Left side stopped working, now pain in face when touched.
 

34 year old Male.

For the past 10 years I have woke up twice a year with vertigo.

7 years ago I woke up with vertigo and just waited for it to go away (usually 8 hours). Well it never did then I realized some other strange stuff. Stumbling, knocking over glasses, not being able to type. After a few days I figured out exactly what was going on. All non-voluntary movements to left side stopped working. When I walk my knee would not bend when it normally does, when I picked up a glass the hand would not stop when it touched it and just kept going. All the thinks you do not think about in a normal day stopped working. If I walked and though about the fact I needed to bend my knee it was fine, but if I just walked it would stumble. Also left side would feel numb or not there at times.

Saw a doctor, MRI ect and they found a brain lesion on nerve on stem that was the cause. Tried to find other cases of demyelination (thought optic nerve) but could not. Spinal tap tested negative for MS markers. 60 days to the day later in a matter of 2 hours everything came back. No Dx just said wait and see hopefully never comes back.

For next 4 years whenever I got vertigo my left side would have the same symptoms but very minor (a little numb ect.) and would go away in 8 hours.

2 years ago I had the strangest thing happen. I would get a pain in the back of my head when I even just barely touched the hair in the middle of my right eyebrow. Just flick the hair and pain in the back of the head. It lasted a few months and went away.
2 weeks ago about one inch above the same spot on my eyebrow it started doing the same thing. I barely touch that spot and I get a pain in my head (feel more towards the front and top this time).

Every serious on set has been in the winter if it matters.

Anyone else ever hear of this? Could it be another nerve issue? Something unrelated?

trigeminalneuralgia?
 

That facial pain thing sounds like "trigemonal neuralgia".

http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/trigeminalneuralgia.html

I had it for many years. In my case it is was the hairs/skin on my right ear lobe" that generated extreme pain when touched very lightly. I also had at that time a numbness in my face and jaw that made it impossible for me to smile.

It has not bothered me for about 3 years. My difficulity swallowing also went away three years ago.

jackD

Hi Bob, Welcome to Neuro Talk. I'm glad you found us. Not that we can dx any one, but perhaps we can give you support and some hints.

It has been ten years since you started getting symptoms, that is good that it hasn't gone much further in progression. I guess you will have to wait and see, there are so many diseases and disorders that have the same symptoms as you have.

You are lucky your symptoms don't last more than 8 hours. Do you take any medication? I always think to look in the medicine cabinet first to see if any side effects from any meds could cause problems.

As for the eyebrow and the head pain, is it the scalp that has pain? It could be nerve related. Maybe more people can help you that may follow this post. Good luck and nice to meet you.

Hi bob! no advice, just hugs! :hug:

Thanks for the info. The trigemonal neuralgia is what I looked into before and your description of just lightly touching the hairs causing the pain is spot on. However does the pain stop as soon as you stop touching? Mine does. Reading the description it sounds like it can happen without stimulus also. Mine only comes on when I touch the spot and instantly goes away when I stop touching. No other numbness or anything else in the face at all. Just pain when I touch.

Kinda scares me they said it was an symptom of MS they wanted to call my left side issue that but with no other lesions they could not.

I do not take any medications. My vertigo lasts only 8 hours and I do not think it is related to my lesion other then now after I have had it for some reason must inflame the healed nerve and cause some light numbness on the left side.

When the lesion happened and nerve commands were not getting through lasted 60 days.

It is not on the scalp that feels the pain, rather the pain is a sharp internal pain in the brain.

Welcome, Bob, nice to meet you. I have had nerve pain in my face, so I empathize with you. My pain was more constant and shooting, but excruciating (from shingles) I have no lasting pain from it, as some do..Thank God.

Feel better soon.:hug:

Hi Bob, :hug:

I had what I was told was Trigeminal Neuralgia. I would get pain in and around my ear, jaw, etc. and was sent to a dental specialist. Checked for TMJ, etc., no jaw/dental problems, therefore it was TN.

When I researched TN I found that my pain was different than what was described for either typical or atypical neuralgia, since my pain could often be constant lasting up to a week or more.

Despite all my docs (PCP, Neuro, Dentist) no one really pointed to any one cause. I have therefore come to my own conclusion: Not that it will make you feel better, but maybe demonstrate that whatever is going on with you is causing your Trigeminal Nerve pain.

In my case my MS has focused on my Trigeminal nerve, just as it might cause ON, or tremors, or swallowing problems, it causes pain all over my TN. (which is a nerve with many branches running through the face, eyes, ears, neck.) I now take lyrica and it is 90% better.

Good luck with the testing, hope you get relief from pain and numbness soon!