Unfortunate circumstances, unfortunate conditions

      Dr. Methee Wongsirisuwan, neurosurgeon, talked about hitting the jackpot. For the rest of us, hearing the word ‘jackpot’ always come with an exciting and positive connotation, however for Mr. Prapan Pongvachirintra; the jackpot he received was far from confetti and cash prizes. Mr. Prapan experiences excruciating pain from a condition called ‘trigeminal neuralgia’. Vibhavadi Hospital had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Prapan about his experience with trigeminal neuralgia.

“What I got it,” he said, “I had stabbing pains on my face and even my eye socket. Every time I chewed my food, brushed my teeth, and even experiencing wind blowing on my face caused extreme pain. It was so painful that it got in the way of my daily life. My life changed drastically and I couldn’t even do my job like before.”

When asked about the treatment, he said, “I went to so many doctors. The first doctor gave me medication that I took for 4 years but it didn’t help at all.”

“I was already a patient at Vibhavadi Hospital but never thought to get treatment for this condition. Since I have been to so many doctors already, I decided to consult Vibhavadi about my pain. I met with Dr. Kanlaya Damrongsak, a neurologist at Vibhavadi Hospital, who suggested that I undergo surgery with Dr. Methee Wongsirisuwan, the neurosurgeon. I had a friend who was operated by Dr. Methee and had a very good experience because of his expertise. I had some concerns because I had heart disease so the risk was quite great, it took me 6 months to make up my mind.”

So what made him change his mind? Mr. Prapan said, “because the pain was so horrible. It was unbearable. Actually Dr. Methee was already ready to operate on me, he was just waiting for me to decide and stop taking my anticoagulant medication. My friend who was satisfied with his experience was supporting me to undergo the surgery, so I did it.”

“After the surgery, the pain was gone. I felt so