Glossopharyngeal Pain

I classify the pain of glossopharyngeal neuralgia three ways: "speech pain," "icepick pain," and "seizures."

"Speech pain" would affect me when I spoke. Description: If you take your fingernails and claw/grab a chunk of your arm, that's what it would feel like in my throat. The sensation would cut speech mid-word. If I were having a lot of these attacks, I would be unable to speak as every word would be cut off.

"Ice Pick pain" would affect me when I would swallow, yawn, sneeze, and cough. Description: take an ice pick, put it on your tonsil, then hit it with a hammer. It was a combination of a sharp shot/cramp kind of feeling. It might last a few seconds up to a minute.

"Seizures" were the worst. It was a seizure in April 2001 that made me decide to go for the MVD surgery. These come on typically with swallowing, but they're kind of random as to when. Description: Take an ice pick, hook it up to a car battery, place it on your tonsil, whack it with a hammer, leave it there for a couple minutes with the car battery on. The particular problem with these is, being brought on by swallowing, they can (often do) occur when drinking. Immediately, stuff starts going down the wrong way, which seizes your windpipe, which triggers more neuralgia pain. Your body also reacts by trying to cough out what has gone down the wrong way, which triggers more neuralgia pain. As you try to gasp for breath, to cough out what's in your lungs, you have to force open your airway, which triggers more neuralgia pain. Then your gag reflex goes off, and you puke...triggering more neuralgia pain.

Oh, it's a wonderful thing! If I ever have enemies, this is what they get!

The worst of these for me (the "decider" for me to pursue the MVD), occurred in April 2001. I was outside playing street hockey in the driveway with Sean, Emily and some neighborhood kids. Having worked up a thirst, I came into the house and poured myself a glass of cran-raspberry juice cocktail. Being thirsty, I was ready to chug the glass, quench the thirst.

Immediately after the first swallow, I felt the muscles grab and I knew something was going to happen, but it was too late, my body was already in the midst of a second swallow. Immediately after the second swallow, all action stopped as my throat was thrown into convulsions of pain. I began choking on my drink (more pain). I threw up (more pain). I stood motionless over the sink for ten minutes, trying desperately not to move any muscles in my body, drooling, snot running out my nose.

I was so shaken by the event that I called in sick to work the next day. I could not function.