Hi everybody.

I am new to the forum and wanted to share my experience for those that have been diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia. I too, at age 24, was diagnosed with this disorder about a month ago. My family and I have been aggressively pursuing options and I have been fast-tracked into receiving this surgery in 2 days. My neurosurgeon is world renowned expert in this surgery, and I will be documenting my recovery from it.

My experience is unique in that almost all of my pain has been experienced in my top left front tooth (tooth #9) and occasionally my left side, top back molar (tooth #15). I spoke to a couple oral pain specialists and endodontists who ruled out that the pain wasn't coming from my perfectly healthy teeth, but rather from my trigeminal nerve. For some time I have been on Tegretol, and it has taken me from screaming pain, to completely manageable tolerance with occasional pain. My neurosurgeon was able to point out to me on my high-resolution MRI images the exact place where one of my blood vessels was crossing with my trigeminal nerve -- needless to say, I was astonished.

As I said, I will be documenting my recovery as well in posts to come, and I am hoping everything goes as planned, and that my story will provide some good info for those who are seeking relief or information on what it is like to treat and live with the disorder.

You are welcome to ask questions. Thanks.

I wish you all the best for a great outcome and a smooth recovery. This condition takes so much from us all. I'm glad you've been able to get properly diagnosed and are able to see an experienced surgeon. I'll look forward to reading your posts.

Take care, ee

I am happy to report that so far it appears that the MVD did in fact work, but I am experiencing a very rough recovery. I will post more on my experience as I gain the strength to write.