My name is Kitty. I am a 52 year old female. Approximately 16 years ago I started to experience a little numbness above my upper lip and below my right eye (soft tissue area). I went to a doctor (neurologist), who did an MRI on my head, and found nothing wrong. He told me his wife has numbness and it will go away.

A few years later, it had spread to the entire right side of my face, including the inside of my mouth., (I can't feel my gums, or tast most foods - not even salt). I also cannot feel my eyes. The numbness increases when I have trouble with my sinuses., feeling very numb around the sinus areas of the forehead, and cheek/nose area.

It has now been approximately 16 years, (and 3 MRI's later - with the same results, nothing wrong). My entire head is numb from the front to the back and side to side (not being able to feel my ears - makes it hard to talk on the phone when I can't feel where the phone should be). The numbness has now gone down my neck, making me feel like I have a hangmans noose around my throat. When I yawn, my vocal cords freeze, and the muscles in my throat also freeze up, making my speech slurred (mostly in the afternoon, when I'm tired). I also have trouble with the back of my neck, pinching off nerves (possibly), because when I look up for any length of time, I get queezie, light headed and hot., until I sit down and put my head down.

The numbness has increased to where I have to sleep sitting up because I drool, (I also dribble if I don't pay attention to my speech, and swallow when necessary). I also don't know when I'm swallowing so I tend to choke when drinking liquids.

It's an embarrassment to eat out any more, my job is hard to cope with, as I can't talk on the phone (which is what I do for a living - call center). I'm at my wits end at what this is, and what to do.

Does anyone have an idea what is wrong, or what type of test I need?

Any ideas would be helpful, as I'm at a stand still, and wish I were dead !

Thanks for listening....K