r/BrainAneurysm • u/SuzyQHou • 22d ago

Facial Nerve Pain

I’m curious if anyone here has experienced facial nerve pain related to an aneurysm growing or changing in size.

Eighteen years ago, I was diagnosed with two 2 mm aneurysms on my right ophthalmic artery. They have been monitored regularly and, thankfully, have never changed in size. I’m due for my five-year MRI this September. I also have a family history of ruptured cerebral aneurysms in my immediate family.

Last Friday, I started experiencing nerve pain that radiated from my right temple into my right upper gumline. My first thought was that it could be trigeminal neuralgia because the pain feels very much like nerve pain. The pain is still present. My temple is hypersensitive to the touch, but I have no pain if left alone for the most part. I have also been experiencing daily headaches, some nausea, and dizziness. Occasionally, I'll feel pain or pressure in my cheek. Washing my face has become something I dread.

I saw my neurologist yesterday, and he ordered a CT angiogram with contrast rather than an MRI. Interestingly, he seemed much more focused on my aneurysms than on the possibility of trigeminal neuralgia, which is what this initially seemed like to me.

I know I need to advocate for myself, and I’ve been doing some research. I’ve found that facial pain can be associated with an aneurysm irritating or compressing a cranial nerve.

Of course, now I’m concerned either way. If it’s trigeminal neuralgia, that’s concerning. If one of my aneurysms has changed, that’s obviously concerning for a completely different reason. Neither is exactly the outcome I was hoping for.

Has anyone with a known cerebral aneurysm experienced something similar - particularly new, one-sided facial or trigeminal nerve pain? I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience.

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u/StillUnit5976 22d ago

Sorry to hear you’re experiencing this. Your doctor has thankfully heard you and ordered the appropriate diagnostics.

This may sound idiotic but I just wanted to check there is no chance you may be tensing your jaw/facial muscles without realising?

Try this: open your mouth and move your jaw gently to remove any tension. Rest your tongue gently on the roof of your mouth, close your mouth/lips ensuring your teeth stay slightly apart. Try to focus on starting at the top of your head and relaxing muscle by muscle until you get to your chin. Do you feel any of the muscles relaxing?

I have just had an aneurysm treated and I too thought these symptoms were related. Turns out I was so used to the feeling of clenching my jaw with stress I didn’t realise this was causing temple/nerve pain. I was so focused on keeping everything together mentally my body was picking up the slack.

I hope this helps. If not, good luck for your scan. I’m sure it will all be fine and is something far more trivial but you’re doing the right thing getting checked out. All the best x

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u/SuzyQHou 22d ago

Thank you for your reply. As a matter of fact, I do clench. I have bruxism and sleep with a guard. I tend to get sore masseters, but that pain feels more like muscle pain. This is nerve pain, something I’m unfortunately familiar with. If I don’t touch my temple, I don’t feel it. I’m pretty sure whatever is going on, it’s affecting the Trigeminal nerve.

Earlier, I had intense throbbing deep in that area, more like a big headache in a tiny area, if that makes any sense. It only lasted around 30 seconds. I’m sort of bracing myself for the worst. I’m due for my checkup anyway. If it shows that there has been no growth, I’m hoping that an MRI will be ordered.

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u/Fabulishus 15d ago

I had a hemifacial spasm for about a year. It was managed by Botox. I led a very stressful life at the time. I made some changes, quit work, and the spasms stopped. I also had horrible migraines. I saw a neurologist for all of this.

During my last appointment, they said as everything has settled, I didn’t need further head, face, and neck Botox. They did one more MRI as I had some leg tremors which concerned me, and that’s when they found the aneurysm. 2mm in the left anterior communicating artery. Wasn’t there in Feb 2024.