Chicago TN Patient

Her Personal Story of B-12 and B Complex Therapy

I am 56 years old. When I was about 19, I developed a case of TN.  However, I didn't know at the time that's what I had, and I wasn't properly diagnosed for nearly a year.

After having "cavities" filled and even a root canal (unnecessary!), I consulted my old family doctor who had delivered me and my siblings and who had served as a doctor in WWII. Upon hearing my symptoms, he immediately diagnosed TNA and prescribed an intensive round of injections of Vitamin B-12 and Vitamin B Complex therapy. Within a short period of time (4-6 weeks, I think), my pain had disappeared.

Since then, I have only occasionally experienced the beginnings of a flareup (usually when run down or sick/low immunity), but I've heeded the warnings and paid better attention to my diet and vitamins. I'm grateful my doctor insisted on the injections back in 1971; he said the vitamins needed to enter the bloodstream immediately to do any good. He had seen this same condition among soldiers in WWII and among mailmen in the U.S. whose faces and heads are exposed to cold weather.

I hope this will help someone else and add to the store of knowledge about this extremely painful condition. I well remember how excruciating it was to eat and speak. I was at the point where all I ate was soft baby food, and I avoided talking.

Unbeknownst to me, my nephew's wife (not a blood relation) has been suffering with TN for 8 years, and she is going to the Mayo Clinic for surgery next week. I'm hopeful she'll ask about Vitamin B12/B complex as an alternative therapy.

Posted 1-7-08