A man has said thank you to the doctors at Guy’s and St Thomas’ who found the rare condition that caused him years of unbearable headaches – and made the pain go away.
Julian Belsom woke up one morning with what he thought was toothache. He went to the dentist but nothing they suggested made the pain any better.
The excruciating pain came in stretches lasting between about 30 seconds and two minutes, recurring many times throughout the day – hundreds of times on a bad day.
Doctors in various different hospitals treated him for the pain but nothing prevented it from happening for longer than a month.
Julian, 50, said: “It was unbearable. I thought my head was going to explode. It felt like my teeth were about to crack at any moment.
“I’d have some pain free days and after one treatment I didn’t have pain for a month, but every time it returned and came back with a vengeance. Some days it was so bad I couldn’t walk, talk, sleep, eat or even move without it causing pain. My mental health suffered so badly to the point I was contemplating suicide.
“I couldn’t work because the pain was so immense, which meant I wasn’t paid and I couldn’t keep up with my mortgage repayments, so I lost my house. It felt as though my whole life was falling apart.”
Years on, Julian’s wife got in touch with the Guy’s and St Thomas’ headache and facial pain service. Doctors found that Julian had a rare disorder called short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing, known as SUNCT syndrome.
The cause of the excruciating pain was an artery in the back of his head that was compressing a nerve.
A King’s neurosurgeon, Sinan Barazi, was brought on to carry out a difficult and uncertain procedure, separating the artery and the nerve and putting a strip of teflon between them to keep them apart.
Julian was told there was no guarantee of success or how long the pain relief would last, but has been pain-free ever since.
“Since the operation, I’ve been completely pain free. I was able to start work again and begin getting my life back on track. It really has changed everything.”
To show his appreciation for the work of the team who have cared for him, earlier this year Julian walked along the Jurassic Coast, on the English Channel coast of southern England, to raise money for Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity.
The 34 mile walk took fifteen hours to complete and is something Julian couldn’t have even considered previously. Julian said: “It was a really difficult walk but something I’ll never forget.
“The team who cared for me work so tremendously hard so I’m pleased to give something back. The surgery has given me a new lease of life and I can’t thank them enough.”
To donate to the fundraiser click here.