Omagh musician endures severe pain from rare nerve disorder

Popular local musician and veteran teacher, Larry Lowe, has had his life turned upside down by a ‘nightmare condition’.

Larry aged 54, was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia in March of this year.

Since his diagnosis, Larry has faced a tough battle to cope with the debilitating nerve disorder.

Trigeminal neuralgia is a rare condition which only effects three in 100,000 people.

It is caused by a compression on the trigeminal nerve, which sends pain down the victim’s face and jaw, causing unbearable pain from just a few seconds to minutes at a time… frequently throughout the day.

Speaking to the UH this week, Larry provided an insight into how trigeminal neuralgia has reshaped his life, and how he is coping with it.

“If you can imagine a vice gripping your head all the time, accompanied by these things that are described as electric shocks,” he said.

“Trigeminal neuralgia is very rare. I now have trigeminal neuralgia in both sides of my head, which is absolutely rare. My neurosurgeon has been working for 17 years and he has never seen a more severe version of this and he’s doing his best with medication to help me live with it.”

Symptoms of this condition arose late last year, when Larry noticed a ‘feeling’ in his face.

He originally put it down to a tooth related issue and ignored it for a while.

“It got worse and worse, and I soon realised that it wasn’t in my teeth,” he said.

“Then I started losing feeling in my face and in my teeth and eye, and then it went across my face and into my ears.

“Now, for a man who is a rock musician, not being able to deal with guitars and drums started to have a mental effect on me.”

“Once I got to about March the feeling in my face was completely gone, so my wife got the doctor who sent me straight to the hospital to get a scan to see if I had a stroke. Gladly, I didn’t have a stroke, but it was on that date I was told I had trigeminal neuralgia,” Larry continued.

Larry’s life has transformed drastically since his diagnosis, with basic day-to-day functions such as eating, drinking, washing and moving proving to be a challenge.

“The life that I had before last Christmas is completely gone in every way. Nothing is the same: I can’t eat the same, I can’t sleep the same, I’m not working, I’m only playing a bit of acoustic guitar.”

Larry hasn’t been able to work in over ten months due to the severity of the condition.

Given that he worked as an audio and radio lecturer in South West College, as well as playing guitar for his band ‘Brothas,’ Larry’s livelihood and enjoyment of life has been stripped away by the condition.

Larry said “I miss my colleagues at work. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I actually miss working, all these years of going in on the morning… I would take that back in a heartbeat to get rid of this horrible condition.”

“I feel like I’m wearing a mask, but nobody can see it.”

Additionally, the Lowe family have decided to sell their family home in Clanabogan, so they can be closer to Omagh hospital, South West College, and essential services such as shops and chemists.

“We have decided to sell our beautiful house that we built and made 20 years ago. I haven’t got the physicality anymore to deal with it, so we have decided to sell our house that we all love, and it’s breaking our hearts,” said Larry.

In Northern Ireland, there are no facilities that can perform the surgery that Larry needs to numb the trigeminal nerve which causes the shooting pain that he experiences.

At the moment, he is being prescribed a ‘cocktail’ of medication, which doubles every three days, but these do little to ease the pain.

However, a possible treatment plan might be available in the near future for Larry to receive surgery in London.

Larry said, “About a week ago, my consultant said that if the drugs weren’t working and we expunge all the treatment available in Northern Ireland, he’s going to try and see if we can go to London, to the Eastman Hospital, which specialises in operations which go inside your head and fix the nerve.”

Until this operation can happen, Larry will have to endure the pain every day.

He is dearly missed by his students and colleagues who hope that he can return to college at some point in the future.

“South West College have been absolutely amazing,” said Larry.

“They have been ringing me, helping me with my finances.

“They have suggested fundraising as well…

“There is a big possibility I might have to retire, but I don’t want to. If it happens, it’ll be a very sad day.”