February

It's been going well since my last post, except for the last 4 days. I have been in pain. It hasn't been as bad as the Thanksgiving debacle but it's been pretty consistent. On top of that, today I am feeling extremely exhausted, very weak, and overall yucky. I have not been taking the Neurontin on a regime, only as needed. I had scheduled visits to both my neurologist (Dr. B) and neurosurgeon (Dr.C) this month, as well as repeat blood work to recheck my elevated liver enzymes. Dr B told me to stop taking the Tegretol for attacks and rely on just the Neurontin since the Tegretol was the suspected culprit. Dr C and I talked about other options for treating the TN if the attacks get much worse and the medication proves to be too hard on my system and too much for me to handle. We both agreed that I should save any procedures (Gamma Knife, etc) as a last resort. TN sufferers know that the more procedures you have the less effective they are and there are only so many that can be done. In my case, a repeat MVD will unlikely help since my problem was due to a large vein and the position of part of the vein in an inoperable area.

Anyway, I am just trying to get past this attack. It's not bad enough to take Dilaudid...yet. 

January

This month has been great as far as TN pain goes. I haven't had a tough time and just a few moments of pain (a 1 or 2 on a scale of 10).

I have been getting back into the swing of things this month. It feels good to be back to my old self. There were so many days I felt like a zombie last year, a horrible side effect of the medication I was taking.

It probably seemed I was bedridden most days and just incapacitated but that isn't how it went most of the time. Dan and I had a conversation about last year and my health problems. Granted, there were times I just couldn't take care of myself and the kids but the times I did - even if I didn't feel able to - greatly outweigh the former. Dan has been a great source of validation for this and in going through his paystubs for tax purposes, those check definitely reflected him being at work more than he was home. In fact AFTER my surgery, he was home more overall than he was the entire time I was dealing with this neuralgia and some of that can be contributed to him going back to school full time. I'm not being ungrateful to him as a supportive husband, in fact he is the one who told me I needed to give myself more credit for having accomplished all that I was able to. He reminds me that although he did come home early from work sometimes, or missed days, that there were more days that I toughed through it to put dinner on the table for the kids. It was nice to hear him recount those times since I've been getting the gist from people that Dan just did everything around the house and still continues to do so. I don't quite understand how some people have gotten the impression that I didn't contribute to the household or parenting the kids when I was "sick" because I sure remember doing it while feeling like hell. I hope that clears up any misconception that I did more than just lay in bed all day.

I have NOT been taking meds regularly and I've still been avoiding caffeine and other such triggers. I was getting ready to go to the dentist after Christmas but I chickened out. I am still terrified it will trigger an attack, especially after I now know the attacks are still a possibility. I will keep working on it. I would rather go during the neuralgia but I would rather never have neuralgia again!

I hope that those dealing with TN have found this blog useful. I promise to keep giving updates.

December

I have received some emails and comments from people who are benefiting from this blog. I am so glad for you all. I know it helps to read the experiences of others and I am really happy to be able to share mine with you.

I met with my neurosurgeon, Dr C, after my ER Visit. Sadly, he said my surgery is considered a failure. I did go 2 months pain free, which was the longest amount of time ever in the past year. After the ER visit, I continued to have pain for about 3 more days and then it tapered off. Since then, the TN has flared up a few times, most being about a 5 on a 10 scale. Dr C said I could go back on my meds at the dosage prior to the surgery but I opted not to. I suffered through the pain a bit, taking about 300mg of Neurontin and 200mg of Tegretol two times a day and then stepped it down when the pain was gone.

The past two weeks I have taken doses of both when I've had a bit of burning but I am not taking the meds on a regular schedule. Those medications, albeit they did their job with taking the edge off, made me a zombie. I was taking such high doses, along with the added Topamax, that I was in a fog everyday. The side effects were horrendous. Since I've been off these meds (I first stopped taking them about 2 months ago - and then added them back here and there) my family has noticed a huge change in my personality and behavior. My mom was in tears saying she finally had her daughter back. I do feel like I am back to my old self. It's liberating. I feel like I missed my son's entire first year of life. Even after having this surgery I still have occasional attacks of TN, I still consider the surgery a success. Without it, I don't believe I could have continued to function. My liver enzymes were elevated from the meds and again, the side effects were no longer tolerable. The pain of TN was like being in a torture chamber. The combination probably would have rendered me crazy. MVD was a success to me.

I am supposed to have a follow up appt tomorrow with Dr C but I think I am going to have to reschedule it because I have been dealing with bronchitis (as is my whole family). I will decide for sure tomorrow.

