Facial Pain, Numbness with Chronic Neck Pain and TMJ

[CrVala]

   Hello,
I am a 24 year old female with TMJ and chronic neck pain.  I have been getting treated for the TMJ for a year and half, though I've had symptoms for it since I was 10.  I've been seeing a chiropractor for 4 months when my neck pain got worse instead of better like my TMJ doctor had told me.

For the past 5 months now, I have been having pain on the right side of my head, eye, eyebrow area, eye socket, cheek, and right side of the nose.  This is also the same side my neck pain and jaw clicking occurs.  The pain is deep, achy, and at times throbbing, except for the on the cheeks, which can sometimes feel like a stabbing at the top of my cheek bone or the bottom of my eye socket, can't tell which it would be.   I also feel twitching sensations at the tip of my nose and sometimes in my eyelid.    Occasionally my cheek will just go numb, as if it's gone asleep.  It will stay like that for about 5 minutes, and I can still move my face when it happens.  

The most prominent pain is my neck and eye.  The other pain comes and goes (though still occurring everyday or every other day), but the neck and eye pain is constant and both in very specific spots.  The eye pain is in the upper corner, right where the eye socket meets the very top of the nose, where that curve is.  And I often feel it in my eye in the inner corner, when I move my eye that direction.   It hurts more when I touch and put pressure on that spot, as I've compared to what happens when I put the same pressure on the other eye's corner and it doesn't hurt there at all.

I should also mention that my eyelid is drooping.  I'm not sure if its considered the eyelid or part of the eyebrow area, but it is the skin directly below the eyebrow and directly above the skin that actually covers the eyeball.  It started drooping  very gradually, starting almost a year ago on the outer corner of the eye and now the drooping has spread full across the entire eye area from the outer to inner corner,  making that eyeball appear like its sinking down my face.

This is all extremely hard for me to deal with as I don't have health insurance and most of the doctor's I've seen have not been able to do full testing on me because I can't pay for it.
I've seen an opthamologist who just assumed it was allergies, did no tests, and just gave me eye drops.  When I came for a follow up 3 weeks later with my symptoms of course not improved, she said the same thing and gave me more eye drops.
I've seen a neurologist who told me that the appearance of my eye must have always been this way and I never noticed, and to do lighter less aggressive form of stretching so the neck isn't always in pain.  She also recommended I come back after I get insurance so I can get an MRI.
I saw an ENT who did a CT scan but found nothing wrong with my sinuses.  

So after having spent $800 on these doctor visits alone, I just don't know where to go next.  I was trying to save money by skipping a primary doctor (that I don't have anyway) and go straight to a specialty.  But now I don't know what specialty to go to.  I also would like to know how lower income people and students are able to get an MRI without paying full price.  

I truly appreciate any responses. thanks alot.

[Ariana1980]

I am 30, and I have all of those same symptoms on my left side. My shoulder hurts CONSTANTLY, and is always giving me a headache. When I was 16, I was diagnosed with TMJ, but since then, I have been diagnosed with migraines, a pinched nerve in my shoulder, cluster headaches, anxiety; you name it, I have been diagnosed with it. However, none of the medications they have prescribed have helped at all. The only thing that has toned it down a bit is antidepressants. I have a feeling that they don't actually help the pain, they just help me to deal with it. When my shoulder began hurting, I thought it was an injury from Jiujitsu, but my doctor refused to x-ray it, saying that it was just a "little inflammation." It has steadily progressed to a constant pain down my back, up my neck, and into my jaw/face. I, too, have those numb sensations in my face. My eye twitches, my ear hurts, and I always have left eye pain. If anyone has found any answers, please please let me know. I think my dr is a jackass, and I am searching for someone else to see, but have had no luck.

[KnightRobby]

I've posted on SEVERAL other forums looking for help.  I am 25 years old male that has severe pain on the left side of my face/head/eyes/jaw/neck.  I've been suffering from it since I was 13 years old.  I've been looking up Trigeminal neuralgia and you can read about it at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trigeminal-neuralgia/DS00446/DSECTION=symptoms

You can also see where the pain flows through the Trigeminal Nerves in the face (copy and paste the link into your broswer): http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://rpmedia.ask.com/ts%3Fu%3D/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Head_facial_nerve_branches.jpg/120px-Head_facial_nerve_branches.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ask.com/wiki/Facial_nerve&usg=__wL-97fn-zMa8bAte8rG1-hTuq2c=&h=973&w=1161&sz=1175&hl=en&start=32&sig2=jXNQ4yDE7Qc6U8LWijs6tQ&zoom=1&tbnid=-4eJvuEOJBW2IM:&tbnh=132&tbnw=157&ei=6zBHTbPkBIS8lQfdl4kb&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnerves%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bhead%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1440%26bih%3D727%26tbs%3Disch:10,700&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=463&oei=3DBHTbLyOsnGgAfbsN3BAQ&esq=3&page=2&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:24,s:32&tx=59&ty=28&biw=1440&bih=727

I've been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue, Fibro, Lyme, blah blah - and I just know that I have TN.  I had a doctor dismiss it without doing ANY research and I am going to pursue this and see if I can get a doctor to properly look into it being TN.

