About Face: Finding Relief for Searing Facial Pain

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Newswise If youve ever experienced intense, acute pain, you know what a relief it is when the pain finally subsides. But what if the pain doesnt go away? It was a question to which Charles Schofield was determined to find an answer.

Charles battled searing pain on the right side of his face that would start in his nose, cheeks, gums or teeth before traveling up to his eye and head. The pain was so powerful, it wasnt long before the most basic tasks became a challenge for the Fair Lawn, NJ, resident. If I took a shower, as soon as the water hit my head the pain would shoot into my head, Charles recalls. Sometimes it would take me a half hour to eat a sandwich. And forget about touching his face: The pain would stop me in my tracks, says Charles.

As time went on, the pain only intensified. Sometimes it would linger. And the more it occurred, the more it lingered, Charles says.

The search for answers Charles first sought the advice of his dentist, but the source of the pain wasnt his teeth or gums. His primary care doctor referred him to a neurologist, who diagnosed Charles with trigeminal neuralgia. In this condition, painful sensations in the face are triggered by the compression of the trigeminal nerve by a blood vessel in the brain. The pain is so intense it has been referred to as the suicide disease.

Charles doctor recommended medication as a first-line treatment, but its drowsy side effects made his job overseeing operations at Fair Lawn Memorial Cemetery difficult. I run equipment as part of my job, and I have to be alert, he notes.

Two conditions, one treatment Then, Charles heard about Gamma Knife Radiosurgery and the expert team at The Valley Hospitals Gamma Knife Center, located at the hospitals Robert & Audrey Luckow Pavilion in Paramus. The decision to consider treatment with the Gamma Knife turned out to be the right call for more than one reason: MRIs and a subsequent angiogram revealed an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a benign mass of arteries and veins, putting pressure on the trigeminal nerve.

Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a safe, effective outpatient procedure using highly focused beams of radiation designed to target specific areas without damaging surrounding tissue, says neurosurgeon Anthony DAmbrosio, M.D., Co-Director of Valleys Gamma Knife Center, and Associate Director of Neuroscience at The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, NJ.

Charles underwent Gamma Knife Radiosurgery in April 2014 to shrink the mass of blood vessels, thus alleviating the pressure on the trigeminal nerve. Throughout the procedure, Charles was kept relaxed and comfortable by the centers specialized team. The doctors, nurses and everyone were really nice, and even better, I felt no discomfort during the procedure, he says.

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About Face: Finding Relief for Searing Facial Pain