MRI results

General General TN & GPN (Old Site)
1

Hi all,
Im hoping you can maybe put my mind at rest if any if you have had the same experience, im 37 and I’ve had tn type 1 and 2 since November 2012, my Doctor is wonderful and has been tinkering with my medication after an allergy to tegretol.

The pain seems to be spreading, it started in one branch on the left and is now in all 3, I have deep pain in my left ear along with a full feeling and I’ve become part deaf on that side,it has been checked 3 times and it looks fine inside, then it spread to my nose, roof of mouth and more or less everywhere on the left side, tongue,teeth, lips, a terrible pressure pain up the left side of my head and then I started having spasm in my face, my whole left side just drops, my eyes become uneven and my mouth and cheek drop too, I have a family history of stroke so I knew it wasn’t that, the whole side of my head goes tight and its a mixture of burning, electric,stabbing pains that seem to roam around at once , it usually lasts about 5-10 minutes. I also developed jerks in my muscles all over my body when I rest and seem to have lost most of my sense of taste and smell, I don’t know if that is a side effect of medication or the nerve itself.

I had the same pain on the other side, but only in the jaw and middle branch.
My GP managed to get me an appointment with a neurologist on the 26th of March, he thinks i have a problem with 3 different nerves, the trigeminal, the facial motor nerve and another one i cant remember,I had a scan on the 6th march, my last appointment with my GP was on the 4th march and he asked me to call the surgery to see if the results were in in about 10 days after the scan and then make an appointment with him the week later to collect the results and take them to my appointment at the neurologist on the 26th.

I’m rather worried because I got a call this afternoon from my doctors secretary to tell me that the results are in and my GP had asked her to call me to make an appointment ASAP to go in and discuss the results and was I free at 10.40 am tomorrow ! :frowning:

I presume if there was nothing on the MRI then I would just ring as planned and go and collect, or if there is a blood vessel showing, then that is to be expected and again, go and collect to take to the neurologist as planned, so now I’m having every worst case scenario going through my head :frowning: I asked the secretary if she can tell me what the report said but she told me that she is not allowed.

Has anyone else had a call like that and it’s just a simple, your results were ready early appointment ? I don’t know what to make of it :frowning:

2

All I can say is that I read your post and that I am sorry and even though I do not know you, I care:) Just try to tell yourself that you will get through this and not imagine the worst. Sometimes I know my imagination itself, when I am scared can make me feel much worse! You are not alone pretty lady.. Stay strong and say some prayers. The Drs will help you get to the bottom of this. I just joined this sight a few days ago & noticed that there are many people and groups that can be of help and support. Stay Strong.. Hugs!

3

Hi jewels,
Thanks for your reply and kind words , they are appreciated :slight_smile: I’m fairly new here myself, I joined a few weeks ago and already had some wonderful tips about numbing mouthwash for when flare ups make it impossible to eat .
I noticed in one of your posts you were asking about ear pain, since I started with TN I’ve always had low grade pain, like earache, but when I’m having the flare ups of constant pain with added shock/spasm pains my ear becomes much more painful and when I have a spasm it’s a deep stabbing pain, the last flare up lasted almost 2 weeks, then had a 5 day break before returning today, but from the start of the 2 weeks, my ear is so stuffy and deaf, it feels like I’m underwater, my voice echoes in my head , there is nothing actually wrong with it, my doctor said its the nerve just thinks there is a problem because its over sensitive, the strangest part is, even though my hearing on that side is now almost gone, noises still make it crackle and hurt it more :frowning:

4

Oh bless your heart. I can't imagine. Try to stay calm and just wait and worry IF there is something to worry about. I know that's easier said than done, but I find that it helps to stay busy to keep my mind off of things. Take something to help you sleep tonight so that you can rest. Keep us posted and let us know what the doc says. Praying for you to have a peaceful, worry-free night and to have good results tomorrow. ((((((((((hugs))))))))))

