Part V – The Doctor
The doctor looked at the x-ray results from the tests on Lynn’s cerebrospinal fluid.
“Well that’s good. The brain scans show no tumors, and these results give no indication of multiple sclerosis.”
Lynn sat holding the right side of her face with her hand. The pain was still bad, although she hoped that it would soon disappear.
“Does your face still hurt, Lynn?”
“I’m not sure if it’s getting any better.”
“I think we should be able to solve that problem reasonably quickly. All of those tests we put you through indicate one diagnosis; you are suffering from trigeminal neuralgia. The trigeminal nerve contains sensory axons that provide sensation in your face. Put simply, the axons are producing extra signals, called action potentials, which are being registered in the cortex of your brain; this gives you the sensation of pain.”
“Can you stop these extra signals?”
“Yes, but we need to act in the short term and the long term,” replied the doctor. “I think that the underlying cause of your pain is high blood pressure. This x-ray is one of many we took, and it shows an artery in your brain that has become enlarged; it looks like a balloon and is called an aneurysm. It is pushing on the trigeminal nerve, and this compression is producing action potentials, which are going to your brain.”
“Is that like when you hit your funny bone?” asked John.
“Exactly,” replied the doctor. “Now, we must fix this problem because it could be very dangerous or even lethal if the aneurysm ruptures and blood enters your brain. I think that we caught it in time, and the medication we gave you to lower your blood pressure should help. But, I’m concerned that the stabbing pain is still bad, especially since this is the biggest aneurysm I have ever seen. I’ll check our scheduling and get you set up for a surgery.”
“Isn’t there some other option?” asked Lynn.
“In some cases a procedure called microvascular decompression can be performed to alleviate the stabbing pain; that’s when a soft Teflon cushion is placed between the blood vessel and the nerve. But although that might help with the pain, it would not address the aneurism. I’m afraid for that we’ll need to perform surgery to repair the blood vessel.
“In the long term, we must also work to lower your blood pressure; we’ll keep you on the medication, which I see has lowered your blood pressure a little. You will need to go on an exercise program and eat a low salt diet.”
“I’ll do almost anything to get rid of this stabbing pain, doctor.”
Questions
Why is the pain only on the right side of Lynn’s face?
Why did the doctor prescribe a low salt diet and an exercise program?
Why wouldn’t the surgeon simply tie off the artery, between the heart and the aneurysm?
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