neuropathic pain

22 Comments Posted on Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Pain Management, Patient Talk

Trigeminal neuralgia. Can you help an old friend with advice on dealing with Trigeminal neuralgia, please?

Trigeminal neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia

A bit of an odd title for a blog I know, but sort of does what it says on the tin.  On Friday afternoon I got an email from an old friend who had just been diagnosed with Trigeminal neuralgia.

I’ll be honest it was not something I knew much about apart from it being a symptom of multiple sclerosis in around 3% of cases and, of course, is one of the most painful conditions there around.

As I could not answer Jayne’s questions I thought it would be a good idea to ask our readers who have Trigeminal neuralgia a bit more about their experiences and how they manage the pain.

As background, Trigeminal neuralgia is a stabbing nerve or neuropathic pain (https://patienttalk.org/what-is-neuropathic-pain-do-you-suffer-from-nerve-pain/) which affects the face.  The pain has been described as like being stabbed or an electric shock.

As well as the pain (which can last between a few seconds and a couple of minutes) people with Trigeminal neuralgia may also experience numbness prior to the pain and a dull ache during an attack.  It should be noted that attacks of Trigeminal neuralgia come and go over time.  Attacks may take place over a few hours but can go on for months.

The triggers really vary from cold breezes to facial movements such as chewing or even turning the head.

It is worth bearing in mind that for many people living with Trigeminal neuralgia can be very tough and in some cases can lead to depression.

Often doctors are uncertain as to what may cause Trigeminal neuralgia but in many cases it is a symptom of multiple sclerosis or a by-product of a tumour.

Current research suggests that surgery is the most effective treatment (successful in around 70% of cases) if use of painkillers has not worked as a first line treatment.

Going back to Jayne’s questions, she is interested in finding out the answers to the following questions:-

1)Please can you describe a typical Trigeminal neuralgia attack both in the short and long term?

2)How frequent are your attacks and how long do they typically last?

3)How firm was the diagnosis and who made the diagnosis of Trigeminal neuralgia?

4)Which type of Trigeminal neuralgia do you have?  What was the cause of your Trigeminal neuralgia?

5)How do you treat your Trigeminal neuralgia and how successful have the treatments been?

Obviously any part of your Trigeminal neuralgia journey will be really useful for Jayne so it would be great if you could share your experience using the comments box below.

Many thanks from Jayne and me.

3 Comments Posted on Pain Management, Patient Talk

Sciatica! What are the signs, symptoms, causes and treatments of Sciatica?


Sciatica patient

Sciatica patient

Welcome to the latest of our informational blog posts about common medical conditions.  Today we turn our attention to Sciatica.

Sciatica can be defined as pain which is cause by damage or irritation of the sciatic nerves.  For an overarching look at nerve pain please have a look at our previous blog on neuropathic pain here https://patienttalk.org/?p=281. It is a useful resource as we have had over 100 people sharing their experiences so you can learn a lot.

The sciatic nerve is the longest in our body.  Starting at the pelvis and ending in both feet.

When the nerves are irritated typically the pain “radiates” from the back down the legs.  Pain levels will vary from mild to severe.  In some cases sciatica will clear up after a few days of its own accord but others may have a chronic (or long term) condition.  It is worth noting that sciatic pain does not often affect much of the back making it different from back pain.  You can find out more about the specifics of back pain here https://patienttalk.org/?p=389.

Sciatica can be caused by a number of things:-

a)  Slipped disc.  Also known as a herniated disc.  This occurs when a spinal disc cracks and the gel inside breaks through and puts pressure on the sciatic nerve.

b) Spinal stenosis.  This is the narrowing of the spinal nerve passages.  The nerves can be squashed by the bones or ligaments causing the sciatica.  Normally in older people.

c)    Tumours on the spine

d)  Infections

e)  Cauda equina syndrome.  This is very rare but occurs when there is pressure on the nerves at the end of the spinal column.

Treatments of sciatica depend on whether it is chronic or not.  If it is just short term then over the counter painkillers can be used alongside hot or cold packs.  Exercise is also recommended.  You may be interested in the following article about people who suffer from pain and need some new techniques for keeping fit.

For those with a longer term version of the condition a structured course with a physiotherapist is suggested.  In a very few cases surgery may be required.

