Hi I'm Kevin, I'm 41 & I'm from Norwich in the UK & I'm new here .... It's almost been 1 year since I started getting an annoying tingling sensation in my nose which would come & go. I ignored it for a couple of weeks until it started becoming more obvious & persisting for longer. I called a 24 hour number to get medical advice & after running through a long list of questions, the call handler advised me to contact my GP. Which I did later that morning. After a couple of weeks wait I got to see my GP & they ran some blood tests which all came up normal. The referred me to a Neurologist who carried out their various checks but could not find anything obvious. They referred me for an MRI which also came up clear. They sent be back to my GP with a clean bill of health. The GP appears to be stumped by what is causing it. all this time the tingling sensation has spread its reach to under my eyes & part of my forehead. They suddenly out of nowhere said it must be Peripheral neuropathy & put me on a course of Amitriptyline 10mg tablets. This up to a point started working but would only mask the symptoms for about 10 hours. So at my next review appointment I told the GP what was happening & at first he had the attitude that they had done everything they could. It was only when I highlighted that it was actually working up to a point but wore off leaving approx. 14 hours till the next tablet that they suggested that they increase my dose to Amitriptyline 10 mg twice a day. which in the most part does sort the issue. But I still have periods where I still get the symptoms come back.
I'm not convinced that they have got the right diagnosis.... I'm no doctor but it seemed strange that she went from no idea to Peripheral neuropathy in about 10 seconds.
Does anyone have any thoughts about this
Thank you for reading
Kevin
Written by
Tattooedk
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Would you also describe the sensation as if a cobweb had brushed across your face ?
If it is, then I too 'suffer' from that. I had a whole battery of tests (MRI, MRI with dye etc) but they could not find anything wrong. It mainly occurred on the left hand side of my face. My GP thought that it might be linked with my trigeminal nerve. It does recede/disappear for periods of time that can be a few days to a few months.
There seem to be quite a few people who have this sort of irritation, but no one really knows why or how to treat it.
Hi & thanks for your reply. It does not disappear without me taking my medication, if I miss a dose or run out of tablets; it comes back within a few hours. It is not painful (thankfully) but more an annoyance. I would really like to get to the bottom of the cause rather than just hide the symptoms.
I hope that your symptoms are leaving you alone at the moment.
"Peripheral" is supposed to mean the extremities, isn't it? the feet, legs, hands, & arms, right? I don't think the nose is considered to be an extremity. Something just doesn't sound right about what they are telling you. But it could be worse; at least they aren't trying to send you to a psychiatrist.
You're right, of course. I hadn't thought it through. Anything that is not the brain itself, or the spinal cord, is peripheral. That includes the autonomic nerves as well. The hands and feet are the most common location, but "rare" does not mean "impossible". Some interesting links:
Its a strange sensation to explain to someone who hasn't had the issue. Its almost feel like someone has placed a sticking plaster across the bridge of my nose & there is a pulsing sensation under the skin which extends up to my lower forehead just above my nose position.
I'm glad it was of help. The nervous system is a strange thing at times. I once suffered a broken nose, and for 20 years, every time I touched the tip of my nose, I could feel it inside my sinuses. eventually, it got back to normal. Similarly, my mom had lung surgery, and for the rest of her life, she would occasionally get an itch on the front of her chest that could only be relieved by scratching a particular spot on her back. When you tell doctors these things, they just look at you like you're crazy.
Low B12 can become a neurological condition when undiagnosed and untreated. A result under 500 is considered to be low and can result in symptoms you mention by those that know. GP's rarely think about testing B12 and when they do, have little or no understanding of the results. They will declare you normal even when at the bottom of the range. They think it is just a vitamin deficiency - sadly not. The range in the UK is usually around 180-900 - labs do vary. In Japan the range starts at 500 and goes to 1300 - ummm.
Scroll down in the link above to see the neurological signs of B12 deficiency. Take a look at the videos under the heading Films.
Pop across to the PAS forum here on HU and have a read of some of the posts that will illustrate above points - poor diagnosis - poor treatment - and a reluctance to learn.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.