Numb Chin Syndrome

Hi all,

First off, happy new year! Feels silly saying that right before getting into a rather depressing topic, but such is life haha.

I'm a 25 year old guy from the US. I've been working out 3 times a week for the past 3 years, and sit at a PC for the rest of the time. Don't know much as to how healthy I have been in the past 7 years, as I had no insurance since moving to a new state and never made a stable enough income to afford it. What I know for sure is that I have ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, and high likelihood of mild Autism. These things may be influencing my experience and how I perceive these conditions.

I first read this thread months ago when my symptoms first appeared, and while I considered sharing my symptoms here, I hoped that it would subside on its own and was also recommended by my therapist not to engage in symptom talk on an online forum like this. Additionally, due to recent ear and jaw pain leading to me seeing a dentist, getting a jaw CT scan, and finding missing cartilage on the right side (most likely TMJ Disorder, though was not officially diagnosed), I had assumed that solving this issue would also take care of the pain and numbness I was experiencing in that area. However, things got worse from there. This is where I find that my story differs from many of the people on here, and perhaps my concerns will seem a bit more related to the horrible "Numb Chin Syndrome" that I've read so much about than most of you. Hopefully, it's not that, and even if it is, perhaps its from non-malignant causes. Regardless, here's what I'm experiencing:

Recurring numbness in my chin, which lasts for hours or even days at a time. The feeling can best be described as a dull burning or stinging as well as a partial loss of sensation in the chin and surrounding cheek area on my left side, that was partially relieved when shaving my beard, and a pain felt when pressing on the mental nerve areas of my chin. Sometimes I cant tell if i have feeling there or not.

Pain in my chest that was initially experienced on the left side, but now feels like its from both, and comes and goes. Worsening pains throughout my body and limbs, including shooting nerve pains in my fingers and toes. Brain fog and confusion, difficulty expressing myself and feeling like I am not as sharp as I used to be. Constant clicking of my joints, especially when in one position for a prolonged time, and general stiffness and muscle knots throughout my body. Pains in very specific points on my limbs that feel like they are coming from the bone, including on my right shin, left calf, and forearms

Worsening eyesight, with things appearing blurry and difficulty focusing.

I have now seen several doctors and healthcare professionals about these issues, but so far no one has been able to give me a clear diagnosis. The first doctor I saw was an ENT, who found no ear infection but suggested that my jaw problems may be the cause of some of my symptoms. I then saw a dentist, who discovered that I was missing cartilage on the right side of my jaw due to teeth grinding and clenching at night. I was given a custom night guard to try and address this issue. Next, I had sudden chest pain, which went away for a week and then recurred, and went to an urgent care center. Despite multiple tests including an EKG, x-ray, and blood work, they were unable to find any heart issues. After that, I saw a nurse practitioner who gave me some vitamins and put me on a gluten-free diet. She suggested gluten intolerance, or even mold toxicity could be the culprit for my issues, though at the time, it was before any limb pain started. Shortly after though, I got sick with a virus (possibly Covid), and suddenly the pain symptoms in my limbs appeared and seemed to rapidly progress, with the shooting pains, etc. Finally, I saw a primary care doctor who told me that he could not detect any nerve issues and suggested that I see multiple specialists for each of my health problems. He believed that my symptoms were mostly due to anxiety, even typing "likely psychosomatic" instead of putting down the stuff I was telling him. We did more blood test which came back mostly normal except for a risk of developing diabetes.

As you may have guessed, my health anxiety got much worse during all of this, and I googled every imaginable symptom, read every case report, and unfortunately have gotten to the point where I can't see a way that this ISN'T NCS. My symptoms seem to match with late stage malignancy, and it's extremely scary to think about. Granted, its been about 2 months since the symptom first appeared, but in that time, many things have gotten worse for me.

About my insurance: I applied a month ago with my parents help, and finally the insurance kicked in today, Jan 1st. A lot of waiting was done during that time due to my parents fear that finding something bad without having insurance would lead to the insurance companies not accepting me. I wish I had gotten the process of finding out what this is started a lot sooner, but it is what it is now.

To whoever is reading this, I know it's a lot to take in, and I doubt any of you have gone through exactly the same experience, so I'm not expecting reassurance that I'll be ok (despite that being what everyone close to me tells me). The pessimist in me tells me that I may be the first on this forum who has actually experienced this syndrome for real, though again, I truly hope that's not the case. I guess I do take comfort in knowing that there are others who have felt similar pains, and the SCM thing people were talking about in this thread also has given me hope, since I know I have myofascial pain everywhere, and definitely have forward head tilt (which could have caused that).

