Hi fellow sufferers
I have already had 2 op to try and help and as yet they have not worked and have now been told that the above two op,s are my next options.
A: peripheral nerve stimulation.
B: deep brain stimulation.
It is my understanding that not many TN sufferers are aware that these are even options to them, but I am at a loss as to what to do, my last op did not go well as I had fluid leak from the MVD op, so now the thought of any op is frightening the life out of me, is there anyone out there that has been given one of my next options to treat TN, that can help me please.
Sorry, I responded to this but it seems to have disappeared!
I had a PNS implanted in August of this year and it has been wonderful at controlling my pain. As I understand it , of the two options you are being given, PNS is the least invasive. The battery and wires are placed just under your skin, so the procedures are usually outpatient. I had my trial on Friday, and the permanent on the following Wednesday. There is some discomfort, but nothing compared to MVD. My surgeon would do the PNS before the DBS, as he feels DBS is the last resort.
Please feel,free to ask me any questions you may have.
Christine
Sorry for late reply Christine, been a really rough time lately. I have my appointment in March to discuss the PNS,
as I to think the DBS is a last resort. So could you please tell me, are you awake to have the PNS done, and where does the battery go.
I was asleep for both the trial and permanent surgery. Both were outpatient procedures, so I went in to hospital early morning and was released by early afternoon.
My battery is in my chest, about two inches below my collarbone. It does show a bit, but that doesn’t bother me at all. I have one wire that looks almost a vein coming from the battery, and branches off into one lead behind my ear going to my scalp, and one in front if my ear that reaches my face and teeth. The wires are not noticeable at all.
I am happy to answer any other questions you may have!
Thank you Christine, that was really helpful. Could you please tell me how it is activated? How often does the battery need changing.
Lesley
Christine said:
Sorry, I responded to this but it seems to have disappeared!
I had a PNS implanted in August of this year and it has been wonderful at controlling my pain. As I understand it , of the two options you are being given, PNS is the least invasive. The battery and wires are placed just under your skin, so the procedures are usually outpatient. I had my trial on Friday, and the permanent on the following Wednesday. There is some discomfort, but nothing compared to MVD. My surgeon would do the PNS before the DBS, as he feels DBS is the last resort.
Please feel,free to ask me any questions you may have.
Christine
I had the trial first. That entailed leads being placed under the skin, and they were attached to an external battery and controller. As soon as I woke up in the recovery room, the representative from the company that makes the stim was there to turn on the device, and tell me how to use it. As it worked well for me, I had the permanent implanted five days later.
I charge my battery once a week, as my rep advised. It usually takes about an hour, and the chafer is wireless, so you can move around.