Expediting Treatment for Trigeminal Neuralgia (pain, side, ache, surgery)

[Voyager39]

I have had trigeminal neuralgia (TN) pain on and off for about four years. I currently have appointments set up with my neurologist and for an MRI to get an update on my condition.

Back in 2019, my neurologist told me that there was about a three-month waiting period for TN surgery in our health system (Kaiser/Washington), during which time some patients suffered considerable pain. Accordingly, in anticipation of this delay still being in effect, I'm posting to find out what options I may have for "skipping the line" to get surgery, while fully expecting to pay out of pocket for all services.

The first thought that springs to mind is to head to something like the Mayo clinic and to get any additional testing and surgery done in one setting. However, I'm new to this process, and don't know what the various options are (i.e. other hospitals etc).

I'm hoping to get recommendations for places based on the quality of service and, as stated above, the speed with which the surgery can be done.

Please feel free to mention any additional considerations I haven't mentioned above.

[toofache32]

You need a concierge doctor who has an incentive to make phone calls for you to figure this out.

I'm not sure why you think Mayo is quicker than anywhere else or that they can whisk you off to the OR the same day as your consult.

[Voyager39]

Originally Posted by toofache32

You need a concierge doctor who has an incentive to make phone calls for you to figure this out.

I'm not sure why you think Mayo is quicker than anywhere else or that they can whisk you off to the OR the same day as your consult.

Regarding Mayo: The basis for my hope (not so much a belief or thought) that I could get quick service at the Mayo clinic is based on a related experience at the Marshfield clinic in Wisconsin in the early 1990s. However, this is a different situation, since surgery may be involved.

I'm not familiar with concierge medicine, but will check it out. If you have any suggestions for selecting a concierge provider from among the various providers, please let me know. I reviewed the site of such a service in Washington state. Instead of a pay-as-you-go approach, they appear to have an annual fee. I don't know if that's common or not. Thanks again for the recommendation.