lazy eyelid and partcial facial weakness

[rabbo]

Hi Dave here from down under, I recently had a acoustic neuroma removed from my right side two weeks ago and apart from a few headaches I feel fine, although I have a lazy eyelid on my right side which won't blink which is very aggrivating and painfull  and also I can't move the right side of my mouth, can't smile on right side,
 is there anything I can do eg: exercises to regain some movement in both my eyelid and my mouth, any help would be much appreciated thank you.

[amymeri]

Hi Rabbo

I, too, have right sided facial paralysis from AN removal. It is a very common result of surgery and can take awhile to recover.  It is my understanding that you should NOT make an effort to move or exercise those muscles because it can cause mis-wiring of the nerves while they heal.  Time and lots of patience is the only cure.

Amy

[Cheryl R]

The muscles aren't going to work again until the nerve to them is working again.    Facial muscles are not like other muscles of the body and will not atrophy from non use for a very long time.     The facial nerve healing can take several months.    Also one should not use any electrical stimulation to makes the muscles work also.             The eye area is the last area to heal.
A good webite for info is www.bellspalsy.ws          A well known facial therapist from Wisconsin has a section on there about facial retraining but she usually,in most cases,doesn't like to see pts till a year post op.         
Ones gets a lesson in patience with facial paralysis.                             Cheryl R.

[daylilly]

Dry eye is also common after AN surgery. You should be using some sort of gel or drops in your eye. If you are experiencing
pain in the eye you  might need to make an appointment with an ophthamologist to make sure your cornea is healthy.

[Boppie]

If you are the eye lubricating enough, it should calm down.  Just keep plenty of stuff in there.  Take care to not touch your eyeball nor should you rub the eye.  Take care not to poke around at the lid as you can aggraviate the lid with loose eyelashes.  I actually had pokes two of my eyelashes into the corner of my dry eye and the pain from the two lashes was causing the whole aggravation.  A regular friendly optometrist can pluck out offending lashes if you can't get in the the opthamologist.  Hang in there! The eye lid will start closing partially and then all the way down when you blink.  Keep patience with this.  The mouth, eyebrows, and smile will lift in a few weeks.  Unless you were told you had more than minimal paralysis, you'll look as fine as ever in a few more weeks.  Try eyebrows, lids, and mouth relaxation exercises...letting the muscles go slack.  Do nothing to force your face to express.  Rest, rest, rest.

[cajungrl37]

I had a 4 cm AN tumor removed on the left side about a year ago that resulted in my eyelid not working and facial paralysis.  The tumor completely obliterated my facial nerve.  About three months after my tumor removal, the doctors performed a hypoglossal anastomosis, in which they took a nerve from my tongue and "re-wired" it to other nerves.  About five months after surgery, my face starting moving somewhat, but was told it would take about 1-2 years for it to totally do what it has to do.  Mother nature is now in the driver seat for this one.  But, if you had no facial nerve damage, then things should move on there own, just takes time, but you will get there.

[Raydean]

Placement of a gold weight might help with the eye issues and could be taken out when the eyelid issues improve.  The weight will assist the lid in opening and closing.  It isn't a cure all, but improves the quality of life.  While outside be sure and wear sunglasses to protect your eyes.  If windy a good pair of safety type glasses also helps.  We found sports type glasses to be very helpful as they block
the sun/wind from the side.  use the eye drops/lubicant that your doctor recommends faithfully to keep the eye moist.

A sonic care type toothbrush is invaluable when there is facial paralysis that includes the mouth.  Extra care must be taken with the mouth to prevent rapid decay.  With the decrease in salivia, which protects the teeth from decay, it can lead to problems faster then normal.

Please included regular eye and dental exams during this time of healing to head off any future problems.

Hang in there, things will get better!!!
Best to you
Raydean