Post-Treatment > Facial Issues
Facial nerve self-healing
alabamajane:
Feline,
That would definitely be something to ask your Dr as my answer would just be my non-medical advice,,,
But my nerve was severed so my Dr said the best time to reconnect mine would be immediately so the nerve endings would not die, for lack of better word,,,, so that's why I had mine done while still in hospital. I'm not sure if your nerve was severed or still intact,, if it's intact,, I'm not sure how Dr would determine whether to do it or not,,,
I would just ask him/her,,,it won't hurt to find out if there is still a chance for improvement.
Good luck, let me know what you find out,, I hope you can still get improvement
Jane
feline:
He claims it would be a 25 percent chance that the graft will help, not good odds right?
Feline
alabamajane:
Feline,
Probably not the odds you would want,, but I guess it depends on if you want to try something at this point that may help some. I'm not sure what else would help any,, did he have any over suggestions for your situation ??
I was afraid the further out from surgery you are, the less likely that it would be successful,,,
25% is better than none perhaps,,,,,,that would be up to you,,,
mar:
--- Quote from: Deke17 on March 02, 2016, 10:49:16 am ---Dear mar,
That's an encouraging note (I think). I'm about 4 weeks removed from my surgery to remove Large AN and I have significant facial paralysis on the right side (I'm a 5 on the "scale"). Eyelid is unresponsive, right side of mouth is droopy, nostril definitely not flaring.
The nerve was not severed, just damaged by the tumor and the doctor thinks I'll regain this movement eventually. He wrote me a script for PT after I asked him about E-Stim. The last few weeks, I had a home based Speech Therapist using what she called the Bobath technique....icing, message, exercises...but she also suggests that E-Stim might be appropriate. I'm going to give this therapy a shot starting next week.
Reading your note...and seeing the response of others, makes me realize that time and patience are common denominators in the facial nerve self-healing process. Any other thoughts on E-Stim vs. massaging as a means to help it along?
Regards,
Deke Lincoln
--- End quote ---
I looked into electrical stimulation when I was researching options for facial nerve recovery. I couldn't find any good evidence that it was helpful, but I also couldn't find any good evidence to back up claims that it harms recovery. If your physical therapist has a lot of experience with acoustic neuroma patients, their opinion certainly holds more weight than mine.
Also, if you are receiving e-stim, I don't think it precludes you from getting massage or doing self massage. I still spend 20 minutes every day massaging my face and doing my exercises, even when I see my PT.
mar:
Some updates:
-I can see slight movement in my right eyebrow. This is accompanied by synkinesis with the right corner of my mouth. My goal is to break the synkinesis with facial exercises, but this is pretty tough.
-In the last month (more than a year and a half out from surgery, by the way) I noticed increased movement in my lower lip and chin.
- I still have ongoing headaches. These were diagnosed as occipital neuralgia and did not start until over a year after my surgery. My surgeon doesn't believe it's related to my surgery, but I do. I would say the headaches were worse after my surgery, and got less intense over three months. Then, more than a year after surgery, I began to have increased headaches. It might be related to increased activity, but I have the headaches even when I'm taking it easy at home. Since it's not related to facial issues, I'll leave it brief but I thought it would be better to mention that this is ongoing.
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