Who helped you with a successful ganglion block? How does the doc know where to stick the needle? I’m willing to go about anywhere. Dr boils at Emory is only doing face stimulators and my trial stirred things up. I’ve had 2 rf ablation/rhizotomies that did not dork. Doc, rated top do. In country in Atlanta told me she can’t reach ganglions
or distal branches. Can’t find a Georgia doc. I’m wling to travel. Please let me know who is good with face pain- anyone?
The TN Association maintains a knowledge base (http://www.fpa-support.org) which includes doctor listings by state. An even better source of doctor recommendations might be support group contacts that they list on the site. One of their Medical Advisory Board members (Al Rhoton) used to practice in Jacksonville FL, I believe at the Shands Center.
Suggest you give TNA/FPA a visit. However, I would share Lorrie's concern about the temporary effects of nerve block. In most cases the maximum help you can expect is a few weeks.
Regards, Red
I had a block done 8/25 they said it could make me worse didn't believe them, well it made me worse, now I am scheduled to do a trial stimulator 11/29 are you saying the stim made you worse? Oh lord I dont think I can go any more than the 9.99999 I am right now Can you let me know? Thank you
Nerve blocks are intended to numb the area of the face. They don't always work, and when they do, pain reduction is generally for a period of "a few" weeks before their effects wear off. A series may be necessary rather than just one or two.
One cautionary note: many neurosurgeons are now of the opinion that when the origin of neuropathic pain is a discrete injury such as over-filling a root canal with a toxic pulp, the use of lesioning procedures is likely to be less successful and may in fact add to some patients' pain. This is a question to raise with Dr Rynick.
All of us are aware that there are good docs and some bad ones. If you've had a good experience, don't hesitate to recommend a doc by name and location. However, we do not allow negative reviews of any doctors by name or medical centers by name.
Regards, Red
Tommie, I think you may have a couple of things a bit confused. Trigeminal Rhizotomy is done by means of a hollow probe inserted through the cheek and threaded into one of the caverns through which the Trigeminal nerve passes. It involves no opening in the skull. Microvascular Decompression, on the other hand, involves opening the skull at the mastoid bone just behind the ear. Very different (and much more expensive) surgical procedure.
Your doctors are correct in recommending strongly against nerve section or partial section. The outcome statistics are poor and risk of increased pain is high.
Regards, Red
the dr in jacksonville that I saw today does many blocks. Dr. Timothy sternberg who was head of the shands facial pain clinic. Im wiped out but we discussed several blocks and I thought you should call. He does not undestand the skin shortage problem. Red, you are right about lymphydema, and theres lumps of fluid under the lids causing dizziness and I think the closure. The fluid also forms on the cheek -jaw-nape,. He didnt understand my explanation of tissue shrinkage in air or the cold. He knows his stuff as far as the nerve bundles, but I still dont know if an injection will work. He has and does treat many plastic surgery patients.
My surgeon gets the picture surgically and the tissue shortage while I think Sternberg is viewing it from another angle. Call me if you want 561-4293494.
I do not see clearly in the morning and I am dizzy until the fluid dissipates. I am pullin on leather. The jaw shrinks as well. The right side is much worse. I was impressed by his knowledge.
Is dr Morgan someone I should have a consultation with? I
Lorrie H said:
I think I'd stay away from that block. I live in Alabama and had a dentist botch a root canal and burn my nerve (permanently) with a formaldehyde material. I went to a pain clinic and they offered that block. My neuro at the time Marla Morgan (who lives in Georgia now) told me to stay away from it. Even if you get relief w/o getting more damage, its only temporary. I've been told by a slew of doctors to stay away from any of those procedures and medicate it. I know someone who has tried a number of these and she'd ended up worse off almost every time. I know I can't take worse, esp on a day like today. If I had this level of pain all day every day, I don't know what I would do.
Yes I have damages and I've even have docs
ask me why I didn't sue yet. I've spoken to a couple of Attysand
Of attorneys in TX and they have tight limits of 250,000 on pain and suffering. So you have to win big to make it worthwhile, I have docs who state they will help me anyway. I'm just struggling right now get through disability redtape. I've been so sick with multiple post operative
Complications and no help to handle . I had no help with getting through the red tape of 2 disabiliy programs while still trying to get to the bottom of numerous post operative complications..,…I've reported some hardware malfunctions , etc. Very complex journey. I have lost wages, lost my position due to pain and othe related
issues, was soo sick , couldn't drive, had to eat purred food because I could not chew due to V2 and V3 damage, numerous infections and was on IV antibiotics on and off for months which ran down my bone marr thus causing immune problems, etclist goes on but tg pain is the worst with interfeering with daily life. I fi
I finally sold my home and moved in with my mo
....which has it's own challenges. Thx for asking.
Lorrie H said:
I am in and out on this board and haven't been here lately. What is your damage? Are you suing?
Thx, as always!
Richard A. “Red” Lawhern said:
The TN Association maintains a knowledge base (http://www.fpa-support.org) which includes doctor listings by state. An even better source of doctor recommendations might be support group contacts that they list on the site. One of their Medical Advisory Board members (Al Rhoton) used to practice in Jacksonville FL, I believe at the Shands Center.