5

Hi Donna ,
Thank you for your advice :slight_smile: you are absolutely right about the “if” , I was thinking the same thing earlier on, the only thing that panicked me was them calling me and saying to go tomorrow,
I will only see the one doctor who is one of the two partners of the practice of about 15, he’s really good and from the first time I saw him he knew all about TN and how to treat which always gives you confidence
, it’s him that managed to sort out the neurologist, they wanted me to wait until mid summer for an appointment but he got it moved to 26th march :slight_smile: and then because it was still a few weeks off, he referred me for a private MRI through the nhs, it’s impossible to get an appointment with him without at least a weeks notice.
That’s why I was more worried, because he wanted me to just go and collect the results in 2 weeks so he knew that they wouldn’t get lost in transit on the way to the neurologist, and now he wants me to go tomorrow to discuss the findings and has changed his schedule of patients to fit me in for a 20 minute slot, it’s usually 5-10 mins :frowning:
I will sleep tonight, it’s almost 1am, but the amitriptyline seems to have the effect of making me wide awake instead of sleepy like most people get :smiley: I seem to get to 1.30 and then I’m fast asleep, I’m going with the thought of, if they have found something, then at least they know the cause and can fix it :slight_smile:
How is your tn going ? You have control with meds or you’ve had surgery ?
I’ve only been on here for a couple of weeks and have found everyone really supportive and it’s the only place where people can actually understand what it’s like :slight_smile:

6

I hope you post what you found out -- it sounds like you have been through hell already!!

7

Hi Louise,
So sorry to read you’re going through such living hell. If you’re still up, and still checking in, it won’t be much longer now and you’ll have some answers soon. You’re in my thoughts. Hold tight.
Bella

8

((( Louise ))),

No matter what the news, you will be ok.
Perhaps you will know at last what is what and then be able to start a treatment plan or look into options that will help you.
I’m so thankful that your doctor is being so diligent !
Trust that all will be ok, I’m thinking of you…sending positive thoughts!
((Hugs)), Mimi xx

9

Your in my prayers and thoughts. When I had my MRI they had me back quickly to tell me they didnt see anything, which is common in a lot of TN cases, maybe they just want to get you to a Neurologist asap to be treated for the TN.. Even tho my MRI didnt show anything, I still was Dx with TN, and I ended up having MVD in Oct, I had a lot of the same symptoms you do like the hearing, and spasms in your face, and numbness in your mouth and teeth.sometimes, my face would swell up so bad on that side, I couldn't talk or go to work. a lot of these things.. drs just cant explain, but we know our bodies, and what it really does to them.... after my surgery, its like I could hear again, and so many of the agonies were gone =) but im back in a flair up.. but we can never give up on this!!..TN is so complex its hard to know what to expect from it, or what is coming from the medicine too.. I wish you the best tomorrow, and no matter what the outcome is.. your right, at least then you will know what action plan you will need to take to get better!!

many blessings

xoxoxo

Angie

10

Thanks KC, Mimi, Bella and Angie for your lovely words of encouragement, they are truly appreciated, as is knowing that your not on your own and people do care even if they have never met you :slight_smile:
I’ve been to see the Doctor and it is nothing sinister thank God , the results is :

Both superior cerebellar arteries are contracting the superior margins of the trigeminal nerves at the root of entry bilaterally .

Pointed cerebellar tonsils lying 14mm below the foremen magnum, reaching the C1 level, no evidence of hydrocephalus or syrinx, level 1 chiari malformation has been described as a rare cause of trigeminal neuralgia .

So as far as I can tell, the cause of pain on both sides of my face is the artery shown on the MRI and the chiari malformation is most probably the cause of my pins and needles in my hands and feet, and could be to do with the tinnitus and headaches from fast movement .

I’m not sure what questions I should be asking the neurologist on the 26th, my gp mentioned surgery but just the thought of that turns my stomach, I’m rather squeamish , but it seems a better option than a life of pain, my first thought when I knew I had TN was gamma knife, the least queasy option, but I’ve read that since my left side is a mix of type 1 & 2, it may not be appropriate and also could reduce the chances of a successfull mdv, is that correct or I got mixed up by reading too much ?

Would love to get some advice on questions to ask, as my mind tends to go blank when I walk through the doctors door at the best of times :frowning:

Sending you all my best wishes to have a good and hopefully pain free day
Louise

11

Oh Louise, I’m so glad it wasn’t anything “sinister”. ; )
I too have type 1and 2 on my left side. This is the side I am having mvd for soon.
My right is type 1 and controlled by meds, my left was always just type 2 until a few months ago, it’s now a mix of both and med resistant. Therefore the decision to go for mvd.

