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Had Bells Palsy, Head Pain, Triggered By Cold Air, High-pitched Noise. Flash Pain During Injury. What Do You Think?

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Posted on Fri, 5 Oct 2012
Question: I have had 4 episodes of bells palsey,after the 3rd I have had intense pain on one side of my head with intense flash pains after paraly sis was gone. The 1st time for bells palsy was 11 yrs ago,my 2nd bells palseystarted with very bad pain on the l side of my head for 1 day then,next day i woke with B P ,havent had paralysis for 5 yrs but the pain hasnt left but the intensity goes up and down.It is triggered by cold air ,high pitch noises and minimal wind or air circulation,I have also had back, shoulder,wrist and injuries to myhand and a puncture wound to my foot,.I now have bad flash pains all over my body wher I have had injuries,The closest i have had to a diagnosis is XXXXXXX hunt syndrome but i have never had a rash or sores,what do you think?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Aashish Raghu (1 hour later)
Hi there.

Thanks for the query.

Do you have any blistering lesions over the previously paralysed region of your face or any other region of your body?

Do you get headaches frequently associated with blurring of vision?

Have you had weakness of paralysis of any other region of your body like upper or lower limb weakness?

Did all these episodes occur only after the traumatic event?

According to the history provided it appears to be an event of nerve damage which may have resulted from a possible infection. Certain viruses can cause severe burning pain like Herpes especially on one half of the face, chest or other areas.

The other possibility is of Trigeminal neuralgia. In this condition there is severe stabbing pain over the face for a few seconds to minutes a day. It can be aggravated by wind, loud noise, touch, pressure, eating etc. The causes of this condition can result due to variety of reasons ranging from shock of sustaining previous traumatic event, aneurysms or tumor in the brain and Multiple sclerosis as well. Treatment for this condition will be with anticonvulsant medication in most cases.

Since you have pain on many regions over your body it is possible this could be a systemic disease affecting nerves which needs further investigation, like routine blood work, MRI brain to look for lesions as mentioned above, Neurologist for best management of this condition.

I hope I have answered your query. I will be available to answer your follow up queries.

Regards,



Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Aashish Raghu (20 hours later)
Your comments are alreasy answered in my request,yes i have regular bloodwoork and i have had 3 brain MRIs and i have seen 3 neurologists and a neurotologist,I need to know if you can tell me something i dont already know,what you have told me is basic common knowledge on this situation .please review my request a little closer and see if you can tell me something i dont know.What do you know about XXXXXXX hunt syndrome?Is there some kind of nerve damage or disorder in the brain that can cause these flash pains all over the body? I have been dealing with this for 12 yrs so i am up on the basic common knowledge,please look a little deeper into this matter and tell me something i dont already know. Thanks XXXXXXX.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Aashish Raghu (27 minutes later)
Hi XXXXXXX,
Thanks for writing back.

I have reviewed your problem carefully. Given your symptoms, it is extremely unlikely that you have XXXXXXX Hunt Syndrome. As far as this syndrome is concerned, patients usually fit into one of the 3 categories below:
The 1st variety describes a condition of progressive seizures, loss of balance and progressive dementia.
The 2nd variety describes a Herpes infection of the facial nerve which supplies the face. It can cause Bell's palsy, deafness, severe ear pain called otalgia and vertigo. It is almost always associated with blistering vesicles which can be seen in the affected ear canal.
The 3rd variety is also known as Artisan's palsy where the nerve in the forearm gets damaged due to occupational hazard.

In my opinion, it is extremely unlikely that you have this syndrome.
Recurrent pain all over the body can occur in several arthritis ( like rheumatoid arthritis and other arthritis which mimic this) and are known to cause recurrent episodes of Bell’s palsy as well.
Further, anxiety and neurosis can cause or exacerbate such symptoms.
I would suggest that you see a physician for a detailed evaluation so that appropriate investigations can be done and the right treatment can be started.
Hope this helps. I will be available for follow ups.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Aparna Kohli
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Aashish Raghu (3 hours later)
Some of my symtoms lead to the 2nd one accept for the rash, I have read several articles thatsuggest you can have XXXXXXX hunt syndrome without the rash,I have pain in the left side of my head and ear that never goes away but the intensity is variable.I know what triggers it, cold ,wind air circulation even in minimal amounts and loud ,mostly high frequency noises I have had episodes of all symtomes on both sides of my head inc bells palsy on both sides twice but the l side has always been worse,I guess i will have to live with it for the rest of my life but I would give anything just to have some possitive answers so maybe at least I could get treatment to keep it from getting worse,From my research I have found that a NEUROTOLOGIST is my best bet but the nearest one is 150 miles away and i am having trouble getting to him in my situation,I am now on disability and funds and Insurance is very limited, Do you know where I could seek help in this matter? thanks XXXXXXX
doctor
Answered by Dr. Aashish Raghu (7 minutes later)
Hi XXXXXXX,

I understand your concern, suffering and the shortcomings you are facing. I will do my best to help you in this regard. Your condition definitely requires a Neurologist's opinion but an Internist can also prescribe medication for you.

The severe pain could be due to various causes as mentioned above. The main objective is pain relief for now. If it is XXXXXXX Hunt syndrome or Trigeminal neuralgia, it is sure to respond to 'nerve pain killers' like Carbamazepine or Pregabalin which your Internist of Family Medicine specialist can prescribe for you. Do discuss this with your Doctor. These medicines do wonders to relieve you of this disabling pain which you are suffering.

I hope you get the best treatment available for your condition as soon as possible. Feel free to ask me any queries regarding your health and I sure will do my best to ensure quality information and helpful advice.

Regards,


Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
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Dr. Aashish Raghu

Orthopaedic Surgeon

Practicing since :2011

Answered : 5482 Questions

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Had Bells Palsy, Head Pain, Triggered By Cold Air, High-pitched Noise. Flash Pain During Injury. What Do You Think?

Hi there.

Thanks for the query.

Do you have any blistering lesions over the previously paralysed region of your face or any other region of your body?

Do you get headaches frequently associated with blurring of vision?

Have you had weakness of paralysis of any other region of your body like upper or lower limb weakness?

Did all these episodes occur only after the traumatic event?

According to the history provided it appears to be an event of nerve damage which may have resulted from a possible infection. Certain viruses can cause severe burning pain like Herpes especially on one half of the face, chest or other areas.

The other possibility is of Trigeminal neuralgia. In this condition there is severe stabbing pain over the face for a few seconds to minutes a day. It can be aggravated by wind, loud noise, touch, pressure, eating etc. The causes of this condition can result due to variety of reasons ranging from shock of sustaining previous traumatic event, aneurysms or tumor in the brain and Multiple sclerosis as well. Treatment for this condition will be with anticonvulsant medication in most cases.

Since you have pain on many regions over your body it is possible this could be a systemic disease affecting nerves which needs further investigation, like routine blood work, MRI brain to look for lesions as mentioned above, Neurologist for best management of this condition.

I hope I have answered your query. I will be available to answer your follow up queries.

Regards,