Suggest you give TNA/FPA a visit. However, I would share Lorrie’s concern about the temporary effects of nerve block. In most cases the maximum help you can expect is a few weeks.
Regards, Red
Everyone is different. This stimulator may feel great for u. They can do a trial run first. Good luck. I hope it wlorks well for you.
kwebster said:
I had a block done 8/25 they said it could make me worse didn’t believe them, well it made me worse, now I am scheduled to do a trial stimulator 11/29 are you saying the stim made you worse? Oh lord I dont think I can go any more than the 9.99999 I am right now Can you let me know? Thank you
Thanks!
Lorrie H said:
I never had a stimulator. I went to see a neurosurgeon and he was going to treat me like I had trigeminal neuralgia (classic) by implanting a battery/electrodes. Two people before me with the same pain in the same area went first and it didn't help them. Then when he tried to charge me $600 for a 15 minute appt I did some research and found out he had been kicked out of Ohio for unethical, at best, behavior. I have no doubt that he is coding these surgeries like TN (blood vessel pressing on nerve). He then told me if that surgery didn't work, he could to a Vascular Decompression surgery. When I asked "what does that have to do with my problem?" He said, "well lets talk about this other problem". NO LET'S NOT. I hear that there are some doctors in Chicago that do it as well.
You really need to stay away from any procedure that affects/intervenes with that nerve. I have seen many people who tried these kinds of things and they are always worse off, even if sometimes it seems they got relief. Find a good neuro who can help you with drugs to treat it. You will get to the point that the pain is more tolerable, mostly because you have no choice. Try (I know it is hard) to not focus on it. I went to the ER recently because of food poisoning and I had missed 3 doses of drugs because I couldn't keep it down. I thought I was going to climb a wall from the pain. Once I got medicated again, I realized how "good" I have it with those d*&( drugs. A blessing and a curse at the same time.
Thank you, tinkerbell - my family and others are against the stim, want me to try meds longer, but I havent found a drug that will let me get out of bed and none have done anything to lower pain, unless i just sleep 24 hours a day, so I think I am pretty set on the trial of the stimulator, even tho I know its just a try if I can get my 9 pain down to a 4 again I will live with that, I was about a 4 to 9 before block, everyone keeps saying meds, meds, meds, and I have yet to find anything that works for me. I call my pain a 9 because I know if I ever say 10 then I will give up
Kathy
Im in bed a lot also. Why is it so bad. Im on muscle and nerve so it its not one its the other. what stimulater are you thinking of because I am leaning toward a pump.
Im due to have blocks but i was told 6 weeks. I have a 4 hour ride each way.
Its not enough or too sort lasting.
I think i agree with you.
Im wondering if Sternberg who I saw does this. call him-904-■■■■■■■■. i gave you a surgeon list before for the jaw. i have unlimited long distance if you need tto talk. is there a lawyers group like binder and binder which helped me in NY.
Lorrie, the experience you report is possibly the reason why some of the more ethically sound lawyers recommend that they NOT be employed before the Disability process goes before an Administrative Law Judge (third level of review). It is legitimate that the Federal award caps on disability may create a financial disincentive for lawyers to be involved. $6,000 dollars doesn't go very far these days, even to meet overhead expenses.
Opinions vary on whether a lawyer's services make it more likely for you to win your claim early in the process. FYI, the disability process overall is reviewed in some depth in an article titled "Coping With Crisis", under our Face Pain Info tab in the menu above.
Regards, Red
id like to know if i am a candidate. who is giving these blocks and wear. im getting 3 blocks. am i in danger. are there other choices and where do i obtain them.
Elaine, I would have no idea if you are a candidate for a nerve block. Most people are but there are exceptions. Maybe Red, Tommie or some of the others can guide you better. None of my blocks had steroids in them which makes the blocks last longer. Using no steroids, makes my blocks very short-lived and my blocks were only diagnostic to find out which nerves were involved in causing the facial pain. Tommie's nerve block was obviously for to treat his occipital nerve problems. His doctor was stephen rynick near New Orleans ( a suburb called Marrero, LA). He sounded like he's given Tommie some good nerve blocks. I had to call around to pain management clinics, neurologists and neurosurgeons to find who actually does facial nerve blocks. They are not prevalent. Most just do necks, backs, etc. Good luck.
Tinkerbell
Tommie,
I had an occipital nerve block a few years back after getting hit in an auto accident. They were helpful. But now that I had that awful TMJ prosthesis surgery, the ATN problem has taken priority over the occiptal nerve pain. I looked up Dr. Rynick. Should I contact his office regarding regarding giving nerve blocks in my particular case? Does he do trigeminal nerve blocks?
Thanks,
Tinkerbel
Red, Hi this is Tinkerbell. You mentioned a list of doctors in our resource pages that lists doctors who can help us that are categorized by state. I can't seem to find it. Can you help me locate this list? Thanks, Tinkerbell