Smiling, by its very nature should be joyful, not painful. And smiling certainly should not feel like lightning striking your face as Richard, a trigeminal neuralgia patient described it.
Trigeminal neuralgia is a facial nerve disorder caused by the trigeminal nerve which can trigger intense, and sometimes constant pain.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke here are some facts about trigeminal neuralgia:
- It can cause sudden intense shooting or stabbing pain, often only on one side of the face.
- Pain can be triggered by touching your face or even a light breeze.
- There can be burning, throbbing or numbness between attacks.
- The condition can be progressive and get worse over time.
Trigeminal neuralgia is not common. There are only 12 in 100,000 individuals diagnosed each year. If you have ever had a toothache, you may be able to understand the pain to some degree. Now imagine living your life with that shooting, stabbing pain on a daily basis.
That is how Richard lived for nearly a decade until an MRI detected the problem.
Trigeminal Neuralgia Dubbed the ‘Suicidal Disease’
“This is called the suicide disease,” Richard said he found out when he began doing research about the condition. Richard tried medication, often a first-line treatment, to remedy the pain, but that only made things worse. Ultimately, he was bedridden until he found another option: CyberKnife radiosurgery, a form of pinpointed radiation, which desensitizes the nerve.
“I’m surprised at how long many of these patients have suffered before they are referred to a CyberKnife center for treatment. That’s why it’s so very important that we get this information out about CyberKnife as a non-invasive treatment option for trigeminal neuralgia,” said Dr. Pomper, medical director of the CyberKnife Center of Miami and a board-certified radiation oncologist.
Dr. Pomper often sees trigeminal neuralgia patients after they have exhausted all other options, including surgery.
CyberKnife for Trigeminal Neuralgia
He believes with education and awareness; patients will find the CyberKnife solution sooner.
“Patients suffering from trigeminal neuralgia should always consider alternative options to surgery,” said Dr. Mark Pomper, “After trying medication, ask your doctor, is there a non-invasive treatment available? Typically, patients need only one CyberKnife treatment. If the pain returns, a second treatment may be considered but we have been very successful with just one treatment.”
Richard opted for CyberKnife.
“I was healed,” Richard, told Accuray, the maker of CyberKnife.
He called the treatment life changing. “I’m not living in fear anymore,” he said.
Neither is Natalia, who was treated by Dr. Pomper at CyberKnife Miami.
“I met with Dr. Mark Pomper,” she said. “He was amazing. He gave me a full medical exam and looked at all my scans. The team is so thorough. He explained everything to me in such a simple way. He and everyone there gave me such confidence. Dr. Pomper kept telling me don’t be so nervous. He said it will probably require only one radiation treatment session,” Natalia says.
“At first after the treatment, I was afraid to sneeze or cough fearing it would set off another pain attack like usual, but it did not. I did feel a bit more nerve pain in my face right after the treatment. But after a few weeks I was off the pain medication, and I felt nothing. It took me a month to stop being so cautious and realize the pain was not coming back,” she says.
While many patients only need one treatment, if the pain does return, patients can often be treated a second time with CyberKnife.
CyberKnife Center Miami
CyberKnife Miami opened its doors more than 20 years ago and was the first CyberKnife center to open in the Southeast and the 11th center to open in the United States.
Since that time, we have successfully treated thousands of patients.
CyberKnife can be used to treat trigeminal neuralgia and other medical conditions like cancers of the prostate, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, head and neck, lymph nodes and brain as well as metastatic cancer.
“My best advice to anyone who will listen is, you do not have to live in pain, take pills for the rest of your life or go through risky, invasive surgery. Do your research and check out CyberKnife. It works,” Natalia says.
If you are interested in learning more about CyberKnife treatment for trigeminal Neuralgia call CyberKnife Miami at 305-279-2900 or go to our website now www.cyberknifemiami.com.