Trigeminal Neuralgia.
Trigeminal Neuralgia is also called trigeminal tic, and is often referred to as the “suicide disease”. It is a chronic condition affecting the trigeminal nerve which is one of the largest nerves in the head.
Trigeminal Neuralgia symptoms include sudden, sharp, stabbing, shock-like, or shooting pain in the face… usually the right side… and often in the jaw or cheek. My wife likened it to the feeling of someone pushing and screwing a red hot poker up the side of her face.
She unreservedly agrees with medical professionals who describe trigeminal neuralgia pain as the worst a person can endure. The attacks usually last for a short time, but can appear and disappear… only to appear again at any time… and go on for days, months, even years.
Chewing, talking, smiling, or taking cold or hot fluids may trigger Trigeminal Neuralgia pain. Touching, shaving, brushing teeth, blowing the nose, or a cold or warm breeze also may bring on an attack. Trigeminal Neuralgia is more common among women than men, usually occurs after the age of 50.
The pain seldom lasts more than a few seconds or a minute or two per episode, and the intensity of pain can be physically and mentally incapacitating. The attacks will often worsen over time, with fewer and shorter pain-free periods before they recur with increased severity and frequency.
The presumed cause of Trigeminal Neuralgia pain is a blood vessel pressing on the trigeminal nerve in the head as it exits the brainstem.
Our story:
My wife was experiencing the above symptoms for several months, and as the pain and intensity of the attacks worsened, our doctor increased the dosage of the medication he prescribed. A referral was eventually made to see a specialist in the field who prescribed more powerful drugs which did little for the pain which was intensifying. She reached a point where she could no longer function due to the drugs debilitating effects and was eventually referred to a neurosurgeon.
He told her what and how she was feeling, and what caused the attacks. It was as if he had been following her around and observing.
At last! Someone understood!
He explained how, inside her brain, a blood vessel and the trigeminal nerve were flicking away, side by side… and that was fine… until they got out of sync.
He said that this was what caused the ravaging attacks.
He also suggested and emphatically recommended a surgical procedure which would involve entering her brain and placing “insulation” between the offending blood vessel and the nerve.
Brain surgery was an understandably radical and a scary prospect and she initially rejected the idea. However, as she reached a point where there was nothing else to try, she agreed to the surgery.
It worked! The attacks ceased immediately and life returned to normal.
That was about twelve years ago. Then, early in 2008, the symptoms started to return. At first she thought it was her imagination, but as they increased, we sought referral to another neurosurgeon. (The previous surgeon had retired by this.)
He knew what had been done previously, and informed us that another “simple” operation should be performed to replace the “insulation” which had obviously broken down over time.
Another brain operation? We needed time to think!
Since the initial operation, I had studied massage, and on the way home, I thought about this Trigeminal Nerve, and decided to try a release of the Trigeminal Nerve using a massage technique. It hurt like blazes to perform but the symptoms disappeared immediately, and to date, have not returned. No drugs… no surgery!
I firmly believe if I had known about massage and its capabilities as an complimentary and alternative medicine twelve years ago… the operation would not have been necessary.
Before you consent to surgery, try a Remedial Massage technique that releases the Trigeminal Nerve. It could be all you need to regain a normal life and you have nothing to lose!
If you aren’t certain what type of massage you require, we’ll help determine the best customised therapeutic massage for you. 
I am going to have to give this a go.