Ok, first of all, don't slap yourself in the face!
I know it's tempting to want to do it to other sometimes too, but you probably shouldn't do that either!
In answer to your actual question, yes, I can feel someone touching my face. It does not feel quite like it does on the good side, but I can feel it. It's not quite as sensitive. I don't believe you'd lose that over time. There's no reason to think you'd lose anything, more likely you'll gain a little more along the way. At least that's how it worked for me.
The nerves for sensation and movement are different, so you may get movement back and not gain any more sensation than you have now, you might have improvements in both...only time will tell. You're definitely very early in your recovery so pace yourself for a marathon here, rather than a 50 yard dash. Patience has never been one of my stronger qualities, but I'm learning! You will too.
My facial nerve wasn't severed either, but was stretched to its limits. I was one of the less fortunate ones whose movement didn't come back, so at 18 months post-op, I had the 7/12 nerve graft, with good results. For others, their nerve was stretched and did start working again. Unfortunately, no one has come up with a way to accurately predict who will recover function and who will not. Just hope for the best outcome and know that there are other options out there for those of us that don't have the best outcome.
Slow and steady!
Lori