Just read from the link I supplied and I hope it helps us all.  I've been doing a ton of research for the past hour or so and I am really worn out...but I wanted to share in the hopes that it helps someone out here...

Thanks,
Robby

[martos]

just another low income,underinsured patient suffering with severe tmj. i tried getting some assistance thru what is called health share through a local agency. but surprise surprise there are no docs that are willing to treat me. they did send me to a local dentist who did panoramic exray and i was told that the upper right side of my jaw is gone and the left joint is worn down. it is so bad i can no longer eat. life is so wonderful

[painterchic]

Sorry to read ALL these people with, so much pain and doctors who don't seem to help.
See www.endthepain.org (The Facial Pain Association)
A friend who suffers from the pain,  numbness,  tmj, the drooping eye,  headaches, ALL of it, sent me the info below. All of her issues are from her jaw joint, and no one caught it until a maxio-cranial facial surgeon was consulted.
It's long, has a bit of a "tone", but take what you like from it.  Read BEYOND the TMJ parts, see TN, Headache and other facial pain insights.

--------------------------
MoreCraniofacial

TMJ or jaw joint dysfunction, is the major and usually the only cause of your suffering. Your doctors, including neurologist, have simply not received the dental training required to be able to diagnose TMJ problems and how they relate to your migraine or headache pain. Physicians just don't know enough about it. Furthermore, many dentists jump on the bandwagon thinking that they can cure these ailments, only to find that they lack the skill and experience to get the job done.
Once you find the right specialist, your recovery and elimination of pain is virtually assured!
Involvement of the Trigeminal nerve
The reason that the TMJ and your jaws cause migraines and other head pain problems is due to the fact that the trigeminal nerve is one of the most complex and powerful nerves in the human body. It is very closely associated to the TMJ and completely responsible for your jaw and tooth functions. It feeds sensation and function to your jaws, face, tongue, sinus, palate, eyes, teeth, and lips.
The trigeminal accounts for over 40% of the brain's processing.  The trigeminal also has innervation and control over certain areas of the brain itself.
The trigeminal nerve is also "married" to the facial, hypoglossal, and vagus nerves. These nerves control sensation and function of almost all other muscles of your head, neck, and throat. The facial nerve is also intimately associated with the TMJ. Many branches of these nerves pass through or around the TMJ. "Upsetting" any of these 4 nerves usually ends up disturbing the other three.
Examples:

Migraine: This could be undiagnosed TMJ compression and disk dislocation or the reasons could be complex. A long time ago this patient's jaw joint became dysfunctional. The natural, protective disk of the joint slowly resorbed over time and the jaw joint is now rubbing less than 1/16 of an inch away from the brain tissue. This jaw joint "bangs" on the underside of the brain over 5,000 times a day (every time she chews, swallows, yawns, laughs, eats, speaks, etc.) This patient usually has no signs of any TMJ pain or problems. The physician or dentist may do a quick TMJ exam and find absolutely nothing wrong. This patient may not have ever had any signs of TMJ popping, clicking, or pain. There may never have been any signs of jaw or jaw joint problems. However, upon reading a proper transcranial x-ray there is undeniable proof that the joint is damaged and responsible for mediating the migraine problem. It is like the story of the frog in the pot: put a frog in a lukewarm pot and bring it to boil slowly, the frog will boil to death. However, throw a frog into a boiling pot and the frog will jump out to save itself. Some patients may experience TMJ problems at one point or another, while other people are simply not aware of the problem happening in their own body. The body simply adapts to the problem due to the fact that the joint is used over 5,000 times a day. The joint becomes "numb" or "dumb", but the pain is relayed to other parts of the body.

In some patients, the joint itself may hurt or pop and click. This is normally seen during the early stages of some headache sufferers. After a while the noises and joint pain may go away, but the joint continues to undergo damage. It just becomes quiet and the pain gets transmitted to the other parts of the head. The patient who experiences once a month headaches, along with a poppin joint, eventually becomes the twice a week headache patient with no joint noises.

