Tickling sensation on cheek

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have a sensation centered near the bottom of my left cheek, though it extends to underneath the chin, to the back of the neck, and almost to the shoulder. The sensation is hard to describe; it might be a little like a (mild) “pins and needles” feeling; it’s a soft fuzzy feeling, a little like tickling or an itch. It is not really unpleasant or even annoying, but I do wonder what it is a symptom of.

I may have occasionally had this sensation for many years, but now it is very frequent. It isn’t constant but comes every few minutes. I am 70-yo male.

Any ideas? Or suggestions for Googling terms?

2

Facial nerves are cray-cray. Ever had Bell’s Palsy. I ain’t any kind of medical person. Just a WAG.

3

People are too quick to rule out ghosts.

4

That sounds like a paresthesia (altered sensation) but a doctor would have to examine you to find out for sure.

Over the past few years, I’ve had an intermittent “cold spot” at the base of my right shoulder blade, and saw my doctor when it first appeared because I feared that it might be shingles. It wasn’t, thank heavens.

5

Thanks for the replies. “Minor problem with facial nerve” sounds much more benign than my own paranoid hypochondriac musings!

6

I get something similar with migraines. There are also types of facial neuralgia that can cause this.

Do you notice any other symptoms with this? Is your face more sensitive in that area? Any vision changes? Mouth pain? Trouble swallowing?

7

I sometimes have trouble swallowing; I think I’ve mentioned that here in IMHO. Dopers and Google led me to think that was a routine effect of aging; but the doctor I mentioned it to (while pursuing a different problem) thought it might be cancer and wanted to do some sort of scoping.

The difficulty swallowing — which has forced me to vomit 2 or 3 times — manifests mainly when trying to read a book while eating! :smack: If instead I pay attention and avoid large bites, I’m fine.