I had MVD surgery for ATN and classic TN on the left side in March of this year. There has been little improvement in my ATN symptoms, and have even had some classic TN shocks-not bad, though. The ATN is the primary issue. I was told many times not to expect any more than a 50% chance of a 50% reduction in pain, so I’m prepared to live with that or not improvement at all. What is concerning me are the subsequent issues related to the surgery itself, not TN issues:
-double vision in my left eye
-Hyperacusis in my left ear. This is a extreme sensitivity to certain sounds and loudness, like one would find in a restaurant, shopping mall, grocery store, screaming children, etc. anywhere in public, actually. My left ear feels like a knife is stabbing through it with the sounds and loudness. This has improved a bit because my own voice was hurting my ear for awhile. I’ve gotten a “musician’s plug” an earplug with little holes in it that soften sounds by about 15 decibels. It definitely helps, It is not only uncomfortable, but also I can’t hear as well. When I talk, I feel like I’m talking in a tunnel. At least I’m not quite as home bound. I also sit with my left ear facing a wall, if possible.
-left vocal cord paralysis. My voice is hoarse, like I just woke up, even when I’ve been up and around for hours. I also will become short of breath all of a sudden while talking, just getting up to let the dogs out, etc. This is due to irritation of the 10th cranial nerve which also affects the diaphragm for breathing. This is which is not near the 5th cranial nerve, but may have become irritated during the surgery. Ent saw some minor improvement since I saw him last. My right vocal cord is working harder to hit against the left to make sound or cough. My voice gets tired and I prefer not to speak, but was told I should speak to keep the electrical impulses going to the muscles around the vocal cord. If the cord is not improved by the end of December, the ENT will consider it a permanent thing and we’ll talk about it what to do then…
So, has anyone had anything like this happen after MVD surgery? Different issues that were not present before the surgery?
Thanks for listening and sharing
Take care!
Camia