Hi Rose,
I am 5 weeks out from my translab so I know what you are going through.. it is all still very "raw" for me too.. I also awoke with facial paralysis and eye issues so I know those feelings too and it is VERY hard to deal with when it is unexpected! One thing, make sure they give you plenty of pain meds for first few days/week,, my nurses were phenomenal and very responsive so I can say pain was not an issue until I went home and was weaned off some of it. And getting off the steroids will definitely help your feelings too and sleep.. you really need rest right now or at least your brain does.. I now have headaches and feeling/ or lack of it is coming back into face and side of head and that is hard to deal with. But try to remember what my Dr told me about paralysis,, "You will not always be like this". . it will take time, but it will also get better. I had two surgeries in 5 days,, the second was a graft of tongue nerve and facial nerve and they also put gold weight in my eyelid.. I was glad to get it over with, but that was hard week.. also, realize that when you get home and off some pain meds and the anesthesia gets out of your system, you will feel more like yourself and much better.. it took me about two weeks to really start feeling like myself and now,, I am not what I was,, and won't be, and I know how hard that is for you at this point to overcome as it was for me,, but I will be better than I am now and so will you.. patience is something I have to learn.. it is hard especially when you end up with an outcome you did not go into it looking for.. but realize your situation will get better as you move out from the surgery and your body/brain heals.. if you look at my first posts you will probably see a very angry, hurting individual, , but I am getting better.. Dr visit this week at one month out was positive, healing going well and return is in 3 mo. with nerve conduction test to see how it is going.. so hang in there and rest and stay on them about pain meds right now,, I had morphine, loratab and dilaudin (?) pump to begin with,, I did not like the hallucinations but also did not want to feel anything for first few days..ask for different nurses if need be, they are there to make you feel better not ignore you and you are "paying the bill" so insist!! Good luck to you and hope each day truly does get better for you,, Jane
