Numbness and Tingling All Over, mostly Face

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deanne72

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I had no clue where to post my question. So, I will start here and would appreciate any input. :)

I am 38 and a mom of 3. I have GERD and mild asthma and take Thyroid meRAB because of a total thyroidectomy 6 years ago. I work part-time and am very active volunteering at my kiRAB' school and our church. My problems are annoying, but they don't stop me from doing what I need to do. :)

I started having ocular migraines 3 years ago with no headaches, diagnosed by a neurologist. Headaches soon followed, but they were never what I would consider a true migraine. They are more like ice pick headaches that come and go frequently. I still have them almost daily.

Earlier this year, occasional nurabness and tingling started. Two months ago, I was woken up by nurabness of my entire face and left arm. I was so scared that I went to the E.R. After an MRI, MRA, cat scan, EEG, EKG, etc., nothing was found.

I still have the nurabness and tingling in both sides of my face all day, everyday. Literally. It is mostly on the bottom part of my face around my mouth and chin and occasionally shows up in my cheeks. It literally feels like I am clenching my mouth 24 hours per day, even when I'm not (or don't think I am). The arm/leg, hand/foot nurabness occurs every few days and randomly affects all 4 of them.

I had my physical this week, and my labs showed that my thyroid level was getting too low. My doctor changed me to the brand-name and increased the dosage to 175 mcg, but it could take 6 weeks to know if that was my problem. My pharmacy also changed the supplier for my GERD medicine, so I am trying OTC Omeprazole, too.

I am curious what this could be. He gave me an anxiety test, and he said that wasn't it...although this has made me quite the worrier. I guess if I knew it isn't serious, I can live with the annoyances. But, I would sure love it to go away. :) The neurologist I saw in the ER wrote that she thinks it is anxiety. It seems like that is the catch all when a doctor doesn't know what something is. But, who knows??

Thanks so much.
 
I've had bilateral facial nurabness since last May. Within a period of a couple days, my nose went nurab, then both ears and a bit of the cheek right in front of them and my upper lip and the middle below my lower lip.

I've been to my PCP, ENT, TMJ dentist and Neurologist. Had multiple tests including 5 brain MRI's. They haven't been able to find anything. Two of the specialists told me that sometimes it just happens and often resolves itself. I think they just don't know what to make of it.

I do have GERD/LPR, TMJ, and asthma. I've had a couple blood tests come back abnormal that indicate something autoimmune is going on, but they say it isn't enough for a diagnosis.

At this point, I'm just accepting it. It is very annoying though. Feels like my ears, nose and lips are constantly nurabed with novacain.

Sorry I can't help. Just wanted you to know you aren't alone.

MountainReader
 
I appreciate the input! Believe me, it is nice to know I'm not alone. I have wondered about TMJ. I grind my teeth like crazy at night. My dentist made a guard for me about a year ago, but it just never was comfortable.

Thanks, again.
 
TMJ can irritate the trigeminal nerve. It is typically one-sided though. It was odd in my case because it came on bilaterally at the same time.

I had a night occlusal guard from my dentist that I wore for about 9 years. I later found out from my TMJ specialist that while it did protect my teeth from getting worn down while I slept, it actually put my jaw in a bad position. It was actually aggrevating my TMJ. It was just this last summer that I got a new splint specially designed for me by my TMJ specialist who is trained in functional orthodonticts (they look at the entire jaw function, not just the teeth), neuromuscular dentistry and orofacial pain management. With this new splint, I am unable to grind at all for the first time in my entire life. This and PT have helped to loosen the muscles in my face and jaw that had tightened with my jaw in the incorrect position. If you think you might have TMJD, I urge you to find a specialist who is trained in the areas I listed above and seek treatment before the TMJD gets worse.
 
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