Trapped nerve and tingly numbness....GP worried me!

[Cariad1]

Hi All

I have been back to the Dr because i still have this numb/tingly side of my face going on. All bloods have come back normal.

I asked if there was a possibility that i have a trapped nerve in my neck as i know my posture isn't great and he said No, there are no nerves that serve the side of the face that come from the back/neck area and that facial numbness is usually associated with issues within brain!!!

As you can imagine i started thinking the worst, he doesn't seem bothered and didn't offer any other tests.

I am wearing braces at the moment ( have a lump that i have found in my cheek the same side as the numbness) but no one seems bothered about that and had an ultrasound on it over a year ago and that came back as fine.

I was wondering if there is anyone out there that does have tingly face issues due to nerves? i really dont want to go running back to the Drs again but after losing my aunty to a brain tumor a year back and this Drs comments its sent me into a tail spin.

[MyNameIsTerry]

It sounds like your GP hasn't explained himself very well. What he probably means by stating the brain is that facial expressions are governed by cranial nerves and those are attached to the brain as opposed to the others that are attached to the spine. So, its not like saying there is an issue with the brain in that respect since it could just be a nerve issue, but attached to a different part of the anatomy. So, don't worry about that.

A simpler possibility could be your brace. If your brace is compressing something (like that lump. Has that come up since the brace was fitted?) then that could be causing tingling/numbness. Seeing your dentist would be a good idea for this (they know more about the mouth than GP's anyway) and it might need some adjustment if it is a permanent one. If it's a temporary one, remove it and see if the tingling/numbness goes away. If so, it's back to the dentist again to see what they recommend.

[Cariad1]

Thanks Terry

My Dr doesn't have the best bedside manner unfortunately and you have put it in a much better way!

I only noticed the lump since the brace was fitted, which is coming up to the 2 year mark now and is due to come off in the next couple of months so hopefully will notice a big difference.

All my bloods came back ok, he said my b12 was on the lower range of average and said i could take b12 tablets from holland and barrett if i wanted too so this is something i am going to look into but there are so many strengths i dont know where to start!

Thanks again for replying, its really appreciated :)

[countrygirl]

Exactly what Terry says. Plus irritated neck nerves can tense the muscles up which then impinge on cranial nerves. I know this because I have a very damaged neck and I get intense feeling in my face of something crawling or poking sensation and also shart shooting pains. Or problems with your jaw joints can cause face pain etc so there are lots of other causes.

One example of this is I occasionally get a very painful tongue on movement, the nerve to the tongue exit is the very back of your skull at the bottom so in theory irritation of this nerve has to happen in your head but when my neck is very bad and my neck muscles are in spasm this tenses the muscles at back of my skull which affects the tongue nerve.

[Cariad1]

Thanks Countrygirl

You have helped me lots recently, I do have a sore neck if i move it a certain way, also had a headache on and off for the last few days so im wondering if i have irritated a nerve somewhere along the line.

The numbness/tingly feeling is unnerving...Literally! and the more i focus on it the worse it gets ofcourse.......

Will try and have a chill out weekend and forget about it

xx

[countrygirl]

Also the anxiety around the tingling could easily be fuelling it if you are overbreathing slightly because you are anxious.

Because of whats wrong with my spine I get all sorts of weird sensations all over my body and admit in years gone by had endless testing because of these sensation because I didn't know the problems with my spine at the time. The one that really freaked me was a feeling as if cold water was trickling down my leg to my heel. It went on for months and I ended up at neuro ( in the days before mri etc) becaue I thought it had to ms but all was well and eventually worked out that I had sat on a hard plank watching a circus with a cold wind blowing on my bare leg. Irritated nerve that took months to settle down:)

[Cariad1]

The anxiety around these sensations could well be fueling these concerns and feeling i think.

My GP hasn't mentioned referring me for an MRI or a neuro and this isn't really something i want to ask for because i think the worry of waiting for the appointment may send me over the edge lol

[white1989]

Hi Cariad1,

I promise you have nothing to worry about.

I was admitted to hospital not so long ago with chronic headaches as I was terrified I had a brain tumour/blood clot on the brain. I had a load of tests run including mri/ct scans and one thing that the doctors made very clear to me was that numbness can be down to a host of issues, anxiety, nerve problems, most not being a cause for concern. they said that problems with the brain normally are picked up due to weakness in the arms or legs, e.g not being able to lift a cup of tea or hold arms above head/having someone push your leg down while it is elevated and not being able to resist the push.

So try not to worry, numbness can be caused by a whole host of things I remember the doctor telling me, and is certainly exaggerated by anxiety and excessive worrying!

Hope you start to feel better soon, best wishes x

[Cariad1]

Thanks White1989, that was a really reassuring post too.

