paralysis after jaw surgery, im in 1% cases..

[jawsurgery]

Hello everyone.

I had jaw survery 4 months ago and had facial nerve stretched or injured (my surgeon said he disnt cut or touch the nerve, this is sth that happens to 0,5-1% cases during this surgery, my surgeon never had such case and so he hasnt warmed me about this risk either which made the last moths a complete nightmare for me. First it was shock than hoping itll go away by 8wks to 3 montjs (as I was said) now starting to loose hope.

I have mild damage to eye branch and more severe to mouth branch. (I can move its just crooked (mouth and nose)
I also have burning sensation in my tongue (started couple weeks ago)does it mean its getting worse?
Hearing humm in my left ear when 'smiling wide'/exercising
Problems with chewing
Speaking (I lisp)
i have no or altered taste on that sode as well.

Can you pls share what was the course of revovery for you? Does it happen spontaneously? Or gradually? (Cant see improvement yet),
I sometime feels tingly sensations (lips) after exercising

I was adviced electro stimulation and massage i didnt do electro yet Im scared itll make things worse
No doctor seem to be able to diagnose what actually happened and how severe the damage os and what is the prognosis.

Waiting is horror.
I had to put my work and life on hold Ill soon be bankrupt as I cant force myself to leave the house and face people. I realize there are people on this forum with more severe damages and I feel for all of you still for me its really hard as it is..

Ill take any words of wisdom. Im at a loss and all I hear from doctors os 'wait and see' but keep prolonging the time when it should recover

[Kristena]

I hope everything else went as planned with your jaw surgery. I am so sorry to hear of your facial nerve issues. It must be  worse since you weren’t even warned it could happen! If your nerve wasn’t severed, the nerve will have to regenerate, and it could take 4-8 months to start seeing any improvement. The first thing you might notice is the overall tone of your face is better (not so droopy), the speech improves, you might not dribble so much when eating or drinking. You might see or feel some twitches in your face after lightly massaging your face (like when you wash your face). The best facial therapists recommend NOT doing electrical stimulation. It does nothing to help the nerves grow faster, and can actually cause further issues down the road.

And speaking of therapists, if your insurance covers it, I would highly recommend seeing someone to deal with the inevitable depression and confidence issues. I wish it were part of the post-operative package they offer you at the hospital. I had physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, eye specialists, but I am still recovering my self-confidence and motivation.

It’s possible that you won’t have a complete recovery. And if you haven’t seen any improvement after a year, there are nerve graft surgeries that can help regain some movement. But hopefully everything will come back just fine. I know it is so hard to just wait and be patient! If you haven’t already seen it, I recommend watching Mark Ruffalo’s interview on the ANA home page. He didn’t see any improvement for 10 months and is fully recovered.

All the best to you!

[jawsurgery]

I hope everything else went as planned with your jaw surgery. I am so sorry to hear of your facial nerve issues. It must be  worse since you weren’t even warned it could happen! If your nerve wasn’t severed, the nerve will have to regenerate, and it could take 4-8 months to start seeing any improvement. The first thing you might notice is the overall tone of your face is better (not so droopy), the speech improves, you might not dribble so much when eating or drinking. You might see or feel some twitches in your face after lightly massaging your face (like when you wash your face). The best facial therapists recommend NOT doing electrical stimulation. It does nothing to help the nerves grow faster, and can actually cause further issues down the road.

And speaking of therapists, if your insurance covers it, I would highly recommend seeing someone to deal with the inevitable depression and confidence issues. I wish it were part of the post-operative package they offer you at the hospital. I had physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, eye specialists, but I am still recovering my self-confidence and motivation.

It’s possible that you won’t have a complete recovery. And if you haven’t seen any improvement after a year, there are nerve graft surgeries that can help regain some movement. But hopefully everything will come back just fine. I know it is so hard to just wait and be patient! If you haven’t already seen it, I recommend watching Mark Ruffalo’s interview on the ANA home page. He didn’t see any improvement for 10 months and is fully recovered.

All the best to you!

Thank you for replying! Does it mean at nearly 4montjs its notmal not to see improvement? Also.. i have new symptom today, my ear is now blocked as if after the flight.

[mar]

Your nerves regenerate at a rate of 1mm per day. I know 4 months is a long time to go without any facial activity. I've been there. But that does not mean you won't start to see improvement. The fact that you can move some muscles on the affected side of your face is a very good sign, as is the fact that your nerve is still intact. It takes patience.

[Humptydumpty]

@Original Poster - did you end up making a full recovery? I have the same exact situation as you. Curious 😅