Hi everybody.

My MVD is scheduled for the 19th at Toronto Western Hospital.

I've stepped back the Lyrica to 50% dose for this next week per surgeon's instructions (he wants minimal meds in my system so after the MVD they have an idea if it worked or not).

Here's the original thread, to save me re-writing my story, such as it is:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread66979.html

Thanks for listening. I appreciate your helping me get through this last week.

CAT

Cat,

I do hope that you have a great outcome. From all the posts I've read, sometimes there is still pain right after an MVD, but that isn't always indicative of the end result. A lot of people stay on their meds a while after surgery and then gradually taper off of them. So don't be discouraged if there is still pain after the MVD. I'm also sending you a PM. EE

Good luck NanaCat.

Toronto huh? I'm actually originally from Brampton, Ontario. Too cool!

I hope that u have great results with the mvd surgery, I have atypical TN as well, but when I had my MVD surgery, the docs didn't find anything AND severed the nerve so I am left in more pain than I was before. I am not saying that I regret having the surgery b/c no matter the side effects, I would have tried anything, I 2 feel as if I could pull my own teeth! I just hope that the docs that u see gave u full info of the side effects of this type of surgery b/c mine did not and it was disappointing 2 find out that the pain that I am left with is not curable. Again good luck with everything and remember u will still feel pain after surgery, but if it works it will gradually go away!

Jess: I am sorry you still have pain. I actually asked the surgeon about his thoughts on severing the nerve, and his answer to me was almost the same as what you posted: that severing the nerve can result in numbness PLUS pain. He stressed that under no circumstances will he ever do anything to leave the patient worse off than before the MVD.

I'm about ready to grab those pliers any second now..there's gotta be 5 or 6 rotten teeth up in that jaw, dontcha think?

Thank you for your reply. I am being rather cautious due to the atypical nature of my situation. Plus, the surgeon is being very conservative as to possible outcomes.

I *hope* to be able to post a success story. But in my gut I'm not expecting a 100% turnaround.....there were too many oral surgeries that have mucked around with the nerve endings at the front of my face to get a complete resolution. But I believe this is the best option for me.

CAT

I have read 100s of posts in several forums regarding MVD ops. Your post stating your doc severed the nerve is the first I've read as using that as part of the surgical plan. I'm sure you 'now' have learned that all vessels are padded and the nerve is isolated from contact from any of the vessels. I'm very sorry to hear you've had a bad experience.

I'm scheduled to have an MVD op in 7 days with a surgeon who has performed several hundred MVD ops. When I asked him about severing the nerve he said that is the last thing he wanted to do as it would most likely cause more pain. Like you said, everyone should seek a tried and true expert in TN ops and ask good questions about the after effects.

Wishing you pain-free days!

I just want to clarify that this post is referring to someone else (Jess78) who responded to mine. NO NERVE WAS SEVERED in my MVD. My neurosurgeon said he would never sever a nerve due to the permanent repurcussions of doing so.
CAT

And just for an update: I'm doing good. Some residual nerve damage at the front of my jaw from the dental surgeries. They are manageable. The MONSTER is GONE!!!

I so much Love reading .." .The MONSTER IS GONE"
AMEN .
PEACE
BMW

me too!!

Well, it has been a very long day. 5 hours at a pre-op assessment and admissions process.

I've been poked, prodded, needled, weighed, measured and checked from stem to stern.

EKG, chest X-Rays, blood work, more bloodwork, swabbing for super bugs (nope, got none), BP checks, and interviews with nurse practitioners, anaesthetists, pharmacists, etc etc etc.

So they say I'm good to go. I'd like to run in the other direction.

It was a very long night. I had to get up at 4 a.m. and yet was still awake at 3:10 a.m...

Brings back a lot of memories. But I must say, I have never experienced such professionalism, empathy and sheer kindness from healthcare staff. EVERY single person I interfaced with today 'wished me well' as they then moved me further along the assembly line of admissions to a neurosurgical unit....it was an amazing experience. And all from people who didn't know me personally.

Monday morning I am to be there 4 hours before surgery start time for another round of CT scans and testing....

The surgery is scheduled for 11.

cat