I certainly think worrying about the sensations makes them much worse! I find myself constantly wondering what is causing these sensations and ofcourse when i start doing that they tend to get stronger!

I hope that your headaches are better now and now you are on the mend

xx

[white1989]

Cariad1,

I'm glad my post reassured you! I know what you mean, I think we're all the exact same, constant worry and then a bit of googling and all of a sudden you're dying of a terminal illness!! It's so hard to resist isn't it!?

My headaches are a lot better now thanks, I still get them but they told me it was a tension headache and due to stress/anxiety of course, so I try to tell myself that when I feel one coming on!

I hope your numbness starts to subside soon, a nice relaxed weekend with plenty of rest should help you to feel better!

best wishes xx

[MyNameIsTerry]

Tingling can come from poor circulation or if you compress something. I was thinking that maybe your brace was not fit correctly and compressing something locally and maybe the lump is connected to this problem. Given it's so long, unless you've had the lump and the tingling for that long, it seems less likely to be an issue with the brace.

I had a temporary brace when I was young. I could press my cheek against something in such a way that it would bring on pins & needles or trap my gum. So, I thought you may just be having a similiar issue.

I would ask the dentist anyway as he/she might just tell you it was that and it's one less thing to care about.

GP's are not always known for their empathy or ability to communicate as a human being as opposed to someone studying a text book. It's a shame because he could have given you much better advice than that and not scared you in the process by mentioning one of the few organs we tend to automatically associate the most serious things with.

Anxiety can certainly give you tingling. I've had the "buzzing bees" as one member called them on here. Thats been with me pretty much everyday for 9 years in some form or other. That one is related to adrenaline but you tend to find it more in extremities, chest, etc.

It all tends to fall under Paresthesia. BUT that is a very broad category so don't go scaring yourself by looking at the list of possibles as they range from leaning on limb to the things that most people are afraid of in Google searches. Since it is very very common to be due to compression of a nerve, along with the brace, that seems to be a good way to look at it. So, despite your GP saying that about your neck nerves, he doesn't seem to be considering the most likely possibilities.

Have a look at this diagram. Can you see where the facial nerve is running around your face? If you compressed that nerve or the muscles around it, wouldn't you expect to get tingling just like when you do it with a limb and get "pins & needles"?



http://www.juniordentist.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/112.jpg



The trigeminal nerve handles facial skin sensation and the facial nerve handles facial expression. So, look where these run and how easy it could be to compress them just by leaning on something:



https://12cranialnerves.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/ans7_facial_nerve.jpg



Your brace will be near the trigeminal nerve, I bet.

So, maybe a dentist is the best person to ask over a GP, other than a doctor who is a specialist?

Can you think of how you could press against that nerve? With your hand or with something else? Maybe even the brace if it's been going on since it went in or maybe that lump has started the pressing?

[Cariad1]

Thanks Terry

Have taken a look at the pic, it's very informative. I only really noticed this sensation and lump since the brace went on, I mentioned it to my dentist and she thought it could have been a blocked saliva gland but a scan ruled that out and the consultant said it was nothing to worry about.

There is a real possibility I think the brace could be causing these sensations but also I tend to sit resting my head on my hand on that side of my face, especially when I'm working as I sit long hours at my lap top...so now I'm wondering if that could have caused this.

Looking at the bigger picture it seems there are many simpler things that could cause these tingles and numbness.

Thanks so much for taking the time to write your post,it's really informative and again eases my mind :)

[MyNameIsTerry]

No problem. Dr Google can be good too, it's just using it for the right reasons!

I hope you can also see now why nerves coming from the brain are nothing to worry about, as they do normal things - just for the head. It makes sense since the spinal column is lower and you won't want long nerves running up your neck like a big sciatic one!

Try not sitting like that and see what happens. Then try sitting like that and see if you bring it on. That would be a pretty easy test. The brace is possibly making it worse when you do that, like mine did, as I can remember it digging into my gums when I put my head on my hand.

If you spent a lot of time sitting with your head in your hand you could cause this anyway, I reckon. You will probably find that doesn't help with your neck too as it will be compressing your head to one side but also lowering it on your neck so as to add pressure.

I think migraine or cluster forms have some links to these nerves too. When I had bruxism (grinding) which I was doing in my sleep for 6 months, I had many headaches. The muscles that move when you clench not only cover the jaw area but the side of the face and up around the temple. So, it's easy to think something is wrong when if you look at the basic anatomy you can then see why those areas might ache.

I hope it works out for you. I bet you will be glad to get that permanent brace out anyway?

[Cariad1]

I'm a sufferer of migraines and have been having them for years, thankfully though not to frequently!

Brace comes off in the next few months and it cannot come soon enough, it's been a long 2 years!

Will work my posture and sitting position as I know it's not good and see if that brings change :)