In the coming days I would read and research all you can about different procedures.
Let the neurologist lead your discussion, then ask questions.
Ask if he has any patients like you
Ask about meds or procedures, course of action in his opinion
Ask if you can contact him and how, when/ if you are in a pain crisis OR what to do.
( I know I can call my Neuro and leave a message, he’ll personally call me back that same day)
That’s all I can think of at the moment.

((Hugs)), Mimi

12

YES! Gamma and other nerve damaging procedures DO make less successful chances for MVD to be good!

I feel faint if they draw blood --- so besides giving birth - MVD was terrrrrrifying for me -- I came here every day before and let out my worries - and everybody held me up! Some low dose nerve pills the week before helped ALOT! For me Getting on that airplane felt like an alternate reality!

Dr. Casey, my surgeon - the one who wrote the book on TN -- said of MVD: On a rating scale of 1-10 in MOST cases

that it is a "1" for a cranial operation as far as safety --

a surgery that would be a "10" ---worst in complications, perm. injury, tumors and stuff like that

Hope that helps some --- please message Red with your unique info and ask him what YOU should ask for from neurologist or neurosurgeon ---- You may have to leave your area to get a reallly good well versed TN surgeon!!!

Best part about squimish - is you cannot see your wound/stitches/staples because they are behind your ear!!! Then they take them out in a few weeks which is generally painlesss! I did NOT look back there at all for months and months healed!!!

So far I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Kimberly

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Thanks Mimi :slight_smile: I told my gp he was almost having to treat me for stress induced high blood pressure too after the phone call, he laughed and apologized, and told me he just wanted to let me know the findings incase I was worried, I told him I wasn’t worried at all until yesterday !

I’m sorry to hear that your tn has changed into causing you more pain :frowning: mine started out the same, it added extras as it progressed , I remember I was having constant really bad pain on the left with regular spasms with anything from sipping water or moving my mouth setting one off, even wearing a scarf when I was outside to keep the wind off would set it off again because it was touching my chin, I was at a loss, I dreaded taking my tablets because as soon as the water hit my tongue, I was off in another spasm of electric for the next 5-10 minutes and still having constant background pain when the spasm subsided, and then I got the same spasm/ eclectic burning on the right side, I remember thinking to myself, you are not serious ? !! This cannot be happening ! Even my gp asked me 3 times if I was sure it was the right and not the usual left :frowning:

When is your MVD planned for ? I hope it’s soon so you get some relief and I look forward to your updates on how it goes :slight_smile:

Thank you for the advice, I hadn’t given a thought about asking if he had treated patients with the same or similar pain patterns or even that it should be the neurologist that I contact in a pain crisis rather than my GP, that’s medication for you, I put the ketchup in the washing machine last week , it took me ages to find it :smiley:

Thanks Kimberly for your advice :slight_smile: your words did help, especially the ones about not being able to see the scar and the number 1 rating of safety .
I think everyone must be scared before they have surgery, I may be getting ahead of myself here because I haven’t even been given that option or any others yet, but the medication and even morphine top ups doesn’t even begin to touch the pain, I spend at least 4-5 days a week with severe pain and I’m supposed to be looking after my mum who had a bad stroke , I go daily to help my dad out, but instead I’m stuck in bed myself with 3 children to look after and my partner works in Sweden so he can’t help out with the day to day stuff :frowning:

I will message Red and see what he thinks about it :slight_smile: I am going to hope hospital in Manchester , I read that they have a specialist neuro centre there, so I hope I’m in good hands . The first hospital they wanted me to go to was in my actual town of Bolton, instead of the city of Manchester , I refused to go to it because the consultation is done over the phone, they call you and your appointment is telephone based, they didn’t have an answer when I asked how on earth they can call that a neurologist consultation when they can’t even see where I’m pointing to tell them it hurts here and here and here etc !

How did your MVD go , did it stop the pain and if so was it soon after or near the end of the year they say it can take to feel the effect ?

Thank you both once more for your time and encouraging words :slight_smile:

Louise

14

Actually Dr. Casey emailed me consultations -- go find google "McGill Pain" questionnaire or scale.... print that off and mark your pain areas for any doctor for face!....... great tool for people to SEE the pain on paper

when the meds don't work, it is cause / justified for MVD for many. Even justified like in my case - it was the SIDE EFFECTS that I could not live with - meds were working --- working on taking all My IQ away and making me an idiot!

Got TN oct 2010 - MVD oct 2011--- Thankful to this site and the TNA website!

