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Burning tingling feeling on face

T

tough2bstrong

Junior member
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
7
I was wondering if anybody knows what would cause a burning/tingling sensation on my lower jaw and neck area on only one side. I am under a huge amount of stress over my current dental state, and Im worried that this feeling is systematic of an infection...I do have other skin irritations that have come up over other parts of my body recently, Im thinking is related to stress, but Im worried about this feeling as it happens almost daily in the same spot. its also hot to the touch, although there is no swelling or pain. I have a tooth that needs a root canal on the top, but apart from not being able to eat on that side it doesnt give me too many problems ( no other signs of infection like swelling or bitter taste etc..) any help would be appreciated!
Thanks
 
Do you have an appointment to fix the tooth that needs the root canal?
 
Obviously it is impossible to say without a consultation, but one thing which could be a possibility is shingles (reactivation of chicken pox virus). See your dentist or doctor asap as if this is what it is, they may have an anti-viral which will help more and the sooner you get it.

I may be barking up the wrong tree, but from your description- my first thought was that this could be shingles. It is more common if someone is stressed, and that a rash often appears 2-3 days after the pain started.

there are usually no real long term complications, but it can make you feel a bit low for a week or two.

it can affect a few areas in the body at one time (commonly areas of the back are involved)- and is usually distinct along a specific nerve (if i'm right- in your case it is affecting the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve)- this would explain why you are feeling it on only one side and in quite a specific location.

it can affect people of any age but is more common in the over 50s- i saw someone in their early 20s with it recently.

(i have edited this post a little from when I first put it up- and imho the more I read your post, the more I am thinking that it is shingles- I think the best move would be to go and see your doctor first rather than your dentist- that way you will get the right treatment quicker.)

Things will get better
regards
dr mike
 
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Thank you so much for your thoughts and advice, I did have chicken pox when I was seven (Im 39 this year) and I know that the virus has been circulating for a while around here...would I have to be exposed to it again for it to flare up or does it happen automatically? I will check the site you mentioned.....thank you again
 
I copied the following from another useful website called https://herpes.org.uk/shingles-support-society/

They explain things really well so these should answer your questions.

4 - How do people get shingles?
When you recover from a chickenpox infection, the virus retreats to a 'junction box' in the nerves beside the spine. It remains there in a dormant state for the rest of your life. Something 'triggers' the virus to reactivate (perhaps when you are run down or unwell, but no one really knows why) and it comes out as shingles.

5 - Is shingles infectious (catching)?
People do not catch shingles from each other. A person with shingles cannot give another person shingles, nor can you catch shingles from someone with chickenpox. In fact, it has been found that when people who have had chickenpox encounter the disease again, it increases their immunity and means they are less likely to develop shingles.

Chickenpox is infectious - people can give it to someone who has not already had it. Someone with shingles may give another person chickenpox if that person has never had chickenpox before, through direct contact with the shingles sores. This is because it is the same virus. Once people have had chickenpox, they do not usually get it again.


It's a good website as it addresses other common questions.

I noticed from your other posts that this sensation has been bothering you for a while (about a month I think you said), which makes me wonder if it could be a POST HERPETIC NEURALGIA (PHN) which you are now experiencing (almost 50% of people who get shingles then get PHN). This would mean that you may have experienced the rashes, possibly on your back, at some point perhaps a week or so after the initial symptoms. The rashes may have gradually cleared up after a week or so, but the odd feeling has persisted. Does any of that sound about right?

Go to https://herpes.org.uk/shingles-support-society/ which also has information about PHN.
You will see that they describe that:

"It may begin as the acute symptoms of shingles subside and can last a few weeks, months or occasionally years. It can appear several weeks or even months after the shingles has gone."

"PHN can be felt as "itching", "irritation," "burning," "tingling," "supersensitivity," "numbness" or "soreness" but to simplify our text we will always call it "pain"

(You will recognise the words here from your first post- burning/tingling and can understand why, combined with your description of the location of the sensation, and rashes elsewhere on the body, I think that this is most likely shingles- and with the time factors we are talking about- I'm thinking perhaps there is a PHN now.)

Again it is really important that you see a doctor, as I am just guessing at all of this!

Regards

Dr Mike
 
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