Well, today is the day. Bad Brains frontman HR is undergoing brain surgery in Philadelphia, PA, for his SUNCT (Short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing), which causes enough pain and misery for its sufferers that it's been nicknamed "the suicide disease." According to Lambgoat, here are the details regarding the surgery today.
"HR will be undergoing a surgical procedure to treat his SUNCT headaches. The surgery is most often performed on people who suffer from trigeminal neuralgia, which causes pain in the cheek. HR's pain is over his eye, but it still involves a branch of the trigeminal nerve. This pain is described as being the most intense pain known to man, and is often referred to as "suicide syndrome". When medications and other treatments don't work, the last resort is surgery.
"The idea is that the pain is caused by a blood vessel pressing into the trigeminal nerve. In microvascular decompression surgery, a small hole is drilled through the skull behind the ear. The surgeon then cuts through the protective membrane to expose the brain and trigeminal nerve, and inserts a tiny scope to locate the offending vessel. The purpose of the surgery is to insert a barrier between the nerve and the blood vessel to relieve the pressure. While there are risks, the surgery has a high success rate."
There's been a GoFundMe set up for HR's medical bills, and as always, we wish him the best of luck today.
Update: Shortly after posting this story Lambgoat reported that the makers of the HR documentary said the surgery "went well" and that HR is currently recovering in ICU.
