Posted by ErinBear (216.192.5.42) on September 21, 1999 at 01:26:47:
In Reply to: Crosswords posted by Ted on September 20, 1999 at 23:34:03:
Hi Ted,
Trigeminal neuralgia (also known as tic douloureux) is a disorder of the fifth cranial nerve. Usually it strikes on one side of the face in one of three branches of the nerve (the first branch covers the forehead and temple; the second branch covers the cheeks, nose, and upper lip; the third branch covers the lower jaw). It causes short bursts of electric-shock-like pain which is extremely severe and sometimes it causes other strange nerve sensations too. This pain can be set off by all sorts of seemingly-innocuous things like talking, brushing one's teeth, eating, walking, vibrations, being outside in the wind, or even physical touch. It's a very rare disorder, and it's even more rare to have it on both sides; I'm just "lucky" I guess. Sigh. Anyway, I hope this helps answer the question.
--- ErinBear