Seven years ago, 70-year-old Janet Ortiz was diagnosed with severe trigeminal neuralgia, a type of chronic nerve pain that comes from the trigeminal nerve, which is located at the base of your brain and carries sensation from your face to your brain, causing much of the pain experienced to occur along the jawline and side of the face. “I was having a lot of pain that kept getting worse, and worse, and worse,” Janet said. “The pain felt like shocks to my face.”

Under the care of her neurologist, Janet started treatment with medications. The medications did not eliminate her pain, and the side effects made it very hard to function. Then last year, her pain intensified. “It was hard for me to talk; hard to chew; hard for me to eat; touch my face; brush and floss my teeth; even put on lipstick or play my wooden flute. There were a few times I couldn’t even walk.” Janet said. “The pain is so hard to explain, and as the pain got worse, it changed and felt like fire – so intense.”

Janet went back to her neurologist to discuss different treatment options, and it was then that she was referred to Epic Care’s Dr. Gautam Prasad for a CyberKnife consultation. This outpatient, non-invasive treatment delivers beams of high-dose radiation with pinpoint accuracy to the trigeminal nerve roots, alleviating the pain and suffering. The CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system is an excellent treatment option not only for its remarkable precision, but there is also no surgery or incision. And for an area like the face, that is a key factor. “I went in thinking; I’m really scared because it’s radiation, but I was made to feel it would be ok and not to be afraid,” said Janet.

As part of her consultation, Dr. Gautam Prasad ordered an MRI. “I’ll never forget the moment Dr. Prasad called me with my results. I was at work standing in a quiet room when he told me, ‘Janet, you don’t have trigeminal neuralgia; you have a benign tumor, and this is good news because you can be free of pain,’” said Janet, “That took a little while to sink in.”

The MRI showed a tumor compressing her trigeminal nerve and causing all her pain. “We treated the tumor rather than the trigeminal nerve, and she had a near resolution of her pain after one month,” said Dr. Gautam Prasad. “She is so grateful and thankful, and cried tears of joy during our follow-up.”

“I had five CyberKnife treatments. I could still work while getting my treatment and live my life. I didn’t have to change my routine, and I didn’t lose my hair. It’s been eight weeks, and I don’t feel much pain, and I’m now working on coming off my pain medication.” said Janet. “I don’t know what would have happened if I went the rest of my life not having asked about different treatment options, and I didn’t meet Dr. Prasad. I could have gone my whole life not knowing my pain could be resolved. I’m ever so grateful for Dr. Prasad and the staff. I wake up in the morning, and I’m like, oh my gosh, I can wash my face and brush my teeth. I love to tell stories, and talking is a gift, and now I can tell stories again. If you ask me, it was just a miracle.”

For more information about CyberKnife for Trigeminal Neuralgia, or any other conditions, please contact us today.