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The common thread here is that people continue to be injured every day in this manner; we are getting several new blog posters every month with dental disaster stories to share.
TIPS FOR BURNING THROAT-
For those who asked about their throat pain....I hear you...I have this constant need for water to cope with the burning mouth and throat, so I carry a water bottle with me all day long (room temp). The good news is, I drink so much frickin water I'm flushing every bad germ out of my system, so I never get sick! LOL
I like Hillside Candy's organic honey drops. I order them on Amazon because I can't find them locally. Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/GoNaturally-Organic-Gluten-Candies-3-5-Ounce/dp/B001BOC8IQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1352093337&sr=1-1&keywords=hillside+organic+honey
FOR BURNING TONGUE-
Ask your doc to write a script for VISCOUS LIDOCAINE 2%, it is perfectly safe (unlike the meds that also help, but come with a slew of side effects). Just tip the bottle and put it right on the burning area of your tongue. It really does numb your tongue temporarily, but I haven't figured out a way to haul around that big bottle of fluid and subtely pour it on my tongue in mixed company. ;)
FOR EXTREME FACIAL PAIN -
For those who are still in the crunching glass sensation days, or have the feeling of being punched hard in the cheek, or having a drill boring through your upper teeth, I don't have a lot to offer you. Tylenol and Advil do nothing to help. For these issues I'm on a long term, low dose regimen of painkiller I cut in half to minimize how much I take at one time. I wish I didn't need them, and look forward to the day I someday don't.
PROGRESS, OR LACK THEREOF
I actually feel worse lately and feel like I've slid back to how I felt a year ago. I started a new job, so maybe I'm tensing my jaw, neck and shoulders more due to anxiety. As we know, it's a chain of events that worsens when you tighten up due to stress that leads to pain in the ear, throat, and of course always the tongue. I also now feel the tension in my neck and shoulders. I need to remind myself, and all of you, to breathe more deeply whenever you feel tight, tense, or overwhelmed. Just breathe.
I actually dug out the ear drops again for the first time in ages. That is also something you need a prescription for from your Dr. (I asked for something similar to viscous lidocaine, but for my ear). It's kinda gross when warm watery medicine leaks out of your ear, so just keep your head tilted to the side and plug it with a cotton ball (again, not really helpful in mixed company, but in a pinch, you can go in the public restroom for a few minutes; don't ask me how I know that).
INSURANCE HELP FOR THIS? NOT!
I have been meaning to go back for cranial facial massage but have a hard time being so self-indulgent as to spend that kind of money. I wonder how to get insurance companies to start paying for some of this stuff? Any ideas? My visits to the orofacial pain specialists have all been paid out of pocket, too. Ka-ching!
CHANCES FOR RECOVERY - Everyone has the same question, when will I get better?
Everybody recovers at different rates and some, like me, appear to have permanent nerve damage. We've had people post who were injured like 15 years ago (I'm at 3-1/2 years myself). If you were only recently injured, like within the last week, we may never hear from you again because you recover and never return to the site.
But if you are still numb or have burning pain 6 months or more after injury, the chances of complete recovery are considerably reduced. If you are still hurting after a year or more, you may improve somewhat, but I haven't yet heard of one person who completely recovered. Just know that you won't continue hurting as much as you did the first few months, they are the absolute worst and can make you depressed and scared.
FACEBOOK - Just a reminder for those who want to 'friend' me on our facebook page- the URL is
http://www.facebook.com/jane.fisher.96742
PLEASE POST AND COMMENT THIS BLOG!
Have a wonderfu, pain-free day everyone. Oh, and one last thing this election day:
GET OUT AND VOTE!!
Love, Jane
Hi,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Alyssa and I have had lingual nerve damage inflicted less than one week ago. I went to a very reliably, family friend, and dentist to have my wisdom teeth removed and the entire procedure went very well. Over the next few days I began to realize the right side of my tongue and gums were still very numb. My dentist immediately began corresponding with me daily, sometimes hourly on my progress. It will be a week tomorrow and I am still 90% numb and have no sense of taste on the right side of my tongue. I had a tongue mapping done today which officially convinced my dentist that I in fact had either lingual nerve trauma or the nerve was severed when the block injection was administered. He is sending me out to an award winning oral surgeon who specializes in lingual nerve injuries and he is also footing the bill. I am very nervous, and quite devastated. I have been told even if it is just traumatized it could take several months to come back. I have finals, work, and a highly anticipated trip to Europe and I just cannot bear the thought of having to go there like this. I have an incredibly high pain tolerance and I am not a complainer at all but I just cannot handle this constant, cold, numb, dead feeling. It is absolutely excruciating. I have already been finding myself terribly depressed, I hardly want to be awake at all and when I am I am truly miserable. I really don’t know how to cope with this, and I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions or any ways to restore some of my feeling and taste aside from surgery. I am in no way shape or form contemplating suicide, but it’s very upsetting to me, and I cannot live this way forever. I felt I was being responsible when I chose to have my wisdom teeth removed, I am only 21 years old and I thought I was doing something very mature and very necessary and now I am finding that this was such a huge mistake. Please chime in if you have any information for me. Thank you.
Hello Alisa! My name os José. I had a nerve damage secondary to anesthesia... Its been 3 month and i have only recorvered like 20%. Is so afraid, like you where. I was injured in december the 7th. I just wanted to know if you have any improvements along all this time and how did you cope with it... I feel so miserable as well and I am so afraid just stay like this forever. If you could to help me and pass me the number of the phone of the doctor that is supposed to be able to help us please let me know. I would appreciate so much.
