Posted by AnnaBanana on April 18, 2001, at 11:13:40
In reply to Re: Facial Pain ..., posted by willow on April 17, 2001, at 20:35:11
> "Do you have facial pain? My is constant but varies in degree. I've had an MRI of my neck and an X-Ray of my TM joint but nothing shows up. I don't have any clicking or locking of the jaw just pain in the face, neck and shoulder."
>
> Yeah, I do! Mine use to be constant but since I've been taking the baclofen daily I've noticed that it has been gone for periods during the day. I didn't take the baclofen for two days and it started to come back. I've kinda given up trying to figure out what causes it, though I suspect some of it has to do with my ear. It seems to be better if I can keep it covered and dry. A bath can set it off.
>
> But the shoulder-neck portion is muscular and the baclofen helps this. I've done chiro, physio, relaxation, gentle stretching, blah blah blah, and nothing seems to help except for the baclofen. Without it I wouldn't be able to type etc. The flexeril was useless. What was your opinion concerning the flexeril? I find it just makes you drowsy. The baclofen over time actually helps though it's not fast-acting. I use to get awful cramps in my throat but haven't since starting the baclofen.
>
> Has yours gotten worse over the years?
>
> WillowHI Willow,
It sounds like baclofen is definately something I should look into. I'm going to ask my neurologist about it next week. How much are you taking and how long did it take to start working?
I also have sensitivity around my ears. I can't go outside in the cold or even if there is a cool wind unless I have my ears and the area below my temples covered. I recently went for a 15 min. bike ride on a warmer day but it was obviously too cold for me as I was in severe pain after for several hours. The heat doesn't bother me though, nor does the pool.
I've also tried everything - chiro, massage, physio, acupuncture, pilates exercises, herbs, medication.
I've tried Flexeril (Cyclobenzaprine) and it made me very tired and once I got up to a high dose I started to feel out of control and paranoid. No one bothers to tell you that it can cause "abnormal thinking and dreaming, hallucinations" among many other side-effects.
My pain kept getting worse initially but it has gotten somewhat better over the last year or so (or maybe I'm just coping better, it's hard to tell).
I think my new chiro has helped somewhat though. I've had 2 fairly good periods of about 2 weeks in duration since I started in January. I'm also getting my second bite plate. It's a new type of plate that molds to your mouth. You run it under hot water every night to soften it and them put it in.
I'll let you know if anything helps.
Anna
poster:AnnaBanana
thread:59415
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010417/msgs/60312.html