Dr. Weeks explains what a woman should do if she thinks she might have trigeminal neuralgia.
Dr. Weeks:
If you suspect that you might have trigeminal neuralgia or you are experiencing some of the symptoms that I have mentioned, what you should do is as follows:
You should make an appointment with your physician, either your primary care physician or a specialist, either an ear, nose, and throat, or neurology. Once that’s done, that physician can do a careful examination. He can do a complete examination of your cranial nerves, of which your trigeminal nerve is one. Once that’s done, he can assess you and determine whether or not you need x-rays or other imaging studies to be done.
It’s very common that in the course of diagnosing trigeminal neuralgia, the physician will order some pictures to make sure that there’s not a tumor or something else that’s causing the symptoms and once that’s done, the physician can then discuss with you whether or not you’d benefit most from medication or from a procedure.
Traditionally, we will start with medications as the first line therapy and only reserve surgical procedure for patients who have been refractory to that first line of treatment.
About Dr. Weeks, M.D.:
Dr. Brian Weeks specializes in diseases of the ear, nose, throat, as well as tumors of the head and neck region, including thyroid, parathyroid, and skull base tumors. He has advanced specialty training in endoscopic sinus surgery, and is a national/international leader in balloon sinuplasty surgery. Additionally, Dr. Weeks has expertise in minimally invasive surgeries of the head and neck, as well as head and neck reconstruction. His role in reconstruction of the head and neck includes management of skin cancers, facial defects and blemishes, and cosmetic imperfections. He also provides extensive knowledge in skin care, facial peels, and facial care products.