Just when you thought it was safe…
Freshly updated pix y’all. Check the Surgery Photo Journal.
I am learning that recovering nerves are a giant panda pain in the patootski!!!! OMG. Really. I got into my car today and all of a sudden had violent shooting pain like needles (really mean not nice needles and they were long with barbs! They were needles with needles!) in my face…on the left side…which is the one I can feel. So how bad is it going to be when the nerves that were really really super damaged decide to come back? This new pain has happened 3 times to me today. SOooooo not signing on for this. But I guess I don’t really have a choice.
Okay, lemmee get some beans and cheese and melt it all together and sit back and enjoy (or endure) the ride.
Ow.
February 2nd, 2007 at 9:00 am
The pain which you felt – was it very brief? It’s probably neuropathic (Read: “nerve-bad”) sensations and is due to both the reformation of connections and pressure upon the nerves (from swelling) – or so I understand – this is an extreme neuropathic layman talking here. If that is the case, these are not likely to last long (awww). Gently massage near your TMJ (where your jaw hinges) and use a warm compress (heating pad) a few times a day on each side of the face. Also take ibuprofen if your doc. allows. Now you have a clue as to how wonderful Trigeminal Neuralgia can be. For me, these were wonderful little “teasers” and very much like a low-impact trigeminal neuralgia sort of thing. Sort of a reminder of how good it is to feel OK after they all go away. – Jeremy
February 3rd, 2007 at 3:11 am
Hey Jeremy,
Thanks for writing. I had forgotten about TN (in the way you forget about the possibility of cavities until your teeth start to bother you). I have mentioned these “episodes” to my doctor but really thought I was just telling him to tell him as opposted to asking him to help because they come and go so quickly, I’m not sure I could do anything to “treat” it per se.
Your hints are AWESOME. I’v been wandering around holding the sides of my head (where my jaw hinges) pressing with my fingers and wondering if I was even more of a spaz than I imagined in the first place…but what you said gave my pain a little more validity…and now I imagine it won’t hurt AS BADLY in that I know it probably won’t get worse…KNOCK ON WOOD. What I mean is the pain is not a harbinger of bad news. My surgery STILL worked. I can STILL sleep at night without a CPAP machine. Yes, I sometimes scream and clutch my head and scare everyone around me…but nothing is WRONG. I’m not going to die. I’m actually…more than before…living.
Thanks again! It is great to have a reminder of how good it feels to feel good.
Best to you!
Shelby