People with TN have a normal life expectancy, since the condition is not life threatening, even though you might feel as if you are dying during an extremely painful attack...
Do not despair, there is always hope, as various treatment options are available, such as medications or surgery.
In the olden days, people would often take their own lives because adequate treatment was not available.
TNers can often feel very depressed or suffer from anxiety.
The unpredictability of the condition can make people feel very anxious about when the next attack is going to occur.
In sum, TN can have a serious impact on a person's life and considerably reduce someone's quality of life.
The condition is known to completely ruin an individual's life in terms of job security, long-term relationships or family life.
Sometimes TN can be a symptom of an underlying auto-immune disorder, such as MS, especially in younger people. A good MRI scan will provide further clarity on the diagnosis. The scan will show lesions on the brain when a person has MS.
Surgeries such as MVD also contain the usual risks associated with all types of procedures that require anesthesia.
Furthermore, anticonvulsants can have long-term side effects, such as liver or kidney damage.
Research is always conducted in order to improve the quality of life of people living with TN and to find new treatments that come with less side effects.