Facial Numbness - Terrified it could be MS

[scared123]

Hey folks,

28 yo male here. I've been experiencing some numbness/slight pain/tingly sensation on the left side of my face for the past 2 weeks or so. It's most apparent in my cheek and right under my eye - lower eyelid is a bit tingy and "twitchy" feeling.

Anyways, I went to my doc yesterday and he thinks it's probably trigeminal neuralgia, which he said it can be very difficult to determine the cause of. What has me terrified, though, is that he told me he doesn't think it is MS, but can't say for sure. He said all we can do is have my take advil and watch to see if it gets better or progresses, and that testing isn't necessary at this point.

I'm not sure exactly why I'm even posting or what I'm asking, but I'm quite scared right now and could really use some good words and reassurance that this is something transient. I'm not knowledgeable about any of this stuff at all.

[lyndacarol]

Welcome to ThisIsMS.

Your subject line says it all: it could be MS. BUT it could also be many other conditions. The problem with MS is its symptoms are shared by many other diseases/conditions. The MS diagnosis is made by excluding those other possibilities.

If trigeminal neuralgia is your only symptom at this time, your doctor's "wait and watch" approach probably makes sense. Only time will tell if your trigeminal neuralgia is transient. In the meantime, I encourage you to read and learn about MS, here and elsewhere.

In addition, I urge you to recall what you had eaten before this symptom appeared – start and maintain a food diary. I strongly believe that wheat/gluten sensitivity is involved in neurological symptoms.

[scared123]

This is basically my only symptom. Is MS usually associated with more stuff going on? I don't have any weakness or anything like that.

[lyndacarol]

This is basically my only symptom. Is MS usually associated with more stuff going on? I don't have any weakness or anything like that.

There is a wide range of possible MS symptoms – a veritable smorgasbord or buffet of possibilities. An MS patient may have any combination on his plate. I think most MS patients have more than one symptom.

[scared123]

I'm having a really hard time today. The facial tingling is still happening, still just on the left side in that same area. Is this typical of MS, or does it sound like it could be something else? I'm not sure if symptoms that stay in the same area instead of being generalized is a good or a bad thing. It also seems to be exacerbated when I brush the area with my hand. Does that sound typical?

[THX1138]

Scared123, a lot of muscle symptoms and ms symptoms can be caused by having insufficient magnesium. There is a lot about Mg on this website. I would also recommend the book, The Magnesium Miracle. Additionally, MD's usually know next to nothing about Mg. They are trained in drugs, not nutrients.

THX1138

[amberfer]

My heart fell at the word "terrified." My friend, this isn't cancer. Many people who have MS, you can't even tell they have it. Many aren't disabled. Even those who are disabled, like me - I am not miserable or scared. Even if it is MS, you are going to be okay. Meet it with a plan. This is something you will get through. You are going to be okay, and you will handle any diagnosis like a champ.

[scared123]

That's very comforting, Amber. As I really am not well educated on MS, I considered it to be a death-sentence when I first thought about the possibility. My doctor did say that he sees patients with MS who lead very active lifestyles. As a professional musician, I was very nervous that this could potentially end my career if it turned out to be MS...

[cheerleader]

scared--are you a brass or woodwind player? Just wondering if it could be a facial nerve entrapment thing, exacerbated by air pressure. T.N. happens to musicians.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17040345

We have a good friend who is a trumpeter and developed T.N. He's still playing, but he took some time off to heal.
My hubby is a professional musician, 7 years past an MS dx, still going strong. Amber's right--it's not the end of the world.
The odds are with you---it's most likely not MS. Hang in there, deep breath.
cheer

[scared123]

I'm a guitar player, actually. That's very interesting about woodwinds/brass and T.N. Really makes sense!

Right now, I'm just taking advil and trying to relax about this whole thing. Is there anything else I should be doing or watching out for?

[Anonymoose]

Hi scared,

Nutrient/electrolyte deficiencies can cause facial numbness. Ask your doctor for blood tests for b12, calcium, potassium, and sodium. Or you could order the tests yourself online. If you are in the US, I think health testing centers has a test for all of those but b12 for $49. You get a bunch of bonus info too.

What instrument do you play? I wonder if it might be causing the numbness somehow...vibration or some sort of posture issue? Maybe a chiro could help?

[scared123]

Thanks for that info. Do these symptoms sound like T.N. to those who are familiar with it?