Hi there,
I just went to my Dr. yesterday and he suspects I have trigeminal neuralgia. But for some reason I can't quite believe that. I'd appreciate if anyone out there could read through this and tell me what you think...

About 4 weeks ago I started having stabbing, shocking type pains shoot through my right eye. The pain feels like it originates from the back of my eye, somewhere behind it. The pain is not constant, it comes and goes, usually several times a day. It feel worse when I move my eye and by the end of the day, it kind of feels like I got punched in the eye and in the bone surrounding that eye. I initially went to an eye Dr., he dilated my eye, looked around at everything and said it all looked OK. At my regular Dr. yesterday, I wanted to cry because I was so frustrated by this sudden pain. And when I researched it myself online, I made it worse because now I'm convinced I have MS, too.

Ugh. I sound like an idiot. Anyway, the bottom line is that I'm scared. I'm 34 and I've got a 2 year old and an 8 month old. I can't take any drugs that are going to make me super tired. My Dr. gave me a script for something, I just haven't filled it yet because I'm in denial. I'm having a CAT scan on the 24th and then he and I are meeting again on the 29th to discuss. If the CATscan is OK, he will probably send me to a neurologist. In the meantime, I'm sitting here scared and sad.

Any words of advice or thoughts in general would be really appreciated.
Thanks
e

Hello and welcome to NeuroTalk. First of all, I think your Dr is doing the right thing by ordering tests to try and eliminate certain conditions and hopefully start the path to narrowing down what could be causing your eye pain.

MS has so many symptoms that are alike many other ailments, so try not to get overly worked up until you have a more definitive answer. I know, easy for me to say, but there are many people/members here who have gone down the same path you are now trodding on. Hang in there and try not to think of the what if's. A trip to a Neuro may very well be in order, but in the meantime, maybe you should take the meds Rx'd by your Dr to alleviate your pain. Hope you feel better soon.

Glad you found us and really hope it doesn't turn out to be anything serious. Please take a look around our boards and make yourself at home, as we welcome new members and are interested in what you find out, so please keep us posted, ok?? Take care.

Your description of the pain in the eye feeling as though it is coming from the back of your eye is consistent with the pain I feel from occipital neuralgia(ON). I suffer from TN and ON and I get eye pain from both conditions but its different with each condition. You really need to see a neurologist to sort it out although it does sound like your regular doctor is doing the right things. A TN diagnosis is scarry and I went through denial as well. I think everyone who posts about the condition does too. Its known to be the worst pain that afflicts humans so I probably don't need to say more. Check out the "Stickies" at the top of thread. There is a lot of information in there and some good links to get you more information. The book named Striking Back which is sold through the TNA is an excellent source of information about TN. You may want to consider it.

Try to stay calm until your doctor has the results of the scans and until you know just what you are dealing with. Its easier said than done, I know. Take care!

Hello ERoark, nice to meet you but sorry it is over what may be T.N.

Yes I agree with both DM and also EE03

First I too had O.N. come to mind right off the bat . The T.N. and O.N. are very simular but affect differnt areas. heck even t.n. has sub class of differnt types. But NONE of us are professional doctors.

so Defiantly have apt with a neuro and or who ever you general doc refers you to.It will rule out things and put focus on what the real "problem" might be. It may not be T.N. at all and be something easy to "cure" like sinus or something. who knows .
Secondly Take your med ! You can be seen as refusing treatment . You need to take care of you because you are the most important person . you need to be able to knock down the pain and the longer you put off adjusting and finding the right med dosages the harder it is going to be.
D.M. is right dont self diagnose , youll drive yourself batty and give yourself nightmares.

I really get the denial part.
I had that and tons of other feeling/things too like being angry at my body for "letting me down" . Frustrations up the drain pipe. to many to list. It is only the last 2 years I have felt comfortable enough to post and be connected with other that are dealing with T.N. and other stuff. I have had this since 1999 . I wish I had been okay with this far earlier because it makes such a difference to know your not alone.

If you have questions or need help wanna to vent or just talk
we are here for you.
Sending low pain wishes to you.
PEACE
BMW

Welcome here, E. So sorry we have to meet under such unfortunate circumstances.

Please get as much information as you can: from Doctors, etc. ANother good reference is the book Striking Back (see the sticky at the top of this page, it will direct you).

I don't know if this helps, but about 1/2 down this page is my first post "Oh God if I write this down that makes it true,right????" There IS a happy ending. But you may see how scared I was and the denial, well, let's just say I was in Egypt!

Best of luck and hang around. Lots of good people here.

CAT

So sorry to hear about your condition. I'm new to this forum (about 2 or 3 months), but I'm an expert on TN as I 'formerly' suffered from it for about 7 years. As Elder Member said, don't get to freaked out. Rule out all the other items first like MS, tumors, etc. I know it is scary, but chances are good you don't have anything. Get your a kickass neurologist and get an MRI done as well. I wish I had done that sooner as I would have saved myself tons of money and more importantly suffering.

Don't lose faith as there are many options available to help you with TN should that be the prognosis. I wish you all the best and will pray for a positive outcome.

God bless!