Anyway, sorry for the lengthy post. I will try to keep you guys updated as I see more specialists to try and figure out what's causing all of this.

Hi all,

i have been following this thread since summer of 2021 as this is when after my second covid shot, i developed paresthesias in my lower face and chin. i googled and came across ncs and basically lost my mind. i had a brain mri done that came back clear. the sensations lasted six months and went away and then came back 6 months ago again. i did another brain mri, saw a neurologist, did a mamogram, saw an oral surgeon and nobody can find anything. everyone keeps saying its benign and it is anxiety but i just cant believe it. nowhere online does it say that NCS is caused by anxiety. please i need some reassurance that other people have this and they are fine. i really dont know what to do anymore. my doctor is getting frustrated and my neurologist wont see me. i even paid ro see a neurologist in the US( im canadian) who also says it sounds benign. i cant bring myself to believe that. anxiety doesn't last for 6 months and gives these strange symptoms. i can even activate the sensation myself by moving my face a certain way. please help. it is ruining my life.

I'm sorry to hear that you're going through this difficult experience. Numbness in the chin can indeed be a sign of several conditions, including Numb Chin Syndrome, which is associated with cancer in some cases, as well as diabetes and anxiety.

It's understandable that you are feeling scared and alone, but it's important to seek medical attention to determine the underlying cause of your symptoms. An MRI scan may be recommended to help diagnose the issue.

It's important to remember that early diagnosis and treatment can greatly improve your chances of recovery, and that there is always hope. Additionally, it's important to take care of your mental health and reach out for support from loved ones, friends, or a mental health professional if you are feeling overwhelmed.

Please don't hesitate to seek medical attention, and I hope that you are able to find the help and support you need during this difficult time.

hello everyone. in 2024 I would like to know what happen at the end with your psintoms. I started the same 8 months ago, in a very stressful moment, it was just as an itching in my chin for weeks, then numbness in my left side of chin. one day very stressed in an academic test the tingling was so heavy that i had to out mu hand in my face to stop the feeling that time started in my chin and finished in my ear, then it had been a mix between pain in a space as a 1 cent in my chin and itching with soft numbness in my whole left chin. Im a little hipocondriac however im a new migrant so i dont have enough money neither a good doctor near me. When i went to the doctor for it he sent me to the dentist, i spend 100 dolars just for say it is nothing and sent me to the maxilofacial who charge 250 dolars just for the appointment and then extra each exam so i could'nt. Now psintoms are a little worse, im scared and i dont know from where can i start ro dont loose a huge cuantity of dolars.

thanks for your comments

im so terrified. I've literally been hysterical foe days. it started two weeks ago. I had tingly in my arm and pain in my shoulder. I was convinced I was having a heart attack. then I gor the all clear and I had some tingly in my chin. I googled and well here I am. it's my left side of my chin. it moves around on the left side. it will come and go but only for minutes. like maybe I get two minutes with nothing. I also feel twitches in my chin and it's sore. I also suffer from tmj and have terrible popping on that side but not tingly down the Jaw. everyone around me thinks I've went mad. my husband my mom. they all think it's so unlikely for this to be cancer. I went to my primary care who focused alot on my anxiety. I went to dentist both had never really heard of it . I have had dental work in the last two months but its on the other side of my face. I have had blood work, all normal. and I just went for a brain mri with contrast waiting on results. but I've read it has to be a specific mri and I just don't know how I will get anyone to do that for me. they all just look at me like I'm nuts. I'm 32 and if you can't tell I have horrible health anxiety. I just keep looking at my two year old and thinking she will never know who I am. I'm so terrified. I wish I had something to blame this on so I could relax but nothing makes sense. I just wish it will go away and everyday like clock work it's there. sometimes I think its literally from me crying so much and crunching up my chin and causing a pinch nerve. but I can't stop crying long enough to see if it will help. I do have random tingles through out my face but this specific spot definitely feels like my mental nerve. I've had a panoramic scan of my face just Two months ago with dental work and. nothing was on that. my dentist just last week looked at xray and said mental nerve looked great. idk what to do. if it just go away for a day so I could have a break I would be so happy. I feel like I'm just counting the days to 5 months so I know if I'm gunna die or not. I hate this so much. if I ever survive this I'll never google again.