I will also try to keep updating this blog more regularly. I know it's much easier to blog about TN when it's bad and then forget to keep going when things are good. Most of us are looking for the good when we google search so I will do my best to keep you updated.

I hope those of you who are struggling with TN continue to find comfort in this blog. Please also consider visiting the site, Living With TN - the folks over there are a blessing. I joined as the 68th member and now there are over 200. It's sort of like a facebook for people with Trigeminal Neuralgia.

Thanks for reading,

Misty

ER Visit

My MVD surgery was Sept 17th. I was pain free until Thanksgiving. That morning, I woke up, ate a bowl of cereal (nothing crunchy, it was Lucky Charms - yep still love the kiddie stuff), and 10 minutes later I had the exploding pain in my lower jaw. It felt like my teeth were going to pop out of my gums. It lasted about 5 minutes. Throughout the day I started getting the burning, stinging feeling in my gums, cheek, jaw, teeth, and it felt like it was even in the muscles of my mouth. This went on for two days and then the third day, Saturday, the fireworks started. The pain was popping around all over the place and it was getting stronger. By Saturday night I couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't the worst pain I'd felt from TN but it was exactly like the pain I felt in Oct 2008 when this TN started. I broke down and called the on call doc from my surgeon's office. I told her how I had been weaned down to 200mg of Neurontin a day (for the last 3 weeks) and had stopped taking Tegretol and Topamax several weeks ago - but in the last 3 days I had upped my Neurontin and started taking the Tegretol again in hopes it might help the pain. She sent me to the emergency room.

I just got back from the ER - they gave me a round of IV Dilaudid and Toradol and then gave me the option of being admitted and staying overnight. In the end I decided to go home and he gave me a prescription for Toradol and Zofran (for nausea) and new directions for the Dilaudid I already have at home.

I hope this works and that it's the end of the pain. I am to call my surgeon or neuro on Monday.

I am really sad this is happening again. I don't understand how or why. I can't go through this again, especially since I just had the surgery. I hope to get more answers on Monday.

MVD Surgery Completed

So on Sept 17th I had a surgery called Microvascular Decompression (MVD). It was to relieve pressure on a nerve on my face that has been causing me extreme pain on and off for over a year.

Doctor Carlson, amazing surgeon, found a large vein wrapped around my trigeminal nerve. Usually they are able to cauterize veins but not this one. This one was so tightly wrapped it was touching the nerve in several places. If he cauterized there would have been too much blood loss and risk of stroke. Instead, he placed teflon padding between the nerve and the vein.

I spent 2 days in the ICU. I had the surgery on Thursday about noon and it took me until about Friday at 11pm to pull out of the anesthesia completely. Saturday they moved me up to the neuro floor and I stayed until Wednesday morning.

The side effects of the surgery have been headaches, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. I spent the first 2 days vomiting. Thank god I don't really remember it all. Whew. I did have super migraines for about a week. Now, about three weeks post surgery, the headaches are mild and here and there. I am pulling out of it. I am overdoing it a bit though. I forget that the neck muscle still needs to heal. Two days ago I felt like cleaning, and as I was sweeping my kitchen, I pinched a nerve in my neck. The next morning it was even worse. Today, though, it's been better. Still sore but better. I am just anxious to get back into the swing of things, I guess.

At my check up appointment last Friday, Dr Carlson told me I need to take things slowly and not rush my recovery. He explained it could take up to three months for me to feel "normal" again. However, our key focus is the trigeminal nerve pain. I have not had any pain! I DO have some mild burning pain still, but it is tolerable (a 2 on a scale of 10) and treatable with Neurontin - and it's only here and there. I am only concerned with the debilitating sharp stabbing ice pick pains I had almost every day for months. I have not had them since the surgery. I am so happy that when I think about being pain free, I cry. It's that freeing. I feel like I am getting my life back. Maybe that's why I am so anxious to get back to "normal" (Don't rush recovery!). Now my doctors have me stepping down my meds (Neurontin, Tegretol, and Topamax) so I can eventually quit taking them.

Thank you to everyone who has given support to our family during these times. We are so thankful. Truly thankful.

Here are 2 pics of my wound, 3 weeks post op (healing!)

MVD

Coming down to the wire. My MVD surgery is on Thursday...

Googling TN

Check out this video and then rate it and pass it on to help others who are searching for TN information find out about LivingWithTN.org.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARJMQ4zlsrk&feature=player_embedded