North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson has welcomed Adrian Hale, the Chairman of the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association UK, to a meeting at his Community Office.
Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) is a neurological condition caused by blood vessels which wear away the myelin (protective casing) around the Trigeminal nerve in the brain, with the subsequent raw nerve sending stinging signals into areas of the face, causing excruciating pain for the person with the condition.
Attacks from TN can come without any warning, during which sufferers have been known to collapse due to the pain. During painful episodes, a majority of sufferers cannot; eat properly, smile, brush their teeth and even touch their face. Unfortunately whilst facial pain is a major indication of TN symptoms, since much of the pain occurs inside the mouth, many people with TN have prolonged pain due to the condition being mistaken for dental problems.
Trigeminal Neuralgia Association UK (TNA), is a registered charity in the UK to support people with the rare condition, helping them to live more normal lives. TNA is also fully committed to raising awareness of the condition, particularly given that statistics suggest the numbers affected by the condition is on the increase.
Furthermore improving knowledge of the symptoms of Trigeminal Neuralgia, will help potential sufferers and even doctors to identify symptoms.
In the meeting, Justin accepted an invitation to the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association UK event in Parliament on the 12th June. The event, which is expected to increase awareness of Trigeminal Neuralgia, will feature guest speakers including Dr. Ken Casey, who is an American author & neurosurgeon and is regarded as an expert in the field.
Justin Tomlinson MP said: “It was extremely useful to have an update on this ahead of the event in Parliament next month; one which I will be pleased to attend. It was also inspiring to see Adrian, as a Swindon resident and someone who lives with Trigeminal Neuralgia, leading the way on this. Additionally he provided myself and my office with some informative material on this condition, which I will be reflecting on in greater detail in the build up to the event.”
For any more information on Trigeminal Neuralgia Association UK (TNA) or the condition itself – Please visit: https://www.tna.org.uk/