Over to you.  What was your experience of sciatica?  Please feel free to share your story in the comments box below.  In particular we are interested to know what sort of treatments you received and how effective they were!

We really look forward to reading your stories.

Thanks very much in advance.

 


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Pain Management – what sort of pain do you suffer from? Take our poll


Pain

Pain

Over the course of the last few years we have run regular blog posts on the issues surrounding pain management.  You can check them out here https://patienttalk.org/?tag=pain-management.

One area we have not explored is the kinds of pain our readers suffer from.  As you know there are many different kinds such as neuropathic or nerve pain which we blogged about here  https://patienttalk.org/?p=281.

We would love it if you could use this blog post to take part in our poll and types of pain.  Please note that we can have multiple answers.

If you think that there is an area of pain we have missed please use the comments box to mention them so we can produce an updated survey.

Many thanks in advance



7 Comments Posted on Pain Management, Patient Talk

Allodynia – The pain that comes from pressure ! Find out more here

Pain for pressure

Pain for pressure

Simply put Allodynia can be defined as pain due to pressure on the body where in normal circumstances people would not expect to feel any pain.

Examples of medical conditions which have Allodynia as a symptom include Fibromyalgia (https://patienttalk.org/?tag=fibromyalgia), Neuropathic pain  (https://patienttalk.org/?p=281), complex regional pain syndrome  (https://patienttalk.org/?p=1003) and migraines.

The objective of the blog is first to raise awareness of Allodynia.  And  also to provide a forum for people to share their experiences of living with; and treating Allodynia.

The pain can be from both touch and from changes in skin temperature.

It would be great if you can use this blog to share your experiences of Allodynia.  We are interested in some of the following issues:-

a)      Which condition caused your Allodynia?

b)      How did this Allodynia present itself?

c)       In one sentence how would you describe the pain to somebody who has never experienced it before?

d)      How your Allodynia was treated and how successful was that treatment?

e)      What advice would you give to somebody who suffers from this kind of pain?

Please feel free to share any part of your pain story with our readers in the comments box below. If you have any links you think might be of interest, again, please put them boxes below

Many thanks in advance


6 Comments Posted on Patient Talk

Diabetic Neuropathy – Pain and diabetes – Signs and treatments


 

Sugar and blood glucose

Sugar and blood glucose

Outside the diabetes community the issue of diabetic neuropathy is one that seems to not be given the awareness it needs. It is potentially one of the most serious complications of diabetes.

It is vital that diabetics deal with diabetic neuropathy. According to the US governments ‘The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases’ (NIDDK) diabetic neuropathy is responsible for 86,000 lower limb amputations each year.

We have looked at Neuropathic pain more generally in a previous blog which you can check out here https://patienttalk.org/?p=281. In this blog we are going to look more closely at diabetic neuropathy which affects people with both Type One Diabetes and Type Two Diabetes.


As the name suggests diabetic neuropathy is associated with diabetes. Because it affects the nerves symptoms may appear in any part of the body. Simply put diabetic neuropathy is a family of nerve disorders cause by diabetes. They sign and symptoms can include:-

• Erectile dysfunction in men
• Loss of bladder control
• Burning pain in the limbs
• Pins and needles
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Speech impediments
• Muscle contractions.

How is diabetic neuropathy treated?

Well firstly prevention is always better than a cure. So diabetics are recommended to keep their blood glucose levels as normal as possible. This helps to prevent nerve damage.

But if treatments are needed you can expect to meet some of the following:-

• Pain medications such as anti-depressants and analgesics
• Tens machines and other physical therapy
• Foot care is most important because they are of course part of the body’s extremities. Foot care and ulcer treatment information can be found here http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/complications_feet/index.aspx.

One of the aims of this diabetes blog is to give our readers the opportunity to share your experiences of diabetic neuropathy with others. Please share anything you think may be of interest in the comments boxes below. This might include any links you think will be having value. That being said you may want to focus on the following question?

1. How long have you been a diabetic and what sort of diabetes do you have?
2. Do you suffer from diabetic neuropathy? What were you symptoms?
3. What impact did it have on your lifestyle?
4. What treatments did you receive for diabetic neuropathy and how successful were those treatments?

Many thanks in advance for your help.