ANA Discussion Forum

Post-Treatment => Facial Issues => Topic started by: dasanti on February 20, 2009, 08:17:45 am

Title: Facial exercises videos and my personal facial progresses
Post by: dasanti on February 20, 2009, 08:17:45 am

Hello!

I have posted on my blog a series of videos with a 50 year old woman having physiotherapy facial exercises and also with me making these exercises 12 month after my 5,3 cm acoustic neuroma total resection in Germany at the International Neuroscience Institute.

The surgery took 13 hours and was performed by Prof. Fahlbusch (9 hours) for the whole tumor and Prof. Samii (4 hours) only for the facial nerve section of the tumor.

I woke up with facial paralysis as the nerve was thinned by the compression that the tumor was generating over the years. My brainstem was bent and I had IV ventricle compression and a small hydrocephalus.

I had an external drainage mounted and monitored in the ICU for 10 days as the CSF got normal again.

Here is the MRI before the surgery. http://dansantimbreanu.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/before.jpg?w=108 (http://dansantimbreanu.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/before.jpg?w=108)

At the 3 MTH postop checkup: http://dansantimbreanu.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/after-3-monhs.jpg?w=108 (http://dansantimbreanu.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/after-3-monhs.jpg?w=108)

At the 7 MTH postop checkup: http://dansantimbreanu.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/after-7-mth.jpg?w=108 (http://dansantimbreanu.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/after-7-mth.jpg?w=108)


At this page you candy view my progresses and the facial exercises: http://dansantimbreanu.wordpress.com/video-exercitii-faciale-cum-sa-recuperezi-pareza-faciala (http://dansantimbreanu.wordpress.com/video-exercitii-faciale-cum-sa-recuperezi-pareza-faciala)

I hope this helps people interested in facial recovery and what type of exercises I have done.

Dan Santimbreanu

Title: Re: Facial exercises videos and my personal facial progresses
Post by: HeadCase2 on February 20, 2009, 08:46:21 am

Dan,
  Thanks for posting these videos.  Many people will find this very useful.  And congratulations on the sucessful treatment for a large AN.
Regards,
  Rob

Title: Re: Facial exercises videos and my personal facial progresses
Post by: dasanti on February 20, 2009, 08:52:45 am

Its my pleasure Rob.

I was a little skeptic at the beginning that I would need only facial exercises to recover. In Romania I did a blog for bran tumors and mainly for AN's. It is a great success as inexperienced surgeons in Romania do more damage than good and people start to understand that for an AN surgery you need plenty of research and patience in making a decision.

I hope I will have more time to get to know all of you on the as I had little time for chatting here because I had to come back to work and prove that I am still the one right for this job.

Wishing everyone a relaxing weekend!

Dan Santimbreanu "Dasanti"

Title: Re: Facial exercises videos and my personal facial progresses
Post by: Keri on February 20, 2009, 12:47:42 pm

Thank you, Dan,
It's helpful to actually see someone doing the exercises.
I'm three weeks post op - I had translab. I didn't expect to get facial weakness. It's getting better but it's slow going.
I will work on these exercises!
I wish you the best with your recovery and your job.

Keri
Silver Spring, Maryland

Title: Re: Facial exercises videos and my personal facial progresses
Post by: jazzfunkanne on February 20, 2009, 04:21:42 pm

many thanks for that dan/

Title: Re: Facial exercises videos and my personal facial progresses
Post by: nancyann on February 21, 2009, 09:03:36 am

Hi Dan:  I enjoyed this very much,  I started doing the exercises & found I had pain when pushing on the area to the side of my nose - it doesn't hurt anymore - guess I needed to get a kink out !  Even thought I have right sided facial paralysis, I found this very interesting.  Thanks !
Always good thoughts,   Nancy

Title: Re: Facial exercises videos and my personal facial progresses
Post by: mimoore on February 21, 2009, 09:43:12 am

Great post Dan! You are progressing very well. It's lots of hard work isn't it? Of course the rewards are worth it.
Hope is a wonderful thing.
Michelle  ;D

Title: Re: Facial exercises videos and my personal facial progresses
Post by: Dan on February 23, 2009, 07:20:54 am

Dan,

These are the same exercises I did in rehab and physical tharapy the first three months after surgery.  My paralysis was 80% better in this time.  I still do the exercises today 18 months Post OP, but probably not as much as I should.  I still can't grin really big, and my eye reflex isn't what it should be, but nobody notices it that didn't know I had a AN. 

Great post, I'm sure alot of people could profit from doing these exercises.

Dan  :) in Germany

Title: Re: Facial exercises videos and my personal facial progresses
Post by: 4cm in Pacific Northwest on March 17, 2009, 10:04:34 am

Thanks Dan!

"4" AKA "DHM"

Title: Re: Facial exercises videos and my personal facial progresses
Post by: epifania74 on March 18, 2009, 11:32:33 pm

Thankyou for posting these exercises..I am 2 years post op and am still feeling things..Its coming back slowly but surely..I can only wait pray and exercise...

Title: Re: Facial exercises videos and my personal facial progresses
Post by: dasanti on December 13, 2016, 06:00:44 pm

Hi guys! Just to follow-up on my facial progress.
Even after 6 years post-op there were zones that were still recovering, so please do not lose hope.

Dasanti