Weeks right before MVD I was mostly in remission then - it was almost harder to go because I was hardly in pain - but knew it would be back.

I thought - I'm not in pain and I'm being rolled into brain surgery --- then the good drugs kicked in!

Woke up from MVD - no TN pain - but sore head/brain from MVD - 1 nite in ICU and 1 nite in regular room. We drove home/ stayed in motel. Was afraid to fly with air pressure.

Stayed in bed for a couple of weeks and let everybody wait on me!

Week Eleven - pain came back - on a scale of 1-100 it was about 10-20

off and on for a month (I don't use scale of 1-10 for TN pain - that is absurd! LOL) Freaked Out!

took lowered meds/wore lidocaine patches and cried depressed. Felt Doomed - on week 16 was gone it was gone again!

I just hit month 17, and for the last month ... few times per week I'm getting pain of about a 5-10 on scale of 1-100 - That Is Not Much !!!! -weird that it was all gone week 16 to month 16!

nothing to complain about now much compared to beginning of TN !!

- but AGAIN scared shitless when it hit - just reminds me that it is there- and 2nd MVD may be in my crystal ball! I dropped into depression again -

I came on here and had the biggggggest pity party - and again - many held me up! I have been turning the blues around and interviewing for a really great therapist job! Passed 2nd interview!

My kiddos are 19 and 24 so I have a little more freedom now..... And April Fools Day will be my 2nd Wedding anniversary - It's been hard being a newlywed with this!!!

Today had little teeny tiny shocks - I put lidocaine on it, and wait it out till the next little wave - sorry to go on and on!

15

I had MVD on Oct 19th, and the pain was gone the moment I woke up!! I had numbness but was pain free and a different person for 2 months, now the pain is back, so im back on meds, but I had a vein which has a higher rate of failure than an artery compression, and they did not actually put any Teflon padding inside of my head to protect the nerve, but if your a good candidate for it, then its worth it. I was terrified before my surgery, traveling 4 hours to Duke University in Durham NC. Do see what other options are available though, mine went into remission for 6 months one time about 3 months after being diagnosed. I hope you start feeling better =)

16

Hi Louise,

I read through your posts a bit quickly, but the Chiari Malformation diagnosis did jump,out at me. I was diagnosed with that (after several months of frustration and misdiagnoses) in April 2003. Although I had several unusual and painful symptoms the TN pain was not present at the time. I had surgery for that in May 2003, and it was largely successful. For years afterward, I experienced what I now know was TN pain in small degrees. In December 2011, the TN pain became extremely severe, and I was finally officially diagnosed with TN in June 2012. Air did try medicine, but it never gave me complete relief, so I saw a surgeon in November 2012, and had the MVD on my right side in January of this year. I do have bilateral , atypical TN, so I will be having surgery on the left side sometime later this year. My surgeon feels that the TN is directly related to the Chiari Malformation, due to the fact that the Malformation can definitely result in crowding in the nerve area.

I wanted toreach out to you to let you know that although your situation is unusual, you are not alone! The Chiari diagnosis can be scary, as is the TN. Both are really only corrected through surgery, and that can be an overwhelming thought. I hope by hearing from someone else in the same situation, who has had success with surgery, can help put your mind a little bit at ease. I am still recovering from my MVD , but I do feel I have had a good outcome…

Please ask me any questions you like, I will be more than happy to share my experiences with you.

Best regards

Christine

17

Hi Kimberly ,
That sounds like a good idea about printing the sheet out, even if its just for the purpose of not having to keep repeating yourself to various doctors and could be used to track where the pains are moving around to if you use a different pen every time you get a pain in a new place :slight_smile:

I’m having the same problems with medication, some days I can’t remember if I’ve taken a dose, like tonight, I was in a full on spasm agony 120/100 for almost constant 2 hours, I know I took the naproxen, paracetamol, 3 codeine and ended up with 40mg morphine, I daren’t take anymore, which is probably another question for the neurologist, it didn’t do a thing, but I have no idea the maximum I can take, my gp just said 5mg-20mg for breakthrough , so I already doubled it seems as I seem to tolerate it ok, but I have no idea if I took the lyrica and amitpirtyline at the same time hoping it might work a bit or not, I’ve just had another 30 minutes of pure agony and I’ve come here to type and take my mind off the leftover pains :frowning:

I used to read a lot, 3 or 4 books a week, at first it helped to distract me if I really concentrated on it, now, I read one page, have to read it over to make sense of it and by the time I’ve read a few pages , I can’t remember what I read and then nothing makes sense, it’s a real pain in the butt.