Vision: The trigeminal nerve is responding to a muscle and jaw joint compression by irritation of its maxillary/opthalmic division. The problem is not even close to the eye. It is usually found within a damaged jaw joint or an abnormal muscle/jaw function.
ENT: The jaw joint is less that 1/4 inch away from your ear. Over 5,000 times per day that joint "bangs" on your ear. Take away the protective disk, and there is not much left to keep your ears from hurting. The trigeminal and facial nerves have many branches that project into the ear. Even the slightest dysfunction can cause the ears to hurt.
The trigeminal nerve feeds the sinuses and palate. Improper function of this nerve, along with muscular dysfunction cause the sinuses to act problematically. The muscles of your jaws attach to your sinuses. Upset muscles cause sinus problems! Upset muscles cause nerve dysfunction, and vice versa.
Irritation to the trigeminal or facial nerve can cause symptoms in distant areas to the other nerves. It is not uncommon for patients with TMJ problems to have burning throats, difficulty swallowing, or other abnormalities of the throat.

Most medications for headaches try to cure symptoms instead of causes.  The problem behind what physicians coin as "vascular headaches" is that they forget to find what causes the distension and the blood flow changes, to begin with. The simple explanation is found by reviewing  the autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is so overworked in headache patients that a common diagnosis we find is RSD (reflex sympathetic dystrophy). In other words the body is constantly on the accelerator, breaking down...because the parasympathetic system is not given a chance to work and bring balance to the body. This happens as a result of joint damage, stressful life, smoking, irritability, and other factors that contribute to a stressed body. The body is "on fire"! Treatment must be aimed at changing the lifestyle. If there is true joint damage, then treatment must also correct this, because the joint damage may be causing the stress.
In a patient with joint damage, the vascular changes are clearly evident and diagnosable.

Trauma: Car accidents, even at velocities as low as 9 mph, can result in whiplash which cause dislocation of the jaw joint. The dislocation may cause immediate signs and symptoms of TMJ pain, or it can take years for the problem to surface. Remember the boiling frog! Some people do not exhibit immediate signs of jaw joint dislocation, because it may take time for the protective disk to resorb and cause dysfunction of the jaw joint area. The disk slowly resorbs and the patient feels no pain. However, as the protective mechanism of the disk is lost, the jaw joint starts to rub on the skull bone/brain tissue and the body starts to exhibit signs of pain transmitted as migraines or headaches. Basically, the jaw joint remains symptomless because you use it so many times during the day (over 5,000 times) that your brain adapts to its underlying problem. Remember, the joint becomes "dumb." The nervous sytem, on the other hand, being mediated by the trigeminal and facial nerves, starts to make the body aware of the problem. That's when the headaches begin!


GERD: The vagus nerve and hypoglossal nerves are responsible for swallowing. The trigeminal is responsible for chewing. Take the nerves out of balance and your digestion system will eventually break down. Over 50% of your digestion starts and completes in the mouth. Improper nerve and muscle function of your jaws will eventually lead to other digestive problems. In some patients, we even see signs of respiratory problems develop. This may be due more to a component of the pain cycle, but it is obvious.

[penpen731]

Hi everyone it's Penny again.

You poor darlings why can no one help us.  I have just been back to another doctor who is sending me to a specialist to test me for something called Fibromyalgia.  I went to a website www.eliminatefibromyalgia.com and downloaded the e-books some of the information in this book is amazing it does cost you though about $60 dollars it is well worth the read.  I have just started trying some things out of this book at the moment I will let you know how I go.  I don't see the specalist until the 4th of August 2010 (always takes so long to be able to get into see anyone).  Some of the Symptoms of Fribomyalgia are

the most common
symptoms include:
• Widespread muscular and joint pain (this is the
primary symptom)
• Highly localized pain
• Morning stiffness
• “Brain fog” (feeling of confusion, loss of short term
memory)
• Fatigue
• Headaches / migraines
• Hypoglycemia
• Interstitial cystitis
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Weight gain
• Vision problems / dizziness
• Nerve pain
• Sensitivity of the skin
• Sleep disturbances



However, before jumping to the conclusion that you have
Fibromyalgia because of the symptoms you’re experiencing please
note that there are other disorders with similar symptoms to
Fibromyalgia and your physician should be the one to make the
determination on whether or not you suffer from Fibromyalgia… or
something else. Other conditions with similar symptoms are:
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Lupus
• Lyme disease
• Mercury toxicity
• Thyroid disease
• Vitamin B12 deficiency
• Arthritis
• Polymyalgia Rheumatica
Receiving a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia can be very much a process
of elimination.

Goodluck guys I just had another MRI today I get the results back next week.  Keep your chin up hopefully together we can help each other find a diagnosis even if there is not cure we might be able to manage the pain if we knew what it was.

God Bless You ALL :o)

[ModernTimes]

Note: don't take Echinacea at the same time as taking anti-viral drugs.