LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It’s been called one of the most painful conditions known to humanity and most common in adults over 50, especially women.
While rare, Trigeminal Neuralgia is common for a group of Norton Healthcare doctors who’ve come together to find the best treatment for it.
Louisville native Jim Wimsatt says his only regret is not seeking their help sooner. His symptoms first set in about 5 years ago.
“I started getting a pain right in this part of my face," Wimsatt said, pointing to his right cheek.
Wimsatt was 60 at the time and a father of 4. He says the pain was like turning on a light switch.
“It goes from nothing to excruciating, just like that," Wimsatt said.
At first, he thought it was an infected tooth, but his dentist ruled out any kind of tooth pain. It was then, his family doctor diagnosed him with Trigeminal Neuralgia. It involves a complex nerve responsible for sending pain, touch and temperature sensations from your face to your brain. The pain caused by this condition is described as an 'electric shock,' and impacts about 200,000 people every year.
“When they first experience the pain, they may not have it again for days, weeks, months, even years, but often times, the pain does come back and over time, more frequently," Dr. Abigail Rao, a neurosurgeon with Norton Neuroscience Institute said.
For Wimsatt, the pain lasted about a month before it suddenly stopped. Then, 4 years later in the Spring of 2021, it came back stronger than ever.
That’s when he found help through the Norton Neuroscience Institute and a team of specialists like Doctors Brian Plato and Rao who collaborate on similar cases at a dedicated Face Pain Clinic.
Wimsatt began taking medication that seemed to help, but the effectiveness wore off within a few months.
“It just started coming back with more intense pain," he said.
All the sudden, brushing his teeth, touching his nose, taking a shower, any kind of sensation set it off. He’d tell you it was worse than gout and kidney stones. Many women have said it's worse than the pains of childbirth.
“That’s when the decision was made to do something permanently, because I just couldn’t live like that," Wimsatt said.
He had two other options, radiation or a surgery called microvascular decompression, where surgeons separate the Trigeminal nerve away from blood vessels that may be interfering with it. It's the most invasive of all surgeries for this condition, but also offers the lowest probability that pain will return.
“The surgery is very successful, I tell my patients it's anywhere from a 70 to 90 percent chance of immediate pain relief," Dr. Rao said.
Wimsatt went in for surgery 2 days before Christmas and came out with the greatest gift he could ask for.
“It’s just amazing because the pain is completely gone," Wimsatt said.
If you feel you're experiencing symptoms of Trigeminal Neuralgia, contact the Norton Neuroscience Institute Face Pain Clinic: Call (502) 446-4NNI (4664)
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.