Numb Chin Syndrome

Cathie, I have skull mets that are pressing on the lining of my brain. I've had off and on numbness in my face in the past, but chemo took care of that pretty quickly. Anti-hormonals can take awhile to take effect, but (for me, at least, and according to my onc) chemo acts much more quickly. 

I don't like chemo either, but it has certainly made a difference. I was on the hormonals for about 3 years and blew through them all. Then I have been on chemo for 2 and a half years. There are some "gentler" chemos that might work for you. Sure, it's not a cure, but it can at least keep the cancer at bay, and in some cases get you to stable or NED. 

And as to the statistics, they're way out of date and apply to all breast cancers. You are an individual and the only way you can know if a treatment is working is to try it and see. That's the annoying part of this disease, that what works for one person doesn't work at all for another, even if they have the same type of breast cancer. 

Hi Bellerags, and welcome to Breastcancer.org! We're sorry that this worry brought you here, but you certainly found the perfect community to be with and we're happy you decided to join us!

We wanted to let you know that the thread you posted in has been inactive since September 2014. Also this forum is for Stage IV members only, so we would suggest starting your own new thread under the Not diagnosed but worried forum or the High Risk for Breast Cancer forum. Just follow one of the links and then click on "Start a new topic". Add a title, write your comment, and when you are ready to post your new topic, click "Submit".

We hope this helps!

The Mods

I had numb chin and lower lip on the right side. I thought it was from a wisdom tooth that was bothering me. I went to an oral surgeon to have the tooth pulled and found that I had a tumor in my mandible. It was mets from BC. I had a mandiblectomy and now have a titanium plate in my jaw. My lip and chin are still a little numb but probably always will be from the surgery.

Sorry smileyky I don't have any answers. I just saw your user name and had to ask about the Ky. I'm from Kentucky but is says you are from Australia.

Hopefully someone will come along soon and be able to commiserate. Good luck with the mri and let us know the results.

hi all,

I have ncs on the left side and left part of lip. It was on the right side last year. Having had scans, they found nothing and concluded it's just a SE of the chemo and Zometa.

I have gotten used to it. Sometimes feel I am chewing my teeth as I don't feel the pain.. Yuck! Seen an orthodondist who relieved me saying my jaw bone and teeth are still ok. For now.

My basic and practical solution is .. What the heck, still alive! So I enjoy food on the right side of my mouth.. But do admit I get frustrated spilling out water drinking from glass.. So, I use bottled water ) always have a basic solution in this hell..

Dear JemMom, if my experience could be of even the slightest help to you, I'd like to share it with you. One night I was awakened by a tingling, numb-ish sensation in my lower lip and chin on the right side of my mouth. After a few days, it still hadn't gone away. I initially called my dental surgeon, as I had implants. He didn't, however, seem to react with any immediate definitive knowledge of what might be going on, so I decided to call my primary care physician instead. He brought me in right away, gave me an exam, ordered scans, and was able to determine what was going on. In my case, it was that the scan results were consistent with cancer. Those were my results, not necessarily the same for everyone. But, to answer your question of which doctor to call, it was my primary care who was immediately able to identify the source of my lip and chin numbness, and lead me to my next steps. Why not call your primary care physician on Monday and ask to come in for an appointment based on your current symptoms.