A patient comes to the clinic complaining of excruciating pain on one side of the face. What should the nurse suspect is occurring with this patient?

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Excruciating pain on one side of the face is a classic symptom of trigeminal neuralgia, which is characterized by sudden, severe facial pain that typically lasts for seconds to minutes and occurs in brief, unpredictable attacks. It is often triggered by movements such as chewing, talking, or brushing one's teeth. Parkinson disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia, but does not typically present with facial pain. Bell palsy is a condition that causes temporary weakness or paralysis of the facial muscles on one side of the face, but does not typically cause severe pain. Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder that affects the neuromuscular junction and causes muscle weakness, but does not typically present with facial pain.

A Patient Comes to the Clinic Complaining of Excruciating Pain