I can imagine it must have been hard going for the mvd having being in remission for weeks, I’ve read it can go for weeks,months and even years and of course there is no way to know just how long it was planning to stay away for at that moment, when I was in agony earlier, that very thought came into my head, that as I said earlier, I am petrified of having surgery, but if someone had said to me at that moment that they were going to do it then, I would have quite happily agreed to it . I don’t use the 1-10 much either , I usually explain it as a percentage .

You have had a time of it :frowning: I hope it stays at 5-10 and doesn’t come back any worse, 0 would be a wonderful outcome :))
Congratulations on passing the interview !! You help so many people on here that I’m sure your caring ways will be appreciated by many as a therapist too :slight_smile:
And also best wishes for your anniversary , are you planning anything nice as way of a celebration ?
I was divorced in 2008 and have been with my boyfriend for just over 18 months, he lives and works in Sweden until,he can get a job over here, so we alternate visits every 2nd or 3rd weekend, luckily so far every time I’ve been there I’ve not had major pain apart from a couple of times.
No need to apologize, it’s interesting to hear your story and not at all what I would call going on and on :slight_smile:
Did you try and alternative therapies like acupuncture or homeopathy ?

Bye for now,
Louise

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Hi Angie,
Oh my, you have had a terrible time of it :frowning: what are you planning as your next move ? Are the meds working for you at the moment ?

I’ve read that it can take up to a year for the effects of the mvd to show fully whilst the nerve heals , so maybe there is still hope that the pain can go, I really hope it does , it seems unbelievable that they went in yet didn’t separate the vein and nerve while they were in there with the Teflon or something, I thought that was the whole idea of a mvd, did they give you a reason why not ?

I really do hope you get some relief soon , bye for now ,
Louise

19

Hi Christine,
Thank you ever so much for your words and for replying to my post :slight_smile:
I’m so glad that your mvd seems to be successful ! It does help to hear of good news from people who have the same type of pain and got good results :slight_smile:

I don’t know much about the chiari malformation, from what I’ve read it’s more the width of the tonsils than the length that cause problems, it was found purely by chance on the MRI I had for tn, All I know is that anything from 3-5mm is classed as a malformation and mine is 14mm and it said ‘pointed’ ?

I’ve looked at the symptoms on the NHS website and there are a lot that fit, from around age 11 I had great trouble with balance, tinnitus , fatigue and migraines, I had the diagnosis of Ménière’s disease, M.E , etc etc, over time my balance improved a fair amount and my migraines seem to have settled down recently, I still have the tinnitus and fatigue, and for the past 12 months or so I have been getting pins and needles/ numbness in my fingers and toes.

I’ve always had trouble with my neck, it never relaxes, it’s always stiff, it creaks, cracks, grinds and pops when I move it, the doctors never seemed concerned, if I look up, I get a terrible throb at the base of my skull, same if I have a cough too.

I don’t really know what the diagnosis means, whether its the chiari malformation that needs fixing , or like in your case, both that and the arteries need fixing somehow, I’ve pretty much got used to the other things, it’s the TN that is really the priority, my boyfriend has been looking online and has discovered that the superior cerebellar artery that is causing the problem on both sides, goes through into the spinal column, so if it is a bit crowded in there , I suppose it is possible that the pressure has misplaced the artery by even a mm , making it contact the trigeminal nerves on both sides and cause pain, but as far as I know, when they meet , they sort of fuse together and have to be separated with scalpels, I’d much prefer a non invasive method of stopping the pain, but most treatments apart from a mvd seem to injure the nerve further instead of helping it to heal :frowning:

I’d love to know more about how you found out about your chiari malformation and what effect it had on you , and also if you can shed some light on what the ’ pointed 14mm’ means so I can be a little more up to speed when I go to my first neuro appointment on the 26th.
Also your mvd experience and if that was your first choice or you tried other treatments before it .
It’s so nice to meet you here Christine and thank you once again for your kind words and for sharing with me your experiences :slight_smile:
Bye for now .
Louise

