When I was researching treatment options I found it difficult to find positive posts regarding the MVD procedure - unfortunately, most people who are active on the internet still struggle with this condition. Therefore, I made a commitment to continue to provide at least an annual update after my MVD procedure .
I'm a little late in making my post and that's because I was traveling in Southeast Asia on my anniversary knocking off an item from my bucket list - visit Angkor Wat. Not only was the trip absolutely amazing, I was basically symptom free during my vacation! It is such a blessing to have my life back and I've learned not to take things for granted. In fact, at times it's a little challenging not to think, what if it comes back. That's probably why I'm so adamant about making sure that while I need to save for retirement it's more important that I also live in the present.
My surgery was November 2012 and I was very fortunate, my nerve was being squeezed by 4 veins. Because they were veins the surgeon was able to cut and cauterize them so I don't have the typical teflon pad between the nerve and blood vessel. I will say I'm not always 100% symptom free when I'm home - I can have times when the left side of my tongue burns and occasionally the left side of my face feels like it's tightening, similar to when you use a facial mask. I don't know if that's because of stress, altitude (I'm in Denver) or a combination of both. Both the frequency and severity of these symptoms is less as time goes on especially when I manage my stress.
If your doctor indicates you're a candidate for the MVD procedure, I would say go for it! I also wish all of you Happy Holidays and a Healthy New Year.