Filling You In

I've been MIA for the past few days, while the majority of the reason why I've been slacking is simply because I just didn't have anything interesting to say or I didn't feel up to it, something finally has happened...something that has me reeling yet again.

Last Saturday I started having intense pain on the right side of my face. It would come and go as it pleased but when it came...oh...it was terrible. I took Advil and Excedrin to see if that would help with the pain, and it didn't even touch it. Yesterday (Monday) morning I called my dentist to see if he could fit me in, because I thought it was a tooth or something along those lines because it was mainly hurting around my jaw. They got me in and and examined EVERYTHING, x-rays, trying to make my teeth react to stimuli, everything, and nothing happened. He came to the conclusion that it isn't my teeth. He informed me that he thinks it may be Trigeminal Neuralgia. He wasn't sure, but he wrote me a prescription for some anti-seizure meds, told me to talk with my mom about what I wanted to do, and sent me on my way. I called my mom and she talked to my doctor (she was at work with him) and I went to see him yesterday. He told me that he thinks it may be either 1) an inflamed facial nerve or 2) Trigeminal Neuralgia...we're hoping for the inflamed facial nerve. And the prescription that my dentist wrote for me, while being the most commonly prescribed medicine for TN that works the best, can't be taken if trying to become pregnant or while pregnant. Great. My doctor wrote me a prescription for steroids, if it is just an inflamed facial nerve, and if that doesn't work he gave me a prescription for Lyrica, medicine that might work and is better for you if you are trying or are pregnant....then he hit my with another curve ball...if I'm taking fertility meds it will most likely interact adversely with Lyrica, I have to talk to my RE (Reproductive Endocrinologist). GREAT.

If it is TN, it will affect me for the rest of my life. It may lay dormant for months, even years, then one morning BAM! it's back with a vengeance. There's no known cause or cure, it usually affects people in their 40-50s, but as you can see, it can affect those that are much younger. My life has yet again been knocked out from under my feet. I'm now on Lortab for the pain, but it's not taking it all away...oh and Neil is out of town until Thursday...oh my life...