I've struggled with GN for about 4-5 years now.

I have a series of 3 symptoms--1)ongoing numbness/tingling, as if someone swabbed my ear canal with local anesthetic. 2)ongoing dull achey pain (ear infection pain mentioned in others' posts) and 3) episodic piercing pain, that just about brings me to my knees.

In 2009, I had MVD surgery at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh with Dr. Jannetta and Dr. Sekula. I traveled from Washington state to be there, as all the articles I read as I was trying to figure things out referenced Pittsburgh. Dr. Jannetta pioneered the MVD procedure when he was at UPMC.

They found compression of both my nervus intermedius and the trigeminal nerve. After allowing for the post-surgical pain to subside, I unfortunately still had symptoms.

After not getting the relief I hoped for from the first surgery, I went back to Pittsburgh in Dec 2010 and had my Jacobson's Nerve and Chorda Tympani cut, as sometimes ongoing symptoms are cause by nerves misfiring farther away from the brain stem. This was done through my eardrum, by an otoneurologist, rather than retromastoid.

Unfortunately, my case seems to be atypical, and none of these procedures have fixed the problem. I'm currently in touch with Dr. Jannetta, and he thinks I should come back for another look at the brain stem.

I'm wary of another major surgery and the long travel. I have picked up a "meditation as pain relief" audio, and hope to take some time to see if that helps. Also considering going to a Pain Management Clinic to see if they have any suggestions.

So frustrating!! Any ideas are definitely appreciated!