Hi Everyone,
I'm new to the forum, even though I was diagnosed with SCC stage 4 and treated 2 years ago. I have continuing nerve pain and it has been getting worse. We have been down a lot of different medication trails. Currently I'm taking 900mg Neurnotnin and 150 mg Lyrica 4 times a day, plus amitryptiline at night. I had a temporary nerve block 2 weeks ago and while the pain stopped getting worse, it is still there. Does anyone have any ideas? Because the next step seems to be a permanent nerve block which might affect facial movement and I don't want to risk that - recovering some degree of movement was the major triumph of my recovery ...
Thanks. And hello, again.
Dubliner

Hello Dubliner

Often the pains in the area of the ear and side of face are TMD Myofascial pains which are misdiagnosed. See: Oncologic stress: Its causality in myofascial pain disorder or in temporomandibular disorder . My advice on this can be found here. You may also find past discussions about myofascial pain helpful. Hope that helps.

Best wishes
Vinod

Hi,
Thanks for coming back to me ... I should have been more explicit. The nerve pain is secondary to extensive facial surgery. The trigeminal nerve (among other things) was cut. The trouble is, no one told the nerve that it was supposed to take this quietly, and it's been sparking ever since. I have been on all different kinds of medication to try to control it, but nothing works for long.

Hello Dubliner

If the nerve pain is troubling, ask to see a neurologist for assessment. They can refer you for stereotactic radiosurgery (Gamma Knife®) of the nerve ganglion for more permanent pain relief.

Best wishes
Vinod

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dr Vinod K Joshi,

Thanks for coming back. I'll talk to the pain team and see what happens.