Freaking out one sided face tingling. Please help?

[claireypoo]

Hi,

Back again.

This time I'm freaking out about one sided tingling in my face.

It's only on the right side, on my cheek, along my cheek bone, under my eye, by my ear, under my jaw, and slightly around my neck under my ear. It's not quite pins and needles, more a very mild tingling - almost a tickle, or a tightening, but I've had it since July 2013 (at least) and possibly before then too (but I cant remember- which is driving me mad because I had an MRI scan for tinnitus on the left side in March 2013 - they scanned entire brain, which was normal and if I definitely had the tingling before then I'd feel reassured that it was nothing 'brainy')

I had it intermittently at first. I thought my new glasses were too tight at first, pressing my temple, but it wasn't that (I think) then almost constantly from October 13 - February 14, then it was intermittent, then it completely went away from July - December last year (not sure why) but now it is back intermittently and accompanied by tinnitus in the right ear too. The tinnitus comes and goes, and so does the tingling. Sometimes the tingling will come on suddenly if I turn my head all the way to the side. Often it comes on in the car, but it lasts ages. I don't tend to wake up with it though, but I have done on occasion. A couple of times recently I have had electric shock type feelings shooting in my cheek too, when I eat, sometimes a mild cheek ache too.

Of course, I googled and scared myself even sillier (if that is possible) and came up with MS, tumours, artery narrowing, reduced blood flow to the brain... scary list. Anxiety was there too, but I don't think it is related to anxiety as it seems to come on with head movement.

On my right side I have a clicky jaw, which sometimes gets stuck and I also have bad posture from texting on my phone all day (or googling symptoms) and definitely have a bit of forward head posture I think. Trouble is, my searching said that TMJ and forward head posture are unlikely to have tingling on the right side of my face as a symptom.

I am massively scared. I know this is reassurance seeking behaviour, but I really wanted to ask if anyone else has had this , or has TMJ or poor posture that could lead to these symptoms.

I have casually asked my GP and she said that it was likely anxiety (but then she says everything is that and I didn't go into it in any detail.)

I should add that last year in July I had loads of blood tests (for something else) which were normal.

Can anyone talk me down from the ceiling before I land on the dog?

Thanks

Claire

X

---------- Post added at 22:02 ---------- Previous post was at 20:41 ----------

No one?

[KayeS]

I had/have exactly the same thing. Tingling on the left side of my face, just under my eye, that would gradually spread around my jaw and under my ear. It would usually come when I was lying down and had my eyes closed. Strangely opening my eyes would stop it. I was terrified, but have since had two brain MRIs including C Spine and they showed nothing (except an incidental finding of a cyst in my brain funnily enough that is no cause for concern lol).

As I knew nothing bad in my brain was causing it, I started ignoring it, and eventually it just went away. I do still get it occasionally, and actually like you, I have a clicky jaw and I think it's possibly a combination of nerve irritation from TMJ and anxiety...

[Serenity1990]

I could have written this post. Since October ive had massive pressure at the bridge of my nose, a sort of cobweb sensation on the right side of my face, and crawling sensations in my scalp. When I move my head suddenly I can feel a sort of electric static on my face.

For me, I am reassured that I know I have extremely tight neck muscles which cause impingement of the trigeminal nerve. I know this because a year ago when this whole mess started I was getting terrible headaches originating in the neck, which an osteopath rectified very quickly. I also saw a physio for sensations in my right arm, which were diagnosed as nerve impingement in my neck.

I'm no doctor, but I believe the fact that you've already had a clear MRI is strongly indicative it's nothing to worry about. If your synptom is anything like mine though, it's bloody irritating on a day to day basis. I keep meaning to see an osteopath again.

---------- Post added at 23:56 ---------- Previous post was at 23:39 ----------

Btw are you a twitcher?

[claireypoo]

Hi,

Yes! I had a really annoying eyelid twitch for 2 years (opposite side) and I'm always twitching in my hands and legs! And buzzing in my toes too!

The face thing bothers me though. It's going on and on. I figured if it was anything 'bad' it wouldn't have gone away for 5 months. I hate it though. Crawly, cobwebby, tingly, numby feeling. At the mo it's in my temple, Upper cheek, under my jaw and in my nostril. It's so scary. :( X

Always on the same side. Now ear ringing on that side too. DR GOOGLE says TMJ doesn't cause face tingling, but I found websites where they say it does. So I'm confused! X

---------- Post added at 00:10 ---------- Previous post was at 00:09 ----------

Steve, Did you get your sensations on the same side as your clicky jaw? X

[KayeS]

Well my jaw actually clicks on both sides :/

But it's the same sensation as you get. It almost feels like there's a hair on my face, infact sometimes I thought there was and tried to wipe it away, but alas, there was no hair lol.

