Hi DizzyGran. It I had retrosigmoid approach surgery on October 28 2013 to remove a 2.6 that grew to 4.3 cm cystic AN within 2 months, and compressing my brainstem. Facial paralysis was something I dreaded to the point that I told the surgeons that if the Tumor was intangled on my facial nerve just to de-bulk it. Although my facial nerve was monitored and not severed it has been traumatized and weakened by the stress and swelling due to the surgery. I am now dealing with facial parleys. My surgeon is very sure that it's temporary, up to 18 months, the nerve heals very slowly. I will have to do radiation when the doctor feels that my facial nerve is strong enough.
Well at first I felt very distraught, my face looked as if I had a stroke, very droopy. I could barley eat, everything had to be puréed, that has improved but I still can't eat a burger or a bigger sandwich without some trouble. Drink, everything dribbled especially from a bottle, Drinking is somewhat better now. Brushing and flossing my teeth is difficult, I have to pull my lip over to the right side to floss and for mouthwash I have to hold my lips together in swoosh or it all comes dribbling out. To wash my face was almost imposable, my eye was almost bulging out of my face, water would sting my eye terribly. I still can't close my eye but it protrudes a lot less and if I look down ny eye lids lower together. I still have to tape my eye shut every night in order to protect it, as well as use ointment e few times a day to keep it moist. I saw an ophthalmologist two weeks after the surge about putting in a gold weight in order to help the eye lid close but I haven't scheduled that yet because there has been a little improvement and I rather wait see for now.
I don't know How will it affect me at work because I haven't started back yet. But how has it affected day to day life? Well, I live in Canada and winter being cold and often windy, I have to protect my eye from the irritating elements, I wear my wrap around sunglasses and wear an eye pa ch under the glasses if I take a walk. I am a little more self conscious that people stare at me but in the most part they don't and if I'm talking to them long enough and I notice they are puzzled I explain that my face is paralyzed due to surgery. I have started applying makeup again it's a little tricky, and I haven't applied mascara yet cause I'm affair it will be to difficult to remove. I still go out and shop, or socialize I still talk to who ever is around, and laugh as I did before ( right cheek (paralyzed side) hurts when I laugh a lot. And I'm planing to travel as we did before because I decided that I can't let this isn't going to controle my life, I may as well get use to it because who knows if it's permanent, and I don't want to sit around hiding until it dose.
I hope I haven't scared you. Like everything in life, we adjust. It is very important to stay positive. We we're handed a bad card in life and we must play it. Things can always be worst. Thank God it's not cancer.
Mary
