Yes, me too! Seasonal changes are sending me bad punches today; and nearly every seasonal change. Can't say why, but I think this is fairly common among us TN folks.

Thanks Dulcinea2,
I'm sorry your in pain too. I've tried to keep my house at the same temp all year round. It does help a little but October is very windy so when I step outside it's very painful.. My face swells gets hot and then the pain... Wishes for pain free days ahead :)

Icy wind is my most consistent trigger, and caused my last attack. I take huge precautions against getting blasted on the side of the face, but have gotten hit there anyway on occasion. Have you noticed a specific pattern with allergies? Some people's attacks seem to correlate pretty nicely with the sharp allergen increases that happen during seasonal changes.

Hi Painter,
I didn't think of that but your right... When the weather is bad rain, snow and windy it kicks up too. Thanks for your reply :) Pain free days ahead.

yes sirreee seasonal changes are horrific some days. have your tried the pain patch called butran? it is a patch and it helps me more than lindocaine and you can use in addition to your current meds. ask your dr about it.
hang in there i have a love/hate relationship with fall and winter and big fronts!
blessings
jady

Hi Jlady,
I'm going to ask my Dr about Butran thank you... I have used my Lidocaine patches for my back on my face before... I didn't care at the time the pain was so bad I would have done anything. Hope your feeling well :)

Ask your dr to prescribe a lidocaine cream to use on your face - it really helps, especially with the chilly air. I am prescribed a Lidocaine 2.5% and Prilocaine 2.5% cream. You can also buy Solarcaine at the drug store, not as strong. I put it on after I wash my face, before any face cream. I also reapply it later in the day as needed.
I keep hearing people talk about how much they love the change of seasons and the fresh, crisp air - if only they knew. I used to like it as well, but now it just means more pain and less time outdoors.
Honeycrisp apples are available this time of year and they are my favorite. I have to be careful because biting into one and having the sweet, tart juices in my mouth (and chewing) can trigger the pain... Ugh!

Me too! I can always tell my co-workers when we are going to get a big rain. It's starting to be a joke around here that I'm the weather girl!

Thanks for the tip on lidocaine cream! I'm going to ask my doctor.
I was thinking about the lidocaine gel for the inside of my mouth. I had two teeth pulled before I was diagnosed with ATN and at times my gum in that area just throbs.

Doodlebug thank you for the information... I will ask my doctor about that too... Wow so many things I've never heard of.. I'm glad I asked... great tips... Melp66... When I first got ATN I was swishing with whiskey an old remedy my Mom used on us when we were teething... I didn't care I would do anything to rid the pain... We are in for a huge storm on the east coast... I'm calling my doctor today for the cream... Thanks everyone,.,.,. :) fingers crossed for pain free days.. :)

What exactly does the cream do? Numb you? Do you think it would help with parasthesia that I got from Gamma?

Hi, I'm with you as well. The fluctuations in temperature and pressure really seem to have an impact.

My focus is to stay busy and as positive as possible.

I too have terrible problems when the weather is changing. My worst time is right before a storm, rain or snow. The pressure is really bad in my cheek. I had gamma knife and it help with the TN, but now I have anesthesia dolorosa. Much worse for me than TN because it is almost constant once it is triggers. I too can't eat apples and have to watch how I brush my teeth. The wind is the worst trigger of all. No more bike riding, motorcycle riding, top down on the car, amusement park rides, boat rides. Anyway, I thought I was in a little remission, but when winter came, it came back with a vengeance. I'll have to try to get that cream as well.

Wind, rain and cold are my nemesis......

Hi Boston!
The change in the weather definately creates flare ups with my condition. With a mild winter last year my TN was generally kept under control. However this year has been horrible! I've actually been on temporary disability since November because of my recent flare up. I am basically like a prisoner in my home. I am unable ot drive and I am terrified to go outside for fear that it will trigger an episode. I did have the opportunity to go to Florida for a week and had great weather and was almost symptom free during that time. I wish I could hop on an airplane and go to dessert island until around the middle of April. I cant take it much more! I hope you are feeling better and I hope for all of us that the warm weather comes soon. :)

I had never heard of TN until experiencing it, the same as you. Inittially my dentist thought it was TMJ but the appliances he fitted me with didn't do anything to releave the pain. I suffered with this for almost two years with very little relief. The drugs I was taking caused extreme side effects that I did not want to deal with either. As you know, the pain you experience with TN reaches a 10 on the pain scale at times but only lasts for 10-15 seconds. If that pain had lasted for several minutes at a time ai think I would have bit the bullet.
However, there is a bright side because I've been pain free for almost a year now without any drugs. I urge you to Google "Barrow Neurological Institute" and learn as much as you can about Gamma Knife. Look for where this procedure is available near you. I checked into St Josephs Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ at about 6am and was released at noon. After about 2 or 3 weeks the pain went away by about 70%. After another month or so the pain was totally gone. I have experienced no side effects what so ever.
The down side of this is the cost. With insurance it isn't bad at all, concidering the pain will be totally gone. Without insurance the rate was $176,800.00. But I have medicare insurance and my out of pocket cost was $550.00.