It's official!

[Unjaded]

  The Doc confirmed that my facial nerve regenerated and is reanimating. It will never be 100% but I'll take what I can get! I've got to be the happiest person on the planet right now! I'm so excited I don't know what to do with my self so I'm sitting here alternating between laughing and crying tears of joy. Thank you God for the blessing you have given me!!!!!!

[Jim Scott]

Congratulations!  I'm delighted to learn of your long-term AN-related issue finally being resolved.  Enjoy your blessing!

Jim

[arizonajack]

That's great.

Now if we could only get the hearing nerve to regenerate.

[alabamajane]

Congrats indeed!!! This is a VERY big victory for those of us affected by facial paralysis !! I remember very distinctly when I got that news also ,, you feel as if there is a future filled with possibilities of positive recovery.. Don't rush the movement as it is still going to be close to 6 months before you see many changes but you will notice very subtle movements ,, patience will still be necessary,, I did very gentle hand  massaging and stroking after a month or so to encourage stimulation,, but nothing intense.. After 27 mos I have pretty decent movement and symmetry ,, best of luck to you and again CONGRATS!!! . Jane

[elsie]

I am thrilled for you.  This is truly a red, capital letter day!  I still remember my first glimmers of movement...wanted to shout it from the mountaintops!  In the dim recesses of my memory, my return seemed to happen over night, but in reality, it will be a slow, steady climb from here.  I really agree with alabamajane on all points.

[spgreenfield]

That's great.

Now if we could only get the hearing nerve to regenerate.

  I second that thought!  I've actually been wondering why it doesn't...or if it has for some?  Does the nerve need a blood supply that gets cut off maybe?

[kcarloy]

Awesome!

[alabamajane]

Pam,
Would be nice wouldn't it!  ,, the facial nerve regenerates because it is reconnected to another nerve after being severed,, or that was what happened in my case anyway... I had the 12/7 nerve graft which connected it to the nerve that controls the tongue,,, hence the ability to move the face by moving the tongue.. Not sure the "whys" of the hearing nerve possibilities ,,, in my case again since I had translab surgery, there is no hearing mechanism so no hearing possibility on that side.. But it's a nice dream,,,,,

[spgreenfield]

Pam,
Would be nice wouldn't it!  ,, the facial nerve regenerates because it is reconnected to another nerve after being severed,, or that was what happened in my case anyway... I had the 12/7 nerve graft which connected it to the nerve that controls the tongue,,, hence the ability to move the face by moving the tongue.. Not sure the "whys" of the hearing nerve possibilities ,,, in my case again since I had translab surgery, there is no hearing mechanism so no hearing possibility on that side.. But it's a nice dream,,,,,

Yeah - funny though, my facial nerve was pretty badly beat up by the AN and has taken a very very long time to recover in spite of not being severed in any way...my initial AN symptoms were numbness to face - NOT ability to move it or hearing loss.  The numbness is painfully slow in departing...so it's my trigeminal (sp?) nerve that was severely damaged and I'm figuring nerves being what they are it will take a long time for it to "wake back up" as it were.  It's almost to the point where I can't "feel" that it's numb sometimes...which is lovely!  I am so very thankful I no longer suffer from the feeling of half my face is frozen!  (And by the way - each time it felt like that it was actually HOT!)  But it's getting better slowly.....

Pam