Living Life With A Chronic Condition
Trigeminal neuralgia
What is the trigeminal nerve?
The trigeminal nerve starts in your brain and travels through your head and face. it is the fifth cranial nerve, there is one on either side of your body. It is responsible for sensation in your face and scalp, and also helps with biting, chewing, and swallowing. Below is a diagram showing the nerve and how it branches around the head and face.
Trigeminal neuralgia (TN)
Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition caused by damage to the trigeminal nerve. It is said to be the worst pain known to medical practice. It causes severe pain in the face, attacks come on suddenly and can last for seconds or minutes at a time. Some people say it feels like an electric shock, but I’d rather take electric shocks than the pain caused by TN.
My first attack
I was in my mid-twenties when I took my first attack, it was like nothing I ever felt before. Little did I know, that getting a diagnosis wasn’t going to be easy. TN is usually something that starts between the ages of 50 and 60. So my GP was fairly certain my pain was being caused by an old fracture to my eye socket and gave me tablets. It took another year of pain, to be sent to the hospital for scans, As the GP was still sure it was caused by the old fracture, I was sent to the department that I was seen by at the time of the incident. They took CT scans to have a closer look at the fracture but didn’t find anything that could be causing me as much pain. It was then that I was sent to see a neurologist. However the waiting list was long, and it took another year.
Getting diagnosed
Finally, I was seen by the neurology department, who ordered an MRI scan. But in the meantime, she started treating me for TN. The new medications worked, and although I still took attacks, the medication eased the pain a little. I waited a further 2/3 years to get my MRI results (shocking I know). It was at this appointment I was officially diagnosed with TN. I was still taking painful attacks every day, so another medication was added. They also found about 10 spots on my brain, which they wanted to investigate further. However, my latest appointment was canceled at the start of the pandemic and has yet to be rescheduled.
Living with the condition
Living with TN can be challenging, although the medications help, they don’t cure it. I never know when the next attack of pain is going to be or how long it is going to last. I am not a suitable candidate for surgery, as mine is caused by damage to the nerve rather than compression to the nerve. I cope with the pain because I have no other choice. Some days are worse than others, on the really bad days, I can’t even brush my hair without bringing on painful attacks. My life is always going to be about pain management, I have grown to accept that.
Life is full of challenges, this is just another one of mine.
