facial weakness questions

[Keri]

Hi,
It's Keri again. 11 days out of translab. Still have left side facial weakness. I can move my face some, my eyelid blinks slowly, sometimes i have to push it down. My smile on the left doesn't work (look like popeye!) The swelling has gone down a lot; my wrinkles on the left side are gone (well, i guess that's a plus). Chewing, eating that side are still really going slowly. The surgeon said my tumor was on the facial nerve and was stuck at first, then just came right off. They said the nerve was responding to low level stimulation, and they said that was a good sign and it was going to come back. But 11 days, and still seems the same. I know this can be slow going, and my husband said that he read that this was a side effect. But it seems like on some of your posts, some people have no facial problems whatsoever.

So  - my neurogsurgeon said that if it didn't come back in a week or two, it may take months. I know some of you have posted specifically about this - just can't remember the time frames. Am i getting on the edge of 'it's not going to come back for a while.'?

Also - someone said somewhere there was something you could do within 2 weeks of surgery called Ecgo, eggnog, something with an E and C or G in it! I can't remember. I would like to ask my doctor about this, as I have an appt tomorrow, but I can't remember what this treatment is called and if it's something i could even do.

Otherwise, making good progress. Am walking. sometimes have pain, but take it easy, go for a walk and then i feel better.

my eye always starts hurting at the end of the night, but am trying to be diligent about using drops.

Thanks for any input on the facial weakness you can offer!

I appreciate you all!
Keri

[saralynn143]

Hi Keri, this is one of my favorite sites relating to facial weakness following intercranial surgery:
http://neurosurgery.mgh.harvard.edu/CranialBaseCenter/b95.htm

The test you are thinking of is ENoG. Did you have facial weakness immediately after surgery, or did it start later? The delayed type is usually a faster recovery. Unfortunately there is no way to predict how long it will take any one person to recover. For some people it's weeks, for some months, for some years, and I'm sorry to say for some, never. I think if you have some movement it is a very good sign.

I am eight months out, and have just achieved symmetry at rest. I can see about two-thirds of my front tooth on the weak side when I smile. I could barely see the space between my two front teeth when I started out. Although facial weakness is devastating at first, it is not the end of the world. At first I wanted to hide out and was truly obsessed with my paresis, but I have two busy kids and another one in college and a husband and a dog and a cat and a life and it wasn't going to stop just because I was unhappy with my looks.

I have found ointment, especially Refresh PM, to give longer-lasting relief than drops.

Good luck with your appointment tomorrow, and let us know the results.

Sara

[jazzfunkanne]

hi my consultant told me it can take 6-36 months depending on the damage to the facial nerve.

[calimama]

hi,

I am on about the same track as Saralynn... About 8.5 months out, and with similar (it sounds) results.

I had no real movement for about 5+ months (excluding some along my back jaw). By about 7 months i started to see part of my front left tooth (this was the biggest break through) and could manage a wee closed mouth smile. Now i am about 8.5 months and progress is getting faster. I still cannot close my eye (never could since surgery) but when i smile big, i am seeing movement in my lower eye lid (just a little) and the crows feet are returning (small). I can see about 3/4 of my front left tooth, half of my second, bit of the third and even a glance at the fourth is you look back harder enough. More annimation is coming back to my checks, but no left dimple (yet). It's just amazing how much improvement i have seen since the start of 2009. It is very encouraging after so long with no movement.

My nerve also tested at low levels, but think that there was no movement pretty soon or right after surgery, and then nothing for so long. Hopefully you won't wait many months to see progress, it did seem like a looong time, but have faith that it will come back when it's ready.

Best of luck
Trish

[MAlegant]

Hi Keri,
I still have very mild facial weakness-I'm the only one who notices, I think, but it is taking forever for it to go away.  It was present immediately after surgery.  At 7 months it is lots better, but it is the slowest process ever, that's for sure.  At the very least, it seems to get better in very small increments.  Continued good recovery!
Marci

[cindyj]

Hey, Keri!  My tumor was about the same size as yours and was stuck on the facial nerve, but came off cleanly w/ the nerve left intact.  I had weakness starting a day or so after surgery that the docs told me should be temporary...at roughly 8 weeks out things were really pretty much back to normal, except my eye.  But, now at a bit over 3 months out, even my eye is not too bad.  I still use the Restatis twice a day, but that is really all I do.  If I'm outside in the cold, the eye does bother me a bit and I do notice my speach being affected some, but nothing to really complain about.  Try not to worry too much yet as it does take time - as others have indicated, it can take quite a bit of time.  But, perhaps in a couple of months, you will see a big difference, as I did.  I'll cross my fingers for you!

Take care,

Cindy

[1cANAdian]

Greetings Keri!

I'm just over 2 months post op on a 4+ cm tumor.  I was quite lucky in that my facial nerve came through pretty well (according to the surgeon, 2 on a scale of 1 - 6, with 1 being best), but some of the negative effects I did have are still there and progress is slow.  I really feel it more when I'm tired, or when my face is cold (up here in Alberta, that is often).  Keep working at it, and be patient.  Things will change for the better.

Cheers!

Ken

[saralynn143]

Trish, I just looked in the mirror and our smiles are at the same level of progress. Not surprising maybe, since our surgeries were on the exact same day. My first movement was by my nose at three months post-op. I also have the tiny crow's feet back at my left eye and my nasolabial fold is coming back. Still nothing for my forehead or outer cheek and not much in my chin area.

Sara

[calimama]

hi Sara...

Glad you are doing well and yes, we are taking along like pees in a pod.

My crows feet are coming along too, and even have some movement under my eye (moves up a bit when i smile, and some wrinkles). My chin area does move when i smile, but NOTHING going on the forehead. And my eye won't close at all (just get that spooky while "bell's look" when i try). Does your eye close? Did you get a weight? Have you seen a facial therapist? Have you had a sense of expected recovery longer-term?? HANG IN THERE!

Trish

[saralynn143]

Hi Trish, I've got that little divot action going in my chin now. I don't know if my chin or cheek muscle is causing it. I can definitely see the muscle under my eye moving and a little bit on the inside of my eyebrow. Nothing in the upper eyelid or forehead or outer cheek yet.

I see my facial nerve specialist March 24 and will ask about facial therapy at that time, but I'm pretty sure he said he did not recommend therapy until after the twelve-month mark. I'll be sure to post whatever he says.

Other than the little chin dimple, I have had no signs of synkensis, knock on wood.

I'm pretty sure I will recover to a point that I will be comfortable, if not happy, with my face. I've always said that if I can get my smile back I will be satisfied. I would love to get my blink back, too, but I can live with my eye the way it is.

Congratulations again on the baby! I'm so excited and happy for you.

Sara

[calimama]

hey Sara..

No dimple for me (yet) and facial therapist says no sign of synkensis.

He also said to give the recovery/reconnection of nerves and muscles up to one year. He suggested only to lightly tap and massage my face. No exercises, no trying hard to make things work.  I will have a nerve test in a few weeks, then another IN MAY, closer to one year mark. Then he said we can try some electric stimulation and exercises. So holding steady really.

Funny how the smile coming back is so key. At one point last year i thought i would just about give up sight in one eye to have my smile back (i guess i was getting used to single vision with eye patch).  My smile, is not like it was before, but a lot better than last year. I too expect to get to a point where I will feel like it turned out OK.

It is comforting to find people here still improving a few years out.  Now that much of the tough stuff is past, it all feels like gravy now.

Take care!
Trish