APRIL 2012 - Hi folks, I apologize for neglecting my blog...I actually had trouble logging in due to 2 conflicting Google accounts, and finally found the time to figure it out today. So you will see about a dozen new posts from people who tried to post previously, and I was unable to publish their comments.
I've been through a great deal since August/Sept. I got off the Cymbalta in December - didn't like the side effects. Ironically, though, the pain has lessened so that even when I went off the Cymbalta, it didn't get more painful as I feared ...the pain leveled out at the same place. I don't know if my theory on breaking the pain cycle temporarily to "re-set" your brain may have actually worked.
While I still have pain every day of my life, it's nothing like it was. I want to let people know that there is hope. Doctors are always surprised to learn that I'm still recovering after 2 years, but there you have it.
An important component of this is accepting it, and determining that this is now how you live, and you can deal with it. No, your life is not the same as it was, but you will adjust. Realizing that you are now someone with nerve damage, and I can't allow it to take over my life, seemed to help me with coping and acceptance, but the lessening of pain over time is the #1 helper. It's hard to think about ANYTHING when you are focused on pain and burning all the time.
I still rarely tell anyone about the injury - no one at work knows. I still have deep pain in my upper teeth all along the left side from front to back that I don't know what to do about. I take a small amount of pain medication still, daily, to keep my cheerful disposition!
My tongue still burns every day; less in the morning and building til night time. The throat pain is rare now. The ear pain is sporadic. Headaches - yes, still have those, and wearing a ponytail still makes my head sore. Trying to remember not to be tense, and to loosen my jaw, seems to help. I still cannot lie on my left side because it hurts my face too much; I have to sleep on my back or right side. That's annoying.
I have still never returned for the crown I need to get on my temporary root canal from 2+ years ago; I'm too scared to make things worse.
I'll write more when I have time. Just wanted to let you know I'm back online so please continue to share your stories!
Hi all, I just had a Right lower crown done 1 1/2 weeks ago and was surprised when, after the rest of the numbing wore off, I still couldn't feel the right half of my tongue or taste anything on that side the next day. I called the dentist, and he reassured me that it was okay and would go away in a couple of days. I clearly remember when he was numbing me, there was an awful painful electric-shock feeling down my tongue that made me gasp and jump (at which point the dentist said something about having good aim). Well, the numbness has very gradually gotten better, but has been replaced with the feeling of pins and needles poking all over the right half of my tongue (I know this is a very good sign in terms of healing, but it is not terribly comfortable) and a feeling of being sore / raw / scraped, and that side hurts when I move my tongue. My sense of taste is coming back. That side is REALLY terribly sensitive to heat and cold - if something cold or hot touches the right side, it hurts like a son of a gun!! My lower right teeth ache - and not even the one I had worked on. I swear the right side of my mouth is dry sometimes (or feels very dry) even when the other side is normal. In spite of all this, I am so sorry to hear how much worse the nerve damage can be and how much so many other people are suffering. I wanted to share my experience just to add to the information available about this condition, since it is not adequately researched. Because my symptoms are resolving pretty well, I have not tried any medications yet. I am already on fluoxetine (Prozac), 325mg aspirin, and Topamax every day to prevent my migraines, so maybe that has influenced my experience for the better?? I did call my dentist back yesterday (day 10) to let him know I was still having problems, and the receptionist assured me that the symptoms will go away (without talking to him). What makes me think is, what if I would have to have work done on the other side - ever? I can tolerate what I'm feeling on the right side, even if it stays, but no WAY do I want to take a chance on having it on both sides. Studies suggest 4%articaine and 4%prilocaine might be more likely to cause this kind of injury, but they aren't great studies (again, need a LOT more research). Considering how important dental health is to cardiovascular health, it would be a shame for that many more of us to avoid dental care than necessary because of such complications. Oh, and I was not aware of any such possible injury, signed no informed consent for the procedure (and I'm in the medical field). Sorry for the long post. Jessica
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica, thanks for your post. I share your concern with future dental work - what if this happens on the other side, too? I am scheduled for 2 procedures this week; completion of root canal, crown on left (injured) side, and crown to cover cracked tooth on right. Terrified would be a good word
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