this week. However, I’m very interested in any snippets of information about the trigeminal nerve. While listening to a recent episode of the BBC radio show “The Food Programme” that focused on spices, I was very surprised to learn that the trigeminal nerve transmits the sensation of spicy food between the taste buds and the brain. No wonder my nose explodes every time I eat curry. Thankfully, no TN pain ā just the excruciating enjoyment of my meal. We’re one of the only creatures that like spicy foods. We humans are definitely weird! *** Note: Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Multiple Sclerosis News Today or its parent company, BioNews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis. Print This Page About the Author John Connor In the ā80s, John Connor created the first regular column about the burgeoning London stand-up scene. In 1990 he wrote a book about its effect on the Edinburgh Festival: āComics: A Decade of Comedy at the Assembly Rooms.ā That year he also devised and ran a live topical stand-up team show at The London Comedy Store, The Edge (It was destroyed in 2020!). In 2009 John was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS, which cut short his main job as a TV casting director for āBlack Books,ā āMy Family,ā et al. Now, John writes āFall Down Get Up Again,ā an irreverent journey with MS. Tags pain relief, trigeminal neuralgia Comments Hardy John, please look into the gamma knife procedure. My sister had bilateral continuous trigeminal allergen as a result of MS. She got the gamma knife procedure on the trigeminal nerves on both sides of her face. It has been life-changing for her. in the multiple years since having the procedures, she has had only minimal breakthroughs and has been able to wean off the masses of scary meds she used to have to take just to survive (she also did lots of self hypnosis but that only works for so long). Reply John Connor Ta mate. Pretty sure that's been mentioned to me by my new pain consultant. I will certainly look into it. Reply Leanne Broughton The worst part of my MS journey, TN. It only gets worse over the years. I had a rhizotomy in 2011 for right mandibular pain lasting 16 months. 8 years later the same pain is in the maxillary area, OMG. Reply Jen Hi John, I get neuralgia often, of all varieties. In the interests of solidarity, here's an account of my worst one so far. Enjoy! https://jennifersevern.com.au/a-ring-a-rock-an-ambulance-an-angel/ Reply Lesley My TM last night was by far the worst...For what it is worth I purchased some numbing liquid which is used for gum or tooth ache. It helps but last night it was over before I could tell my partner where it was. Lesley Reply Leave a comment Fill in the required fields to post. Your email address will not be published. Your Name Your Email Your Comment Post Comment
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