I had my operation on Thursday 17th december

[aj44]

My surgery took eight hours long. the surgeon had to leave  some of the tumour  I will get the remainder of the tumour  radiated later on. The right side of my face has no movement but I will get all my feeling back eventually.my right eyelid is open the whole time and needs to be taped down securely at night following regular eye drops and eye ointment.My vision in the right eye is blurry and i sometimes wear an eye patch to use my left eye only. Has anyone any tips for me it's only been a week since my surgery happy christmas to ye all 

[lawmama]

Congrat ultions on being a Postie!  I had my surgery on Dec 14th, so I'm only a few days ahead of you.  I hope you are doing well and resting a lot.  I don't think I am far enough ahead to give you any tips, other than nap when you are tired.  I'm keeping strange hours these days. 

Lyn

[epc1970]

aj
My best advice is to follow your Dr's directions, get lots of rest, take walks and try (This is the hard part) to be patient with yourself and your body while it heals. Like you, I woke with some facial  paralysis and I just tried to have faith that my surgeons prediction that my facial issues would reslove as he was so confident that they would. The best part was that he was right on. So take good care of your eye while you need to and get rest and take walks and let your body do what it needs to do to heal. Take care.
Erin

[leapyrtwins]

aj -

congrats on being a postie! 

My best advice to you is have patience and take it easy.  Things get better over time and you are just barely past your surgery.

Best,

Jan

[Jim Scott]

AJ ~

Congratulations on a successful AN removal surgery!  I'm sorry to learn that you have some temporary facial immobility but I'm confident, as you are, that this will subside, in time.  You may have to consult with an ophthalmologist as to how best to treat your eye(s) but for now, do what you have to (ointment, patch) and as others have said - and I'll simply amplify: rest.

Jim

[Pembo]

Time is what it takes for facial paralysis and for your eye. My vision was very blurry within a few weeks it recovered. In fact, my vision now is better in that eye. I visited the opthamologist quite often in the first months, it was kind of fun to see how fast my vision came back. I like Lacrilube for my eye and eventually went on Restasis. Stay strong

[anissa]

Congrats on becoming a postie!  Rest rest rest!!  How much tumor did they leave?  I'm interested because they left a teeny bit of mine but never talked about radiating or any kind of follow up treatment.  Best wishes and patience to you as you recover. 

[cyrmom2]

Congratulations on a successful surgery.  Like you, I had complete paralysis on my tumor side after surgery.  It has been 4 months since my surgery and I have almost all movement back.  I hated taping my eyelid closed at night but it did help - so did the external eyelid weight.
Best wishes for a smooth and complete recovery!
Cyndi

[suboo73]

AJ,

Congratulations on completing your surgery! (Sorry i did not see this sooner... )

How are you doing today?

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family for much healing!

Sincerely,
Sue

[nancyann]

Hello aj:  As everyone has mentioned,  get LOTS of rest - I'm sure you feel like you've been hit by a mac truck (I know I did).
I have complete paralysis, I can't emphasize enough the importance of keeping your cornea well lubricated.  I wear an eye moisturizer patch at night. 
It's called NITEYE the Dry Eye Comforter.  They come nonsterile, 24 per box, about $25.00.  They're pricey but worth it for me. They're phone # is: 1-800-874-5797.   Before I found this product I use to tape saran wrap around my eye every night to form a moisture chamber.   I also use Refresh PM ointment exclusively, the drops don't work at all for me.
Please know it will get easier with time.  As you've already been told also,  the sooner you get into a walking routine,  the better you will feel.
Take care,  always good thoughts,  Nancy

[CHD63]

aj .....

Welcome to postieland.  As the others have said, rest, walk, lubricate eye, rest ...... repeat.  Glad you are feeling well enough to post and let us know.

Clarice

[Vivian B.]

Hi AJ,

Congratulations on your surgery. One day at a time is all you can do. Surgery is no easy task. Follow your doctor's orders and be patient. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Vivian

[aj44]

Thank you all very much for your kind words and advice!

I am resting whenever I feel tired. I was told that I would always feel exhausted but I feel grand for the most part. And when I rest I don't sleep, I just lie on my bed.

As regards to annisa's question; I have no idea how much of the tumour the surgeon left. All I know is that I will get the rest removed by radiation treatment in around a year.

I have just started wearing a lubricated eyepatch to bed. Thanks for the advice nancyann!

[waypoint]

I guess they forgot to tell you that you would get insomina during the recovery period. Good thing is temporary and will go away after a while. I remember laying there and trying to go to sleep and it just not happening. Its those times where you have plenty of time to contemplate and reflect and make a to do list for when you are back up and about. The fact that you are already on the Internet and typing is great progress. Be aware of your eye and don't rub it. Its a natural reflex and will hurt terribly because you can't blink at this time. Good luck....you'll do fine.