Get The Whole Story: Please check the Microvascular Decompression tag page to hear all the updates about my MVD surgery.

Notes

So they were like, "Something is weird. We got to put the EKG on him." But I'm like a hairy individual, you know? So they got out the trimmers, they're like, "What?" They're just like, "What do we do?" ... she says to me, she's like, "Don't worry. After we're done, I'll shave the rest." I'm like, "Hell no you won't shave the rest of my chest. Are you kidding?" I think of my chest hair a little bit like Samson, you know what I mean? Stay away from that. Come on, give me a break.

Begin Transcript

Welcome to the What's The Matter With Me? Podcast Season 3, Episode 15. I'm recovering from microvascular decompression (MVD) surgery.

Thank you for listening to the What's The Matter With Me? Podcast. My name is John, I'm 40 years old, husband, father of two. Small business owner, radio DJ, podcaster, and I have Multiple Sclerosis. I made this podcast to share what I'm going through. I'm not a medical professional. Don't take this for medical advice. And if you need medical advice, ask your health care provider.

Recap, last episode, I went to Amy's wedding

I got interrogated by cousin Tommy, the cop. And I had major Uhthoff's effect. And people were, all kinds of people telling me like they were like, "Put this on your neck. Put this ice water on your wrist." If you ever have a medical emergency, and you're surrounded by your whole family, that's what it was like.

What's The Matter With Me? Podcast Season three, episode 15. I'm recovering from MVD surgery, microvascular decompression surgery.

I had it about 10 days ago. And it was in the morning, I was the first surgery for the day in the morning. And so I got there really early. I got checked in in the waiting room, and then I went into the OR. I remember being in there for like a second, but then the anesthesiologist knocked me out.

I woke up with 25 staples behind my right ear. But I wasn't having trigeminal neuralgia pain in my face, in my jaw. It was a little bit numb, like I'd been to the dentist earlier that day, and I was getting ready to go to bed. You know how you can feel it? It's not quite tingling, it's not quite like fat lip the way you have, but it just felt weird.

And it's continued to feel a little bit weird. The side of my tongue tingles a little bit.

And so those staples, they hurt. The back behind my ear kind of hurt. But I wasn't in trigeminal neuralgia pain. And the thing is that pain is so intense that I was like, "I feel all right. I just had a craniotomy. But I feel okay. Because I'm not in pain like I'm going to die."

Trigeminal neuralgia pain was the worst. And I can talk about it in the past tense, because the operation was a success.

So I got to give a shout out. Tremendous, great support from my family, and all my friends. And I'm here today. I'm down… Today I'm down to 12 from 15 pain pills I was taking before surgery. I'm taking three less pills. I feel more alive, brighter, I'm surer on my feet, everything. I'm a little low energy. I'm still getting my stamina back. Because for most of the last 10 days I've been laying in bed unable really to do anything, kind of woozy when I got up. Because I was on all kinds of medication, and I was on more pain pills because of the surgery.

But now I'm down to 12 pills and I'm on no surgery pain medication. I'm just trying to get off all that pain medication I was on before the surgery. And I can't… I would just kick it all to the curb, except I have to manage… I can't go into a withdrawal again. I have to take it down slowly. That's what they call titration. I have to take one… Right now I'm taking one less pill every three days.

So my wife told me sometime around the beginning of November I'll be off everything, something like that. I'm excited. And you know me. I kiss my wife on the lips, man. Kiss her right on the smacker.