Health Focus: Trigeminal Neuralgia

BBC Newsline's David Maxwell talks to trigeminal neuralgia sufferer, Janice McArthur, about how the condition affected her life and the nature of the treatment she received.

This week's Health Focus looks at a rare condition that is so severe it is dubbed "the suicide disease".

People who suffer from Trigeminal Neuralgia have frequent bouts of sudden pain and, because it can often be diagnosed incorrectly, it is not clear just how many of us have it.

It is most common in women over 50 but can affect younger people too. One of them is Janice MacArthur, who is 44 and from Millisle in County Down. She is a BBC Newsline viewer who contacted us to share her experience.

As a primary school principal and mother she led a very busy life. But in June of 2008 she began to experience pain which badly affected her ability to speak, eat and swallow. This is her story.

Click here to visit TNA UK (Trigeminal Neuralgia Association UK)

BBC Newsline website