Surgery?

General General TN & GPN (Old Site)
1

So I know that it may be far away, but if the shots stop working and it gets really bad, is it too soon to ask for surgery?? I don't want to live on these dang meds but I don't want to live with this if I have the option. One last question . . . have any of ya'll ever flown and did it cause an attack??

2

Just my opinion, but it is never too soon to at least get a consult with an experienced neurosurgeon. Knowing your options for future treatment is always good!
Best
Christine

3

I have that same question, liz.

I have a neuro appt coming up in october, and i'm wondering if it would be better to just ask for mvd right off the bat. Like, you, i don't want to keep taking all these drugs if there is a procedure that can just "fix it"

So, yeah....all you guys/gals reading this....how soon is too soon to ask/demand a new hole in da head!?

~Mistee

4

Its never too soon, I developed TN in April of 2012, started researching like nuts, meds sucked and made me dizzy so I couldnt work ( I have a company car and work as an insurance adjuster) . By June I was at Johns Hopkins and had a glycerine rhizotomy, which got rid of the lightning strikes but I had ATN and TN, so I was sent to Dr. Brown in Ny and had an MVD done in October of 2012.

The rule of thought is as long as you have the surgery within the first 7 years, it is a better outcome on an MVD then waiting longer. But more and more surgeons are willing to do the surgery right off the bat...I have know people that have had MVD's within a month of diagnosis. My only advice is if you are going to do it, make sure you go to someone who does at least 100 per year or more.

I have not flown since or while I had the TN so that I cant answer...I think there was a thread on this a while ago,

Wendy

5

If you put the topic Flying with TN in the search box on the upper right hand corner a whole bunch of threads come up that you can look through...it seems if you have TN it doesnt make it worse or set it off from what I read...

6

When it is too much for you to bear, it is not too early to ask for surgery.