Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Our Services >
  • Neurosurgery >
  • ... >
  • Patient Stories >
  • Cranial Nerve Disorders >
  • James Adams
Neurosurgery
About Us
Contact Us
Conditions and Treatments
Brain
Spine Neurosurgery
Neurophysiology
Meet the Neurosurgery Experts
Patient Stories
Brain Tumors
Chiari Malformation
Cranial Nerve Disorders
Movement Disorders and Epilepsy
Neurovascular
Pituitary
Spine
Classes, Events, & News
Neurocirugia
Neurosurgery
About Us
Contact Us
Conditions and Treatments
Brain
Spine Neurosurgery
Neurophysiology
Meet the Neurosurgery Experts
Patient Stories
Brain Tumors
Chiari Malformation
Cranial Nerve Disorders
Movement Disorders and Epilepsy
Neurovascular
Pituitary
Spine
Classes, Events, & News
Neurocirugia

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

James Adams: Trigeminal Neuralgia

Learn more about James neurosurgery patient story at UPMC.

The Challenge

James, a resident of Hot Springs, Arkansas, was enjoying retirement and spent most of his time with family, out on the golf course, and remodeling houses.

However, that all changed in 2019 when he began experiencing an extremely sharp pain above his right eyebrow. The attacks were very frequent, occurring multiple times a day and lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.

The intense pain affected his ability to complete daily activities, as once the pain hit, it was impossible to do anything but attempt to manage it in some way.

“To help stop the pain, I would hold my hand up to my head and put pressure on it. This provided temporary relief, but as soon as I removed the pressure the pain came back in full force.”

Concerned by the severity of pain, James saw three different neurologists in Arkansas and was ultimately diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia, a condition in which a blood vessel compresses the trigeminal nerve creating sudden, severe, shock-like feelings of pain along the face.

He was prescribed medication to help control the pain. While the medicine alleviated some of the sharp pains, James was often described by his family as “not being fully present” in many of life’s moments.

James decided that there had to be a better way to manage the pain aside from medication, as the side effects were limiting his ability to engage with his family and reducing his overall quality of life.

The Path to UPMC

James’ brother was a spinal surgeon in Louisiana who often monitored surgeries. His brother had the chance to monitor a surgery of UPMC’s Dr. Georgios Zenonos, associate director of the UPMC Center for Cranial Base Surgery and assistant professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery.

James’ brother also encountered Dr. Zenonos once again at a medical conference. After listening to Dr. Zenonos’ presentation about surgical treatment of trigeminal neuralgia, James’ brother persuaded him to seek care with Dr. Zenonos at UPMC.

James eventually connected with Dr. Zenonos through a telemedicine appointment in which Dr. Zenonos reviewed a series of tests from James’ previous medical visits in Arkansas.

Dr. Zenonos recommended that James undergo a microvascular decompression, which is a minimally invasive surgery that offers the most long-lasting relief and minimizes risk of postoperative side effects like numbness.

“During our appointment, I felt confident in Dr. Zenonos and could tell he was definitely an expert and knew what he was talking about. I knew that if anyone was going to do this surgery, it had to be him.”

The Care

James underwent a microvascular decompression, which consisted of making an approximately 4cm incision behind the ear. Next, a window was made in the skull to gain access to the brain.

Dr. Zenonos then used a microscope to detect the area where the blood vessel was pushing on the nerve causing the pain. To separate the blood vessel from the nerve, Dr. Zenonos inserted a nonstick PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) "pillow" in between them.

James’ spent one day in the hospital following the procedure and was discharged the next day. He then stayed in Pittsburgh for a week after the surgery and visited with Dr. Zenonos for a follow-up appointment to review the results of the procedure.

The Results

James has made a full recovery since the procedure and is able to engage in his favorite activities such as golf and remodeling houses once again.

“As soon as I woke up from surgery, I could tell it was gone. As time continues to progress, I have never felt an onset of any symptoms or sharp pains like I once did.”

James has been fully weaned off the medications he was previously taking and finds that he is able to be fully present in all areas of life again.

“UPMC is the best hospital I have ever been to and the care I received from Dr. Zenonos was unreal compared to my other previous experiences.”

UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login