Amy,
With the exception of facial paralysis, your symptoms seem to be a great deal like mine. I too have difficulties with swallowing. I have found that it can be especially dangerous when I begin to eat as the esophagus is tight and narrow. It is only after I've been taking in the food after a while that it widens and everything goes down easier.
My advice is to simply take your time when chewing and ingesting and, more important, start out slow with small bites. When we're hungry, we then to rush and devour food. Try to be aware of this at all times and simply take your time.
In my case, this condition—which is fairly common with cranial nerve patients—is compounded with another weird, albeit fairly common malady that is medically referred to as "esophageal spasm". It is the tendency for the esophageal sphincter opening into the stomach to tighten and close while the esophagus convulses, similar to how the intestines convulse during peristalsis as food is moved through the intestinal tract during the digestive process.
Esophageal spasms are a painful and miserable ordeal to suffer but are not related to AN surgery or cranial nerve problems. In fact, they are the inverse of acid reflux where the esophageal sphincter remains wide open, allowing acid to backwash up into to the throat (a condition, I believe, that is even worse).
While they don't always happen, the spasm attacks (if and when they happen) always occur with the first few swallows of food. They are distressing and painful enough to make a person leave the table and go outside so as to constantly cough, expectorate and even vomit in an effort to blow out whatever food has become trapped at the opening of the stomach. The attacks can last as long as an hour before they pass. Most often the esophagus will relax and the sphincter will open in time and on their own without having to vomit and the length of time can vary from a few minutes up to an hour.
The reason for the constant expectorating or spitting is that because while the sphincter is closed, nothing can get through, not even saliva. One of the worst things you can do during an attack is try to wash it down with water, as it just backs-up into your throat and out your mouth. An ugly and disgusting mess.
I've been at restaurants when it's happened and had to leave the table and wait it out in the parking lot. The strange thing about this condition is that while the attack is happening and I'm doubled over in distress and agony, all I really want to do is enjoy my meal as I'm not really "sick". Many a time I'd make myself vomit and say "Ahhhh, now I can eat!", and then everything is alright.
Getting back to your situation....Just take your time. Small bites, chew thoroughly and you'll be okay.
Take care.
