Fida Webb can now ride on the back of her husband's bike and enjoy it.
"Even just a little wind. It would trigger the pain," she says.
Recommended Videos
Webb had Trigeminal Neuralgia. It's a condition that caused repeated attacks of intense, stabbing pain in her face. Three, four or more times a day.
Webb says the the pain was so bad, her life stopped. She didn't want to do anything because just about everything-smiling, talking, moving – sparked it.
"For seven years I was in a depression," she says.
Dr. Ronald Reimer is a neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic. He says some people who come to his office have lost weight because it's too painful to eat.
"Many of these patients come to the office, and they are very, very desperate," says Reimer.
There are various treatment options. For younger and healthy patients, the most definitive way to treat the problem is by what we call a microvascular decompression.
That involves removing a small piece of bone behind the ear to access the source of the pain – a blood vessel that pulsates against the trigeminal nerve and over time damages it's myelin sheath. Then, Reimer moves the vessels away from the nerve, and places a pad between them to keep them apart.
Another, less invasive method involves making a tiny nick in the cheek through which doctors insert a blunt tipped needle followed by a balloon. The instruments are guided to the site where the nerve exits the base of the skull. When they inflate the balloon it creates pressure that allows Reimer to cautiously compress the nerve and block pain signals.
"Sometimes that procedure takes as little as ten minutes and should give fairly immediate relief of pain," says Reimer.
It worked for Webb.
"Oh, my life is back. I can smile, I can kiss my husband, just giggle," she says.
Webb knows there's a chance the pain could return. If so, she says she'll sign up for another procedure.
Reimer says the procedure Webb had can cause some face numbness afterwards. But Webb says that's something she was willing to risk if it meant getting rid of the pain.
For more information visit www.mayoclinic.org or call the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville at (904) 953-2272.