Where do you apply heat?

i tried heat, massage, acupuncture, all kinds of recommended oils by various people and nothing worked for me. when I got to really understand the problem and why the pain occurs, I realized that no alternative treatments can work for this condition. the pain that radiates to different parts of the face is not the source of the problem. the source is always at the point of nerve compression. your MRI will show exactly where your TN nerve is being compressed. it will usually be at the base of the brain before the nerves branch out to the different areas of the face. I has mvd surgery with partial rhizotomy done in 2017 to take care of the problem. I am TN pain free but not without cost. there are lifelong side effects from the surgery.

Hi friend. You've probably already found that everyone is different with Trigeminal Neuralgia. You are dealing a nerve inside your head that is connected to multiple other nerves in your face and head and can resemble a live power line bouncing around on a wet highway. By this, i mean it can be tricky. There are some constants though. Most people say heat works best but use caution because it takes HOT HOT HOT compresses to relieve the pain but it can also scold your skin. In the beginning, i used hot rags and heating pads and it does work but found that heated rice socks work great too, radiates deeper and last longer. Just like it sounds...put uncooked rice inside a new sock, the it off with a knot and toss it in the microwave for 45 seconds when needed. The hot rags with a heating pad worked great but not good to place an electrical anything on top of something wet. If you do try this method, cover your whole face with the hot wet cloths and then remove it before it cools, replacing it with a heating pad, BEFORE your face has time to catch a chill. Chill is bad.

The nerve is located right behind your ear and some people say heat applied there will help but i've found that the relief areas are different at different times, anywhere from the top of my head or front of my face or ear or head. The pain is originating from one nerve but typically, the pain will manifest elsewhere. During an attack, i will move the hot compresses around every 10-20 seconds. The pain may bounce around like lightning in a bottle but the pain often has a surface origin, beyond the damaged nerve itself. You should know it when you find it because the pain should cease almost instantly with heat applied. One of the few "constants" of Trigeminal Neuralgia. When you find the spot, just keep reapplying the heat till the nerve calms down. In extreme cases, I have immersed my whole self in a hot tub of water. The second my whole head goes under the water, the pain goes away. I don't know your health history and I'm not a nurse or doctor, so please ask your doctor beforehand, if any of this would react negatively with other conditions you might have.

My TN was caused from 8 long years and over 100 outbreaks of Shingles, so heat is not always an option for me when i have both shingles outbreak and TN at same time, because cold (never heat) is what relieves Shingles pain, so both conditions are treated opposite ways.

To be truthful with you, These and other home remedies do help and there are surgeries to even correct the damage but medications gave me little to no relief. So we began using "Medical Cannabis" and it relieves my pain every time and i have NO high, NO buzz, and NO drunk feeling like you would have taking prescription pain meds. I was hesitant about trying it for several years but being out of options, i finally tried it out of desperation. I'm glad i did. But your doctor will be your best guide though.

Also, i find that if i keep my hair pulled up loosely, off my face, with hair pins (no scrunchies or bands) i don't have as many flareups.

I do hope you can find relief, friend. You take care of yourself and you are in my prayers.

~Rhonda

you are correct.

What works for me is area of pain.

Hi,

I apply a volcanically hot Hot water bottle to the area of pain and move it around, as soon as it starts to cool down it is refilled by the husband! He does a grand job too. It never occurred to me to put it over the potential area of compression, it just makes sense to put it on the site of pain.

I'm dreading the colder weather as this is the time of year when it seems to get much worse. My husband bought me a violent pink ski hat and mask, not sure if I can pull it off as a fashion statement in Sussex, UK but if it helps I will look silly but be pain free!! 🤣

To be honest, trial and error is the only way to find out what works best for you.

Good luck

😊