Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day

Tomorrow is the first Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day, focused on bringing awareness about facial pain disorders.

This year I have gone through severe TN attacks myself and I therefore want to spread awareness about Trigeminal Neuralgia, also called “the suicide disease” because of the severity of pain experienced.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-8PCv4UWJo&w=420&h=315]

“The presumed cause of TN is a blood vessel pressing on the trigeminal nerve as it exits the brainstem. This compression can wear away the protective coating around the nerve (the myelin sheath). TN symptoms can also occur in people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a disease caused by the deterioration of myelin throughout the body, or may be caused by damage to the myelin sheath by compression from a tumour.

There is no single test to diagnose TN. Diagnosis is generally based on the patient’s medical history, description of symptoms and a physical and thorough neurological examination by a physician. Because of overlapping symptoms and the large number of conditions that can cause facial pain (see ‘Facial Pain Disorders’ on the next page), obtaining a correct diagnosis is difficult, but finding the cause of the pain is important as the treatments for different types of pain may differ. However, whilst the trigeminal nerve might be involved, it does not automatically establish the diagnosis of TN.”

Rare nerve disorder causes severe facial pain, Richard Watts, Times Colonist

My battle to beat the ‘suicide disease, by Cadisha Brown

©Willeke Van Eeckhoutte and Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me, 2011-2013. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Willeke Van Eeckhoutte and Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.