Hello all
I am a newb to writing on the forums but have hovered around the peripherals for some time, taking great comfort at times from the advice and support here.
I have had TN for around 3.5 years and I am finally booked in for the MVD operation next week under the NHS in the UK.
I went for my preassesment today. Weight, height, bloods etc and during the discussion the nurse said I’ll likely only stay in hospital for 1 NIGHT! This was certainly a surprise and my surgeon and all accounts on here that I have read seem to suggest at least 3 nights.
Is there any chance she has it right? I am just keen to get an idea as I’m a single Mum. Of course I understand this is one of those things that differs patient by patient. Maybe just a bit of a poll of how long you where in hospital for after your MVD?.. 
Thank you all x
Yes I was told that it would only be a 1 day stay also. I did stay 2 days because the day of surgery was not until 1:00 pm. So I was to stay 24 hrs. and checkout was at noon, so I stayed one more day. I did need help at home so make sure you have someome there to help you and someone to take care of your child or children. I hope everthing goes great for you.
Good Luck
Thank you so much for your reply. So such a short stay is possible! Must say I’m shocked - but pleased. I’m scheduled for 7am so my chances are good for 1 night if no complications I suppose. I have mum and sis so should be fine. Was your surgery successful? I do hope so. All the best x
Apologies cadworks, just read your bio and I see you are still searching for your solution I do hope you find it x
It could be because I’m in the US (though I’m a fellow Brit 
), but I just had the MVD/Internal Neurolysis (splitting the nerve) done about 4 weeks ago… I was one night in ICU, followed by another 3 nights in a standard ward. I would be VERY hesitant to do less than that… You’ll have a lot of weakness and pain the first week or so as the incision heals. They were going to discharge me on day three, but I could barely even used the bathroom without getting faint.
At the end of the day, it will be up to you… Don’t let them bully you into leaving if you’re not feeling up to it.
And use the drugs… It was tempting for me to “tough it out”, as I tend to do, but a friend who is a nurse told me to just take them… it really helps 
Good luck…
Thank you ever so much Rob yes I wondered if the way the NHS do it may differ a lot from elsewhere certainly in terms of how long they keep you in. I was completely expecting 3 days to a week and I think I’ll keep that as my expectation. I hope your surgery went well. Gemma
I had mine in Feb this year. I was 6 hours in surgery, one night in ICU then 5 days on a ward. This was NHS in Sheffield.
Thank you Chusty- your reply most appreciated. How are you now? Gemma x
My surgery helped me for about 4 - 6 weeks. I was able to get off all of my pain meds. I did lose 85% of my hearing in my rt ear, but I didn’t mind that as long as the pain went away. With the hearing loss I now had vistubular disorder.
After about 4 -6 week all the pain was back (full force). I have heard that alot of other have had good luck with the MVD, I was just one of the unlucky ones. I am glad that I had the surgery, even though it did not work for me. Keep good thoughts going and things will go well.
I always remember thier are peolpe worse that me and my pain is able to be pretty much controled by meds. I hope for the best for you in your surgery and keep your spirits up.
I hope your op goes well. Please let us know how you get on.
Hi Gemma, I had my MVD done a couple years ago. I got TN in 2013 so I decided to have the operation while I was in good health and not yet 70. My op went very well. I was able to come home after a day and had minimal pain. My doctor is a big fan of that super glue they use instead if stitches so I think that helped cause I never had any pain associated with the actual
incision and coming home was no big deal, but you do what feels right to you and listen to the doctor. Good Luck and hope this sees you well and happy for many years. terry
Hello and good luck!
I stayed one night in the neuro intensive care, then one in intendive care and one in med-surg. So 3 all together. Can’t imagine you can go home in one.
Do you have help when you get home? You will appreciate it I think.
Jean Marie
Hi, I had an MVD just last year in OCT. Yes three days is usually about the time you would stay. I had a really hard time of it. I threw up every day every minute for four days. But if you need to loose weight it works great. I had another 4 weeks in in assisted care nursing home. I have some bad things that happened to me had I of known about it then I would NOT of had the operation. Hope you have better and good luck to you .
Well I am back at last!!
It was 6 weeks since my MVD yesterday.
Before I forget thank you ever so much to all who messaged - great to have contact with others with TN and not something I have come across in real life.
I had the operation at Royal London in White chapel. I had to go in for ‘pre op’ at the hospital a week earlier which would have been better if the nurse had known a little about the op. As nice as she was, she told me I’d only be in overnight which led to a bit of last minute wishful underestimating of the magnitude of the operation by me! (hence 1st message!) Probably would have been better to expect it to be harder going and be pleasantly surprised than the other way around.
As I waited to go into theatre I was predictably nervy and was looing forward to the anaesthetic!
Anyway I ended up delayed down in recovery for some time due to bed shortages and then moved at least another 2 times for the same reason but I don’t think impacted my recovery much as I was in a fair amount of pain - lots of nausea. I stayed in hospital for 3 nights and the sickness and not wanting the eat/ feeling pretty dodgy lasted for another good week at home. I was dizzy for about 4 weeks roughly.
There are gaps in my knowledge as my consultant did tell me later that the operation had been a bit more complicated than he thought and it seems I was under the knife for longer than expected. I haven’t got an appointment with consultant until early October when perhaps I’ll find out more.
My operation site has been an issue. I had 16 staples and was told to get them take out after a week by my GP/ Practice nurse. As with so much of the UK, getting a Dr’s appointment at my surgery is not that easy and most medical staff are unfamiliar to that particular surgery location and equipment - let alone a patient with a slightly dodgy MVD incision site! Any way I had them taken out over the coarse of I think 3 separate visits to the nurse. The nurse wanted to leave the staples in for longer but eventually they sort out Dr advice and the GP came and had a look, removed a particularly stubborn staple himself and explained/ pointed out to the nurse that if an infection was forming then it would only clear with antibiotics and with the metal out. After this the wound promptly opened up partially and then almost fully a week or so after that. That was a bit scary as it was in the evening that that happened and I was left dreaming of restapled wounds!!. Straight down the GP in the morning - different GP as the other one had left! He was reassuring and unfazed and showed us how to apply steri strips as that was the way to go now he said, they don’t restaple! Phew! So I have been having my poor Mum change my steri strips/ butterfly stitches daily and since that visit and now 2 lots of antibiotics things look to be improving. Slowely! I wonder if I was allergic to the metal. Anyway I am pleased to report the most important part - I have gradually come off all of the meds and I am currently free of TN - long may it continue!