MRI Question?

I got my MRI report today. It says …”a blood vessel crosses the superior margin of the left nerve entry zone”…
the left side is my TN side. What does this mean?
Thanks for your help!

That should mean a blood vessel is potentially pressing on the nerve branch. You doc should be able to break down details for you.

It is so hard to wait for the appointment. Curious is that is an artery or not.:heart:

It really doesn’t matter if it is a vein or artery. Both can be decompressed although artery compression is more common.See a neurosurgeon for a MVD!

Plenty of people have vascular compression of the trigeminal nerve without TN, vascular and arterial. Don’t let anyone convince you of surgery on this basis alone. Your trigeminal nerve has it’s own blood supply within it, not stated to cause problems. A lot of the trigeminal nerve is unmylinated so don’t necessarily take on board this vessel is eroding it so we must / should do this.

Said it before, the risks of MVD ( my opinion), don’t out way the downside, I’d say Janneta was wrong and his predecessors ignorant of the anatomy.

So what if all conventional meds are losing their efficacy? What’s the next step?

I don’t know your personal history, but the trigeminal nerve complex, is well,complex. It can be influenced by all manor, all of which I reckon should be explored before surgical and destructive procedures. I sound like a boor/ bore I’ve said it before, you don’t suffer TN due to lack of medication.

Google Trigeminal nerve complex and you will find it far reaching, and like any illness, short of hereditary, can be influenced by lifestyle, and life situations. I’d address these before surgical interventions, often, unfortunately far from easy, which might be why many people opt for the medical intervention as soon as. It’s a lot easier to take a pain killer for a hangover than stop drinking for e.g.

I have been through 2 MVD surgical procedures for a complex combination of Glossopharyngeal and Gerniculate Neuralgia (affecting three nerves in Trigeminal Nerve Complex) … each time there has been a slight improvement but the pain has returned BOTH times after six to eight months …

…none of the regular TN drugs actually worked for me (well, not if you count zombie-like state of being and dozing your life away on the couch) and I’ve had to give up my profession (accountant / tax practitioner) because of the big “gaps” in my functional memory/cognitive recall especially under pressure
… apart from that, I’m actually doing okay …

I can still drive my car which I love (although I now need a gps to find where I’m going when under any stress or in heavy traffic when I need to concentrate hard)
I also manage and run a very low-key virtual office to provide myself with a daily purpose … it’s completely “pro bono” so not ideal for income generation.

…but, the key factor is that I’ve taken up knitting for therapy … it keeps my hands busy and helps me to focus when watching tv …

I am no longer able to read a book or do challenging puzzles like crosswords and Sudoku (which were my “go to” time waster fun things to do), but there are lots of other fun puzzles that I can do.

My motto is to manage the pain/nausea/dizziness with medication that works and to celebrate every day with what I enjoy doing and spend time with the people I love…

Onwards and Upwards, life is too short to dwell in the depths of pain!!

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Jab_jaw, I hope you get some clarity very soon so you can decide on next steps. Sending you most positive vibes.

LorraineMC, I was sorry to read of the new limitations glossopharyngeal and Geniculate Neuralgia brought, and heartened to see your wonderfully positive attitude. (Reading this at 4:15 am here as I am awakened by my pain.) Are the medications helping to control the pain, and are they preventing you from reading? Is it a constant ache, or repeated zaps? I’m so sorry it returned after the surgeries. Your positive spirit is an inspiration. :sunny: