We are delighted that Denise Drysdale is raising awareness, by talking about her Diagnosis with Trigeminal Neuralgia.
It is also wonderful to hear that she underwent surgery with Dr Ben Jonker who is one of our Medical Advisory Board Neurosurgeons
The article below was written for Woman’s Day
EXCLUSIVE: Aussie TV treasure Denise Drysdale opens up about her year from hell and secret brain surgery
Article from Women’s Day published on Aug 8th 2022
”I haven’t really laughed in over a year – my life had become a nightmare of agonising pain and fear.”
As she welcomes Woman’s Day into her Gold Coast home, Denise Drysdale is not only jumping with joy but her irrepressible sense of humour is back with a vengeance!
It’s been a long time coming for Denise, 73, who, in her first interview since vanishing from the spotlight, opens about her harrowing health crisis and life-changing brain surgery.
“It’s great to be laughing again. I haven’t really laughed in over a year – my life had become a nightmare of agonising pain and fear,” confesses the two-time TV WEEK Gold Logie winner.
For the past 13 months the usually upbeat star had been grappling with the immensely painful facial condition trigeminal neuralgia (TN).
In May 2021 “Ding Dong” experienced her first TN flare-up, something she says she’ll never forget. Describing the pain as “unbearable” and “searing”, Denise reveals it became so intense she struggled to breathe.
“It was like a white-hot lightning bolt that would shoot across my face. The tiniest thing set it off, like smiling, brushing your teeth or hair, or blowing your nose.”
The star says the agonising episodes became more excruciating and frequent, and she would experience around five attacks a day.
So bad did things become, Denise struggled to get up in the morning.
“I would inch myself up slowly, so as not to trigger it off. There were times I’d burst into tears, fearful of when it would next strike,” she says.
“Stupidly, I thought it would work itself out. I’m a stoic person and very little rattles me. I was hoping it would just go away, but it didn’t.”
Feeling increasingly anxious, Denise says she withdrew from life, stopped seeing friends, turned down work and holed herself up at home, dreading the next agonising spasm.
“It became so debilitating that I bit the bullet – I was referred to a specialist, who diagnosed trigeminal neuralgia.
But worst of all? “I couldn’t remove the cork from a bottle of bubbly!”
Following Denise’s TN diagnosis, she underwent regular acupuncture therapy, which provided some pain relief but was not a cure.
“In September last year I was taken to a Gold Coast hospital by my eldest son Rob, who found me writhing in agony.”
At times, Denise admits she sunk into a terrible depression. “I feared the crippling pain was going to be my life. That I couldn’t go out, couldn’t have fun with friends, couldn’t smile, couldn’t cuddle my grandkids or go to work.”
Denise kept her painful ordeal quiet for fear of being seen as a hypochondriac.
“I seemed to be lurching from one medical horror to the next, and thought people would be sick to death of hearing about my latest malady.
“To know my two boys, Rob and Pete, were worried sick upset me,” she says, noting that when her eldest grandson Bodhi, 10, remarked, ‘Nanny, I wish you weren’t in pain,'” she burst into tears.
Denise was told by her TN specialist that brain surgery was the best bet in terms of finding lasting relief.
“The notion of brain surgery terrified me. But I’d tried everything else, from medication to an array of other treatments. In utter despair I agreed to fly to Sydney to undergo the surgery, which I did in June.
“The surgery lasted two-and-a-half hours, and it left me with a small scar at the base of my head near my right ear, which is now healing beautifully. Dr Ben Jonker, my neurosurgeon, must have learned sewing from the nuns,” she chuckles.
“From the moment the anaesthesia wore off, I felt different and there was no pain. I couldn’t believe it. Over a month on still no pain. I’ve got my fun-filled old life back.”
Indeed, Denise has emerged from a complete nightmare and is confident in saying there’s a sense of normalcy again.
“My energy is back and it’s fabulous to play with my grandkids, Bodhi, Xavier and Heidi. To cuddle my darling fluffball Mr DD. To be back in the kitchen cooking for my family. To be enjoying life again.
“My message to anyone suffering horrendous pain is go and see a doctor. Don’t put it off. If you’re diagnosed with TN, do your research – there are some terrific support groups that provide invaluable assistance – and try to find the best neurologist you can.
Denise Drysdale talks about her Diagnosis of Trigeminal Neuralgia
4 Comments. Leave new
Lovely ‘good news story’. Shame that she went through the early days of the condition without ‘making a fuss’. I bet a lot of us do that. I certainly did, hoping that it was just a passing condition that I would get over eventually. (no such luck!)
Goodonya Denise, great to have your FUN person back!
I believe Denise did not have her condition originally diagnosed at TN. It was only after our support group leader contacted her son and recommended that she saw Dr Ben Jonker that she was diagnosed and underwent an MVD
The more of these stories we can gather the better. Show-biz and/or well-known personalities can do wonders for raising awareness of TN. Look at how the McGrath foundation has worked absolute wonders for Breast Cancer awareness and research funding. With Glen behind it hey created a simple bandwagon (pink) and just everyone wants to get onto it
I wonder how we could ‘harness’ stories like Denise’s. The simplest thing is for us all to tell a story about TN to everyone we meet, the word will spread, slowly. And then we just need to find the ‘Ooh-aah, Glen McGrath’ character for our cause eh?
One of our problems though, is that TN will always be confused with MS which has so much more awareness. Hmmm, Marketing communication cogitation required!
extremely difficult when the star did not want to converse with us. I agree more marketing is needed. What we need are willing hands to create awareness
We are always looking for volunteers in whatever capacity and whatever skill and time that can be offered