DeleteHi. My name is Erin & I live in WI. I had all four wisdom teeth removed in March 2009 in St. Petersburg FL (I was living there at the time). I have permanent lingual nerve damage, parasthesia and anesthesia. My nerve was severed by the doctors drill bit. The right side of my tongue has been numb, the lower right side of my mouth has been numb and I've had daily pain in my tongue/floor of mouth/scar tissue/roof of mouth for three years. It's a daily struggle. Since the injury I've had steroid injections, a neurectomy to remove the neuroma & insert a tube to hopefully grow back the nerve and I've tried ultrasound therapy, light therapy & chiropractic. The neuroma has grown back & I still have pain. Recently I've had weird ear pain/hearing issues and shooting pains in the right side of my head. I'm wondering if its related to my nerve. This has been a three year process for me...and it's been full of ups and downs. I am not on any pain medications. I refuse to take meds, mostly because I was pregnant during 9 months of the time.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone tried a hyperbolic chamber? I recently had dental surgery resulting in a burning tongue which has been driving me crazy. A friend mentioned the chamber because he had a co worker who suffered from a burning tongue and major jaw pain for fifteen years. He is "pain free" for five years. This was a guy who was drinking a bottle of whiskey a day to relieve the pain.
ReplyDeleteHow does the hyperbolic chamber work? Can you provide details of his experience? It's awesome your friend's co-worker recovered - please share with the group of pain sufferers here in the hopes it helps someone.
DeleteMuch appreciated!!
I have now been suffering with this injury for 8 1/2 years, and coping day-to-day remains a challenge. Reading this blog and the experiences of others who also suffer makes it easier. I, too, notice that stress and anxiety make the symptoms worse, but during those stressful times it is difficult to turn off those negative feelings. I still have good days and bad days, but I also literally have good minutes and bad minutes. It is difficult to live like a normal person when you are not sure whether you will feel miserable from one moment to the next. I am sure many fellow suffers can relate. It makes the concept of committing to anything permanent very scary. I could not imagine getting married, taking on a mortgage, or having kids while in this condition. Even committing to a job is intimidating for me, since I worry that I will have a series of bad days that will put my job in jeopardy or reflect poorly on my work performance. I am fortunate to be self-employed, and that I have been able to continue to do what I need to do day-to-day and week-to-week to earn a living, even if I often grimace inside just to get through a meeting with a client, or a phone call, or a project.
ReplyDeleteSo far, even though I have not personally met anyone who can relate to this particular injury and the resulting symptoms, I can say that most people who I describe this injury to acknowledge that I have good days and bad days, and that on bad days I just need to be left alone until the worst passes. One day I will be thankful for the strength this injury has given me. Many things I viewed as scary or challenging before this injury seem like a cake walk now.
I've come as close to acceptance as I think I am going to get. I appreciate that it is not worse than it is. I derive hope from the fact that, if I never fully heal, I at least know I will have "good days" now and then, and I view those good days as miracles in themselves, even while wondering why they don't last. I understand that doctors and scientists have not solved the mystery of nerve damage, and I hope that research and technology will someday help us all cope, or fully recover. I understand that I now have a daily fight on my hands that I didn't have previously, and that the light at the end of this tunnel is more elusive than in any other tunnel I've been through. In the worst of times, I remind myself that "this too shall pass." In the best of times, I remind myself to brace for the inevitable setback. In between, I just take life one day at a time and do my best. I put on a brave face, and realize that those around me will probably never know how much effort that takes. This is not an injury that is universally known or understood, so that vast majority of people will not, and cannot, understand it.
I will go to sleep tonight, and I will wake up tomorrow. And just like every day for the last 8 1/2 years, I will hope for a good day.
Wonderful post. I think we can all relate. Interesting that you mention being wary of committing to anything - I am the same way but didn't put it into words as well as you have.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of always waiting for the other shoe to drop, and have turned jobs down because they were not conducive to my injury. I now work from home, which is isolating, but is the only way I could keep a steady income. Because I'm a single person, I have only my income to rely on. I feel very fortunate this job came along a few months ago, and can only hope both "shoes stay on" for longer this time.
Here is a link to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy also known as Hyperbaric Chamber treatment
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/med/hyper-eng.php
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is one of many ozone/oxygen therapies used for many different conditions/diseases. I have had a small experience with lingual nerve damage a few months ago but luckily for me it healed within days but it really scared me so I began researching about it. I also have a good friend who has Complex Regional Pain Syndrome which involves nerve damage and intense constant pain(in her leg) so while researching both nerve injuries I found ozone/oxygen therapies that seem to be very promising(at least from what I have read) in healing a wide range of ailments including nerve injuries. I will try in the next week or two to write up a summary of what I have found and include some links that might be useful to others. I can't imagine the pain all of you deal with day to day and I will continue to research and post anything I come across about this devastating condition. I have read alot of stories of people healing(100% or close to it) after many years of suffering. Don't give up. People are praying for you(and researching too!).
I am new to the post. I started down this awful path 4 years ago, with two bad root canals. Both teeth have now had to be extracted. My tongue has been burning for four years. Neither my dentist nor my primary care doctor had any explanation to offer me. After months of complaining, my primary care put me on Lyrica. It helps somewhat, but it is no cure. I just had the second tooth pulled two weeks ago, and reawakened the beast. I have been in tears and back on hydrocodone plus Lyrica, plus flexeril. To date my dentist has still not said a word about nerve damage. I discovered all this information by researching the Internet. Since the original damage was four years ago, I assume there is no hope of any surgical repair.
ReplyDeleteI planned on doing an implant after this site healed, but now my plan is to just have a hole. I may never have dental work again.
I can't believe that a professional would not advise a patient complaining for four years about all these symptoms (burning mouth, jaw pain, numbness) that it might have been a nerve injury. She just acted like I was imaging all this.
It helps to know that there are others out there - and that I am not crazy!