Does Facial numbness reduce after Gamma Knife

[gary.s]

I have been in the watch and wait group since diagnosis January 2017. My right sided tumor is 1.9 cm x 1.4 cm and my hearing in that ear is essentially non-functional. Just curious if the facial nerve problems such as numbness and inability to taste will go away after tumor shrinkage due to Gamma Knife radiation. It seems like pressure on the facial nerve should be reduced when the tumor shrinks. Thanks for your help.

[SP]

Hi Gary,

What a great question! Here's hoping....
I have been told by one neurosurgeon that reversal of numbness is unlikely. I haven't done much research on this, but i am still hopeful that a reduction in size over time and some healing may result in a reduction of numbness...

I had CK in Aug 2015, and my main symptom at the time was left side facial numbness, so far it seems that this symptom is about the same on me... but i notice it less than i used to and otherwise doing pretty well.

Hope you are doing well and best of luck on W&W

Stella

[gary.s]

Thanks for the response Stella. I took another MRI on March 5 and the tumor is growing. My neurologist is recommending cyber knife and I will see the radiologist on Monday, March 19 for a consult. Bummer, watch and wait was good for 15 months, but no longer. I am told that when the tumor swells as a result of radiation, the symptoms can increase for a period of time. Not looking forward to that issue, but hopefully it will not be too bad. The right side of my face is pretty numb, chin, lips, tongue, nostril, and around my ear. Just have to take care of this before it gets any worse. Take care and again, thank you for the response.
 
Gary

[notaclone13]

Gary, sorry to hear that you have had additional growth. Where will you be going for the consult? An acquaintance of mine is 3 years post Cyberknife on a tumor that was 1.7 cm at the time of treatment. She had 3 sessions. She told me she had no bad side-effects except for one short bout of facial spasm. But it only occurred for a few minutes on one occasion. She did lose hearing on that side, but she said it happened gradually.  Her post-treatment 2 year MRI showed some tumor shrinkage and she even had a slight improvement on her hearing test.  She did not have notable swelling, did not require any steroids post treatment. She maintains a very active life style.  So some people do have smooth sailing and good outcomes. I hope that you will be one of them.

[Blw]

I have been in the watch and wait group since diagnosis January 2017. My right sided tumor is 1.9 cm x 1.4 cm and my hearing in that ear is essentially non-functional. Just curious if the facial nerve problems such as numbness and inability to taste will go away after tumor shrinkage due to Gamma Knife radiation. It seems like pressure on the facial nerve should be reduced when the tumor shrinks. Thanks for your help.

A facial nerve neuroma is something you should be very proactive about, get lots of opinions, if yours originated off that nerve. Mine was on the facial nerve, which usually takes surgery off the table. If that nerve gets damaged, it is a whole new ball game because there are far-reaching effects. I had GK which has a good record for treating facial nerve tumors. I'll get a tingle now and then, but it seems to be getting better. After GK, the tumor will probably swell, so you'll have some side effects from that.

[gary.s]

My tumor is on the auditory nerve, cervical nerve 8. The tumor is pressing on the facial nerve, cervical nerve 7. As my AN enlarges, it puts more and more pressure on the facial nerve, thus causing more facial numbness. Hopefully, as the tumor shrinks due to radiation, the pressure on the facial nerve will be reduced and my numbness will also be reduced. I see the radiologist tomorrow for a consultation and to work out a schedule for Cyber Knife. Just gotta keep moving forward.