A Life Without Pain: Linda's Journey to Healing
"Before surgery, he took my hand, looked me in the eye, and said 'Do you trust me?' And I did. I told him I trusted him completely. I somehow knew I was in the best hands."
For several months, Linda lived with an invisible torment — an excruciating pain that struck frequently without warning, randomly when she swallowed.
“It felt like being electrocuted in my throat” she recalled. “It would drop me to the ground and felt like pulsing electricity for about 25 seconds at a time, then left me shaking for the next 30 minutes. I was terrified to eat because I never knew when it might happen.”
The cause was a rare condition called glossopharyngeal neuralgia, where the pharyngeal nerve deep near the brainstem becomes compressed by blood vessels that rub the insulation off the nerve, causing it to fire. When the nerve would fire, it would send jolts of severe pain to the throat and tongue. Daily tasks like brushing her teeth, turning her head, or even yawning became overwhelming sources of fear and unpredictable pain.
She was put on an antiseizure medication that kept the nerve from firing, but a serious allergic reaction to that medication forced her to stop, and the next medication did not help.
Desperate for relief as the shocks returned, Linda saw dentists and specialists, but no one had answers. Her days became filled with anxiety, her weight dropped, and she began to lose hope. It was recommended she find a neurosurgeon to help.
That’s when her search led her to Dr. Gabriel Flores-Milan, a neurosurgeon with Lakeland Regional Health and USF Health who specializes in complex cranial nerve disorders.
When Linda met Dr. Flores-Milan, everything changed. She remembers telling him, “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t live like this.”
She recalls the appointment vividly. "He was so compassionate, so focused on helping me. He looked me in the eye and said, ‘No one should have to live in this kind of pain. I can do surgery to fix this.’"
He diagnosed her with vascular compression of the glossopharyngeal nerve, where blood vessels pressed against the nerve, stripping away its protective coating and causing it to misfire. During surgery, he discovered that her glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves, which are crucial for controlling certain vital functions, were compressed.
Using a procedure called microvascular decompression, Dr. Flores-Milan carefully repositioned the blood vessels away from the nerves and placed cushion-like material between the blood vessels and nerves to prevent future contact. The delicate procedure involved operating near the brainstem, requiring both precision and creativity. He removed a section of her skull behind her ear to access the area.
“He told me it was challenging because he had to get creative because of how the blood vessels were looped around the nerve,” Linda shared.
The results changed her life. "The pain has not returned — not once since surgery," Linda said. "I can eat. I can yawn. I can brush my teeth. These are things people take for granted, but after what I went through, it feels like a miracle."
Throughout her journey, Linda was struck by Dr. Flores-Milan’s commitment to her well-being. “Before surgery, he took my hand, looked me in the eye, and said ‘Do you trust me?’ And I did. I told him I trusted him completely. I somehow knew I was in the best hands.”
Today Linda is back at work, regaining her strength, and rediscovering the simple joys of life. Recovery hasn’t been without its challenges, as she experiences some anxiety around swallowing and some changes to her voice. But she finds those issues small in comparison to the debilitating pain she once lived with.
“I focus on being grateful every day. That change everything,” says Linda.
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At Lakeland Regional Health, we are proud to offer compassionate, specialized neurosurgical care to improve our patients’ lives. Dr. Gabriel Flores-Milan and our expert team are here to guide you through every step of your journey to better health.
