The story of DENISE
MY HUSBAND AND I WERE SO EXCITED TO BE GOING ON OUR VERY FIRST CRUISE FOR VALENTINE’S DAY 14 YEARS AGO. WHILE GETTING SUIT CASES PACKED AND GETTING SHOWERED I HAD A BOLT OF PAIN ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY FACE, THINKING TO MYSELF GREAT I HAVE A TOOTHACHE AND AM ABOUT TO GO ON A CRUISE SHIP. WE CONTINUED GETTING READY AND BAM, ANOTHER SHOCK LIKE PAIN ON MY FACE. I CONTINUED TO IGNORE THESE COUPLE OF SHOTS OF PAIN ON OUR DRIVE TO THE CRUISE SHIP, IN THE MEAN TIME WONDERING WHAT WAS CAUSING THIS STRANGE PAIN. THE NEXT FEW SHOCKS OF PAIN CAME TO ME AS WE WERE GETTING INTO OUR CABIN ROOM, THIS TIME THE PAIN WAS MORE FREQUENT AND STRONGER. WE WERE VERY CONCERNED AND CALLED THE DOCTOR ON THE SHIP TO SEE IF I COULD VISIT HIM BEFORE THE CRUISE SHIP LEFT PORT. THEY INFORMED US THAT THE DOCTOR IS NOT AVAILABLE UNTIL THE SHIP LEAVES THE DOCK. BY THIS TIME I KNEW I HAD TO SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION BEFORE WE LEFT BECAUSE SOMETHING WAS VERY WRONG AND I DIDN’T WANT TO BE AT SEA AND HAVE TO FLY HOME BECAUSE OF THIS ILLNESS. THE SHIPS DOCTOR AGREED TO SEE ME BECAUSE I WAS IN HORRENDOUS PAIN. WHEN I HEARD THE WORDS I THINK YOU HAVE TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA AND NEED MEDICAL ATTENTION THAT THE SHIP CANNOT PROVIDE, I COLLAPSED IN MY HUSBANDS ARMS IN TEARS…. I HAVE BEEN A REGISTERED NURSE FOR TEN YEARS NOW AND MY SPECIALTY WAS NEURO, I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THIS DISEASE WAS ALL ABOUT, AND EVEN RECALL SOME OF MY PATIENTS THAT HAD THE DISEASE. I REMEMBER SAYING TO MYSELF I HOPE AND PRAY THAT NOBODY IN MY FAMILY EVER DEVELOPS TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA, AS IT IS THE WORST PAIN ANYBODY COULD EVER GO THROUGH….. SURE ENOUGH WE LEFT THE CRUISE SHIP AND DROVE BACK HOME AND TO MY FAMILY DOCTOR, PLENTY OF XRAYS, CT SCN, MRI OF THE BRAIN AND SPINE AND NOTHING SHOWED UP ON THE TESTS. I WAS STARTED ON MEDICATION WHICH CONTINUALLY WAS RAISED EACH TIME I WENT TO SEE THE NEUROLOGIST, I WAS LIVING IN A FOG, WONDERING WHEN AND WHERE MY NEXT SHOCK LIKE PAINS WOULD CONSUME ME. I HAD GOOD DAYS AND BAD DAYS, THEN THE BAD DAYS GOT MORE FREQUENT TO THE POINT THAT I COULD NOT BRUSH MY TEETH, EAT OR EVEN TALK WITHOUT HAVING THESE ELECTRIFYING PAINS IN MY FACE. WHILE RESEARCHING ON THE COMPUTER ABOUT NEW TREATMENTS OF THIS DISEASE I CAME ACROSS AN ANNUAL CONFERENCE ALL ABOUT TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA, I SIGNED MYSELF UP TO GO AND TRY AND FIND SOME ANSWERS AND TREATMENTS. ON THE SECOND DAY OF THE CONFERENCE I WAS SITTING IN THE AUDITORIUM WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE SHOCK LIKE PAINS STARTED IN MY FACE, THIS TIME THE PAINS WERE ALMOST CONTINUOUS AND DROPPED ME TO MY KNEES AND HELPLESS….. OF COURSE THERE WERE PLENTY OF DOCTORS THAT SPECIALIZE IN THIS DISEASE IN THE ROOM AND OFF I WENT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM WITH ONE OF THE DOCTORS. YOU SEE THERE IS NOT A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE ON THE PROPER TREATMENT OF THIS DISEASE IN EMERGENCY ROOMS BECAUSE IT IS SO RARE. THE NEUROSURGEON THAT WENT WITH ME TO THE HOSPITAL TOLD THE DOCTORS THERE WHAT TREATMENT I NEEDED AND THE PAIN SUBSIDED, THANKFULLY. AFTER THE CONFERENCE I HAD MVD SURGERY TO FIX THE FACIAL NERVES.THE SURGEON SAID HE HAD NEVER SEEN SO MANY BLOOD VESSELS PINCHINF THE FACIAL NERVE.THIS SURGERY WAS SUCESSFUL UP UNTIL 3 YEARS AGO AND NOW THE PAIN IS BACK AGAIN……… I WAS VERY EXCITED TO READ THAT TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA HAS A DAY IN OCTOBER SET ASIDE FOR THE PUBLIC TO BE AWARE OF THIS HORRIBLE DISEASE. MAYBE JUST MAYBE THE PAIN CAN BE RELIEVED FOR GOOD……