Surgery for Benign Schwannoma Brings Pain Relief

Aberdeen resident and computer programmer Jerry started out 2018 on a strong note thanks to a successful surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

At this time a year ago, Jerry was losing sleep (and his sanity) due to a painful and stubborn bump on his shin. Nothing — pain relievers, ice, warm baths — would get rid of or even soothe the pain. Jerry was admittedly a former and less enjoyable version of himself due to the constant pain.

Now, speaking with Jerry, you would never know he went through such an ordeal.

In the Summer of 2017, Jerry met Dr. Vincent Ng, orthopaedic oncologist at UMMC, who helped him get to the bottom of this debilitating pain.

Dr. Ng diagnosed Jerry with a benign schwannoma – a tumor on the nerve sheath in his shin. Dr. Ng told Jerry the best way to relieve his pain was surgery to remove the tumor.

"I had so many questions and I had a lot of anxieties about if the surgery would actually help," Jerry says. "On a Friday night, I sent Dr. Ng an email with almost a dozen questions I had, and didn't expect to get a response for at least a few days, but he responded almost right away."

Dr. Ng's open communication and responsiveness is what really helped Jerry through the process.

"If it wasn't for him and his demeanor, I might've backed out of the surgery," Jerry says.

When Jerry learned his tumor involved a very small, but crucial nerve to the function of his leg, he had more questions for Dr. Ng, who was more than happy to put Jerry at ease. Dr. Ng called in Dr. Ebrahim Paryavi, another orthopaedic surgeon at UMMC who specializes in microsurgery, to assist in preserving the nerve function during surgery.

"Dr. Ng and the whole University of Maryland team really treated me like I was more than just another surgery, more than just a number," Jerry says. "I really felt like they had my back."

Just a few months after surgery, Jerry was feeling back to his more upbeat self. In fact, he even took a road trip across the Southwestern U.S. with his twin brother, where he was able to walk and rock climb without any pain.

To learn more about University of Maryland Orthopaedics Associates, please call 410-448-6400 or visit our website.