Drugs?

[Barefoot TJ]

I read that on wiki that trigeminal neuralgia is one of the worst pains a human can experience. I can see why you were on Gabapentin, 3000 to 9000 mg per day.

Definitely get a second opinion on what is wrong with your foot. It could be MN, it could be neuropathy, it could be neuralgia, it could be metatarsalgia, or something else. Let's keep in touch about this. Update me on what you find out, please.

 

[dutchie53]

OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

Back when I was in training we were taught that the most intense pain possible in a human being was trigeminal neuralgia.
The few cases that I've diagnosed and referred to specialists including one less than a year ago seemed to back that up.
Good to hear that yours was helped by the procedure!

I agree with the pain factor, it was severe. After the surgery I asked the doctor when I could start running again, his reply was "today, as long as you are not dizzy". So the recovery was instant. DMV surgery is the way to go for this IMO.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

That was putting a pad between the nerve and the muscle? Where in your face? Will it be there forever? No follow-up surgeries?

 

[dutchie53]

The pad is between the nerve and the blood vessel that was putting the pressure on the nerve. It is there forever with no follow-up surgery needed. They went in through the skull behind the ear and are able to access everything that way. The relief was instant right after the surgery, some tenderness at entry site otherwise it was painless. My eldest started working on the neuro floor at our "big" hospital about 2 years ago as a rn, and it would seem that they average about 1 of the DMV surgeries per month, and all with good outcome as the patients leave the hospital. Some are out in 2 days some in 5. It sounds a lot worse than what it really is. I was kind of scared going in, but afterwards I thought that it was a piece of cake. With the pain I was having there was no other option.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

That's right, that's what I read and was trying to remember. The blood vessel. I'm sorry I'm so full of questions, but I find this fascinating. Where is the pad exactly in your face? Can you feel it in there?

 

[dutchie53]

It is somewhere's between my ear and eye, (inside my skull, surgery was by Dr. Kaufman, one of the leading neuro surgeons for this procedure)) not sure where though. No I can not feel it it all, and never could. I would highly recommend DMV for anybody who has this problem.