I also have tinnitus by the way. AND I've had an eyelid twitch/buzz since June last year. But again, I've had MRIs, EMGs, blood work.... all clear.

[Serenity1990]

Well this might be of interest to you. I was diagnosed with a benign condition called BFS late last year, which you've probably heard of; it causes twitching and parasthesia and is often seen in those with chronic stress and anxiety (this is the twitching seen in anxiety). Unlike most anxiety stuff, if symptoms happen during an EMG the EMG picks up the abnormality, which happened in my case so my diagnosis is a certain one. What may be of interest to you is it's a hyperexcitability of the peripheral nervous system, which basically means your nervous system is turned up to eleven, constantly. This means that any nerve impingement is vastly exaggerated, so for example if I use the armrest in my car my arm goes completely numb/weak from impingement at the elbow, if I sit on the toilet my legs buzz like mad and if I sit on it for a while (I have the expensive habit of online shopping on the bog) they'll go limp. So nerve impingement in the general population from TMJ or a tight neck probably wouldn't cause these facial symptoms, however in my hyperexcitable nervous system it does.

[claireypoo]

Oh my god. You just described me COMPLETELY. If I rest my arm on the desk, two of my fingers go numb and tingly. I ALWAYS have buzzing toes, I get pins and needles all the time unless I keep shifting position. If I sit on a hard surface, my legs go cold and numb. If I go from a cooler to a slightly warmer environment my fingers tingle like I've been making snowballs then run them under a hot tap! The eyelid twitch happened every time I had a flinch reaction, or a yawn, or putting on make up. Very weird, the whole eyelid would kind of move in a wave pattern. My cheeks and lips twitch too. My thumb will go for hours, and I get clonus too.

I also suffer with stomach issues which get worse with stress.

I've lived with extreme stress for 13 years now, I am a carer for my daughter who is profoundly disabled with very high 24/7 medical need. I also don't sleep much, maybe a couple of hours a night, and my father got Picks disease at 57 and is in a care home. I worry a lot and am virtually housebound and zi don't see many people, which is in itself very stressful. I feel institutionalised in my own home! :( A human battery farm chicken.

I'd say these symptoms have come on one by one but are intermittent. The twitches and the facial sensations are recurring though.

How were you diagnosed? Through your GP?

---------- Post added at 00:42 ---------- Previous post was at 00:40 ----------

Steve, does any of this ring a bell with you too?

[Serenity1990]

Alas, no. It took about a year of slightly curious and confused doctors who suggested all sorts of possible worrisome ailments (hence the health anxiety), before I ended up with a neurologist who has a research interest in BFS because, as he revealed to me, he has it himself. He found some of my previous doctors' suggestions hilarious. Have a read of this thread. Reading this was one of the big helps in my path to recovery from anxiety, and whenever I waver I get it up on my phone and read it from start to finish.

http://www.aboutbfs.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=16549

[popejoan]

I was having tingling and twitches on my upper lip in summer. I didn't have HA then so I didn't care, I don't have it anymore. Yesterday I started having buzzing under my right foot, I was extremely hungover so I want to believe that's the cause of it.

Claireypoo, I know it's difficult but try not to google it will only make you more anxious and won't help with the symptoms you're experiencing now.

[KayeS]

Yeah it definitely resonates with me too, although my EMG came back normal... But I've actually managed to record the audio of my twitching, which sounds weird. But my eyelid buzzing, I pressed the microphone on my iPhone against my eyelid when it was buzzing, and recorded the audio, and it basically picked up a sound like morse code clicks. It was almost relieving to know I wasn't imagining it.

Regarding your stuff, I would say the things you are experiencing are almost certainly exasperated by your lack of sleep and general stress, coupled with the vicious circle of then worrying about the symptoms which causes more stress.

[Serenity1990]

Sorry for all the typos above, I'm on my phone and it's late lol

[claireypoo]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to ask my GP about my symptoms again, see what she thinks, but after reading about BFS (great link btw) it really makes sense to me! Especially the sneezing! My email address is sneezygrl for a reason! I have sneezing attacks that go on for AGES. :)

Thank you all again. AND I'LL TRY NOT TO GOOGLE ;) X

---------- Post added at 01:21 ---------- Previous post was at 01:15 ----------

I could swear my eyelid twitch made a sound too. Like electricity. I'm going to try recording it! :)

[missfishlash]

Bless you, in complete sympathy...I've had this for three years now and I'm stuck in a vicious cycle of anxiety because I stress about the facial symptoms...I'm back at the docs again to start the cycle of testing with bloods,again. I just struggle to believe that anxiety can cause these physical symptoms...I know it does but you convince yourself that you're really ill when you're alone a 3 am

[Halle0587]

Wow Serenity1990, I read the link, incredibly helpful! Thank you!