"Five years ago, I was taking a shower and as the water hit my right cheek, I experienced a razor sharp electric-voltage pain on my cheek. It was so painful that I had to turn the shower off immediately. For a period of weeks, I experienced other pain triggers such as combing my hair, brushing my teeth, touching my cheek with my hand, or even the wind brushing across my face on a breezy day. This episode lasted about three weeks, then it abruptly stopped.
Being a physician, I felt my symptoms were consistent with Trigeminal Neuralgia and hoped against hope that it would never recur. However, about a year later, the pain returned. This time the pain was even more intense, sharp, and stabbing and now radiated down and across the right side of my jaw. I went to a neurologist who confirmed the diagnosis of Trigeminal Neuralgia. She started me on gabapentin, which did not erase the pain, but helped make the pain more tolerable. I was able to do well for several weeks, but then the pain broke through, and my gabapentin dosage was increased. Several cycles like this occurred. My dentist did not find any dental issues contributing to my pain. However, after one dental cleaning, I had a severe flare-up, leaving me with difficulty chewing and even speaking. I tried several other medications, Pregabalin and but the pain never completely remitted.
At this point, I had been living for five years with this terrible disorder. Despite no findings on my previous MRIs, my neurologist recommended that I see a neurosurgeon who specialized in Trigeminal Neuralgia. I had trouble finding someone, but fortunately, my oral-maxillofacial pain dentist told me she had worked with Dr. Sekula and highly recommended him. I made an appointment and met with him. He listened to 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. One year later, I continue to be pain-free and have tapered off the three medications I had been on to manage the pain. I don't think I can ever thank Dr. Sekula enough. Every time I brush my teeth, take a shower or a breeze hits my face, I thank him. He has given me a new lease on life!”