“I suffered from trigeminal neuralgia for five years before I was referred to Dr. Sekula. Trigeminal neuralgia is a barely tolerable facial pain disorder and there are many things that are difficult about it. If you are experiencing an episode and you are out with someone, they just don't know what to do--and often look aghast. Some people fear going out and will keep themselves in their homes because they don’t want to have this experience out in public.
Five years ago, I experienced razor sharp electric-voltage like pain in my right cheek when the water from the shower hit my cheek. I had to turn it off immediately. I came to experience other triggers like combing my hair, brushing my teeth, touching my cheek with my hand, or even the wind on a breezy day. This episode lasted about three weeks, then stopped. Being a physician, I diagnosed myself with trigeminal neuralgia and hoped that it would never recur, but it did about a year later. There was a difference where the pain was even more intense, sharp, and stabbing. In addition, the pain now radiated through the right side of my jaw. I went to a neurologist who started me on gabapentin, which helped with making the pain more tolerable. I was able to do well for several weeks, but then the pain would break through, so we would have to increase my gabapentin dosage. My dentist did not find anything that may contribute, but after one dental cleaning, I had a severe flare-up, leaving me with difficulty chewing and speaking. The pain eventually never completely went away at any time. It came to a point where my neurologist recommended me to seek a neurosurgeon who treated TN. I had trouble finding someone, but fortunately, my oral-maxillofacial dentist told me she had worked with Dr. Sekula, so I made an appointment with him.
I went to see him, he took my history, and ordered a brain MRI which revealed that my right cerebellar artery was impinging on my right trigeminal nerve. He performed a microvascular decompression and I woke up postoperatively pain free. I am now pain-free and tapering off the three medications I was on that left me in a groggy state of fatigue. I don't think I can thank Dr. Sekula enough. He has given me a new lease on life!”