ANA Discussion Forum
Archive => Archives => Topic started by: amymeri on July 09, 2006, 06:11:07 pm
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Hi Everyone
For those of you who have or had facial paralysis, did you experience a lot of cramping? If you did, when did it resolve and did is preage any kind of movement or twitching? I have no real movement yet, except the corner of my mouth, no twitching but lots of facial cramps, tingles, pains, sensory twitches NOT accompanied by movement...
I am 3 months out.
Just wondering if you could share your experiences. :'(
Amy
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Amy,
Wish I had more info for ya but I was extremely lucky, I only had minimal, not extremely noticeable paralysis. I did experience tingling in my cheek but that is all. I never lost real movement of my mouth, there was just a small droop on the AN side (the sides of my mouth sort of drop anyway so it wasn't very noticeable except by me). I am not a doctor, but from things I've read, the tingling and feelings are nerves healing. Hope this helps.
K
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amymeri:
I had some temporary numbness/paralysis post op and at about a month I had some mild cramping on my jaw line near my ear.  That was followed by LOTS of twitching as the nerves regenerated.  I still get wierd sensations every other week or so and I am 26 months post op.
Any twitching, cramping etc...is just what you want to be happening. I'm sure you know this but the nerves take forever to heal.
Kathy
ps: Sometimes it even kept me awake at night. For some reason my healing facial nerves were nocturnal.
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Amymeri,
I have just a little bit of facial cramping and a whole lot of twitching, jolts, and other sensations in my face. Lately I've even noticed that my cheek bounces like blood is going through a vein. Kind of reminds me of when my babies kicked when I was pregnant, but on a much smaller scale. I'm thinking all of this activity is giving me more movement. I first got some movement back at just over 3 months. It started ever so small. Now I can make my face move under my eye a little and along the side of my nose. When I squinch my nose up I can now see the corner of my mouth move. Still can't make it move when I smile though.
When my face is at rest it looks normal. But when I talk my mouth seems to move my lips over to the good side. So I try to pull it back with my fingers. lol
Jean
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Amymeri,
I have pain and spasms on the left side of my face everyday. My facial nerve was severed during surgery, so i don't know whats going on, my dr. says my paralysis is permanent. I believe him. So I don't know if I am feeling phantom pain or what. Yesterday my cheek hurt all day, like it was being twisted from the inside out. I do not have any movement at all. I am 17 months post op.
Its funny, i used to think if you had any type of paralysis you could not feel pain. Now i know that you just can't move your paralyzed body part, that you feel pain but on a different level.
I am sorry I am no help with your question, but it helps me to vent a little of my tension and stress in your thread. I hope your nerves repair themselves soon and you get full facial movement back.
Denise
P.S. I do the same thing with my lips/mouth! Only I do it while I talk on the phone, my f's and b's are very hard to understand sometimes.
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did they reattach the facial nerve to some nerve like the hypoglossal?
This graft usualy works well, even if done after over a year of waiting.
. I know several people who had it.
Are you confident in your doctor? how many surgeries had he done before yours.
You may start thinking of a second opinion which, if the same, will reassure you.
The severed facal nerve has now regrown a great deal but in what direction?
All my wishes, for improvment and peace of mind.
ant
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Hi Amy. I've had facial cramping. I had complete paralysis and a very small movement started about 4 months post op, it has steadily gotten better in the last 2 years. My ot said that any feeling was a good sign. She also taught me how to massage my face to relieve the cramps, some hurt. I still get them now and then, recently I had a bout where my face would get stuck if I moved it too much.