This is my first time visiting this website, so please bear with me if I posted in the wrong forum.

In 1994 I had reconstructive surgery on my face and this included cheek implants. Since the surgery, I have gone to several doctors about severe pain in my face. X-rays have shown that the screws under the cheek implants have come out and when I smile, laugh or try to bite into a sandwich the screws are hitting a nerve - causing SEVERE pain that literally brings me to screaming agony. I've already looked into having the implants removed, but my health insurance will not cover and it and right now we can not afford this option.

I've gone to a doctor who is 'numbing' the nerve with an injection. This works for maybe 4 months and then the pain is back. The actual procedure of the getting this injection is horrible - I don't know how much longer I can go through this procedure.

Can anyone else relate to this? Any ideas on what I can do? The doctor said I could have the nerve cut which would result in permanent loss of feeling. At this point that doesn't sound too bad. As I write this post I'm in tears because I yawned and I now have lightning bolts of pain on each side of my face. Can't take this anymore....

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.