Kenny,
Glad you are doing as well as you can expect at this point.. this is probably going to be a long recovery time with changes coming in small increments I am afraid... Dr told me to expect it to be 12 - 18 mo before I have "complete" recovery as that is how long it takes for cranial nerves to regenerate,,,, and at that it will never be "like it was" as far as eyebrow will not raise on that side and smile will not be symetrical probably,,,,,,,,patience is a very big part of this surgery.. I have had more pain, and side effects from this one than from the AN,, however,, I keep looking at the changes that are happening and movement I am seeing and feel it is worth having some degree of facial movement in the long run..
The tongue is now going to be "in charge" of movement in your face therefore as you "learn" to swallow and eat you will see your eye close and face move in accordance with the tongue movement on that side.. it can be frustrating to say the least, but that is how it is connected now. As the Dr said,, the tongue on that side will atrophy (?spelling) as time goes on and won't feel so "big" in your mouth,, if that makes sense to you,, I have noticed that it has begun to happen and I am more comfortable using my tongue to help move food to "good" side of mouth and helping with swallowing... I am about 7 mo out and most of the numbness on that side is gone although I still have some out toward the ear,, the ear is still numb but I believe that is AN related as I had translab and ear was pushed forward "out of the way" for that surgery.
Frozen yogurt was my best friend for several weeks,, the cooling and ease of swallowing it were wonderful at first.. I never really had a sore throat tho,, just could not coordinate tongue and swallowing at first.. Still I only chew on the "unaffected" side of my mouth and my tongue gets a workout each time I do eat.. it is a GREAT diet plan though, as I have lost 25 lbs so far.. as I eat smaller amounts and really don't eat anything that I have to chew much.. like meats,, pork, steak ,, all that "good" for ya stuff anyway,,,
.... I eat VERY slowly so as not to choke as swallowing is difficult but getting much easier. Of course I use a straw but even now I can drink slowly without one if need be,,just not hot coffee,,,,,I "dribble" some times, and always have a napkin around or tissue.. As far as the burger,,, it may be awhile before you can "manuveur" a burger or sandwich,, I still only eat things that I can eat off of a fork as I can not bite into a sandwich well as one side of mouth does not open wide enough,, if that makes sense,, but that is getting better too....
The swelling will go down with a few more weeks time.. I had my nerve graft 4 days after AN so I could not tell much what symptoms went with which surgery..... I noticed as the healing is taking place that the numbness and swelling subsided from my nose toward my ear,, if that makes sense,, like I said, I still have some of that along jawline and of course ear still numb...
I also noticed it was hard to turn my head because of the swelling and incision on side of neck/throat,, that will also go away in a few weeks,,
Sorry for the rambling,, but I wanted to try to explain that what you are experiencing is normal I believe for this surgery and you really do have to just be patient,, I have learned A LOT of patience in that last few months,, there really is NOT anything else you can do to speed this part along ,, it is just the time it takes for nerves to heal... sorry for that bad news,, but unlike the AN part where most of it is in the brain,, this has affected your "mouth" and eating and facial feelings so it is more noticeable if you will than the AN results...
I hope this has helped you understand some of what you are dealing with now,, I know it may not be what you want to hear,, but it is your reality now I imagine,, it is mine anyway.. I am not a Dr so your Dr may have some more incite into what to expect,, it is hard I know,, it took me a long time to resolve my feelings about this ,, but it is my new normal and have realized it... but life is still good,, I just took my first trip to NC for three days on a plane and did well..so there is life after all of this,, hang in there and sit back and don't try to rush it,, you can't anyway,,, I had a test,, I believe it is EMG,, electro stimulation of face muscles,, I call it electric accupuncture,, NOT fun at ALL,, last month and Dr said graft took!! Great news,, so sit back and watch for changes,, don't try to rush it though with too much movement until you have given it some time to heal and regenerate some.. it will happen believe me... if I can answer any other questions, you can PM me if you like,, I don't mean to ramble or be discouraging at all,, in fact just the opposite,, I want you to know it WILL get better and you will be able to eat better,, it is just going to take a few months... Dr said 6 mo for some noticeable changes and it has happened that way,, it sounds like a long time,, but it has gone by quickly,, hard to believe in fact that it has been almost 7 mo since ALL of this has happened... Best of luck to you,, I know you can get through this because AN people are TOUGH and 7/12 folks are EVEN tougher!!!!! My prayers are with you for patience,,,, and healing .... Jane