20

Hi Louise,
Well, I guess I will start at the beginning! In September of 2002, I started having a feeling of a foreign object in right eye. I went to the eye doctor, and though he could see anything, he gave me a “bandaid” contact lens to wear for 24 hours. Before I went back the next day, I started experiencing tingling in my scalp on the right, along with a feeling as if someone had pulled my hair really hard! When I went back to the eye doctor, he was puzzled, but suggested either shingles, or Multiple Sclerosis, and referred me back to my internist. I went the next day, was given medicine for shingles ( without a definite diagnosis) . This was on a Thursday. Friday evening, I started having a pins and needles feeling in my right foot. By Saturday morning, my whole right leg was affected . I was referred to a neurologist, who ran tests for MS, Lyme disease, lupus, and just about everything else you can think of. All tests were negative, as was the MRIS of my brain. suring the weeks I was having this testing, I was having the pins and needles, along with frank, painful, numbness on most of the right side of my body. At one point, I had an extreme burning sensation in my right arm that was so intense I needed to take pain medication. I also had occaisional trouble with walking, and balance. It seemed like everyday brough a new, confusing symptom!All along, I had been during my on searches online, as was my family. My aunt happened to know someone with a Chiari Malformation, and when I searched that, it did seem to fit my symptoms. I mentioned it to my neurologist, but he said I did not have it. At the time I was feeling a bit better , (but i was taking prednisone, whichnwas probably masking the symptoms)so he finally concluded that although he could not diagnose me with multiple sclerosis, if my symptoms returned, he would treat me as if I had MS. About a month later, I saw another neurologist for a second opinion. Again I asked him about a Chiari Malformation, and again I was told that was not the problem . This doctor decided all my issues were stress related, and gave me an anti depressant. Needless to say, I never went back to him. I was getting more and more numb, and the tingling and burning was constant, all on my right side. I felt as if I had two different bodies.I was pretty discouraged at this point, and just thought this was something I would have to deal with. Fortunately, about two months later a family friend, who is a radiologist at a medical school, offered to look at my MRI films. He immediatley called to inform me that I had an a unusual finding on my film. A Chiari Malformation! He recommended I see a neurosurgeon who was experienced with this disorder, as it is uncommon. I found a wonderful doctor, who,was as baffled as I as to why no other doctor, nor the radiologist who first read my MRI missed the Malformayion, as it was 11mm. At my initial exam with him, it was very apparent that my fine motor skills had dramatically deteriorated, as had my balance, and gait. The sensation of numbness was so strong, it felt as if I was wearing a glove on my right hand , and a thick sock on my right foot. The dr explained to me that if I had the surgery, it would stop any further damage to the nerves involved, and my chance of recovery of sensation and function would be good. I elected to have the procedure three weeks later. It involved taking a small piece of bone out of my skull, enlarging the dura, which is the tough tissue between the skull and the brain, with a patch, and removing the back of my C1 and C2 vertebra. All of this is done to make room for the brain, which is slumped into the spinal cord, due to the Chiari Malformation. It was a major surgey, but I fared rather well. Most of my symptoms were resolved, some quickly, and some took may months, so,it was at least a year before I would say I was fully recovered.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I had experienced what I now know was TN since I had the surgery. I always thought it was part of the Chiari, and that I would have to live with it. It was not until it became unbearable , in Jan 2012,that I went back to my surgeon, who could not give me an answer. After seeing yet another neurologist, who misdiagnosed my pain as Chiari related ( even though I asked about TN!) I found the right neurologist in June. He listened to me and agreed with me. He prescribed Tegretol, which worked wonders in only 2 days, but unfortunately , I am allergic to,it. I started Gabapentin in July, and have had to increas the dosage quite rapidly. In October, I was maxed out at 600mg 4 x a day, but was still having the constant burning pain. It was the that I sought a surgical opinion. I was pretty set on MVD, as it seems it is the best procedure available, and I was not confident about the other treatments I had heard about.i had a leading expert as my surgeon, had surgery Friday, spent 2 nights in ICU, and was released on Sunday. I can honestly say it was not as bad as I expected. The recovery was actually a bit easier than my first surgery, but it is very painful, and I was and still am pretty tired. I did wake up from surgery with no TN pain on that side, which was lovely ! I have had some flare ups since, but that is to be expected as the nerve is still healing. I am still on Gabapentin, as I have TN on the other side also, but I will have the MVD for that sometime later this year. I am glad I had the surgery.
Sorry this is so,so, long, but I did want to give you the full story. It is late here so I am off to bed , but please let me know if you have any questions, I am happy to help!
Christine