Facial muscles tight after FSR

[MLB57]

Hi everyone--I had re-growth after 2001 surgery for a 1 cm rt AN and completed 30 FSR sessions at Mass Gen Boston MA last Fall. My rt back of neck muscle has always been tight since surgery (feels like a hard lump) and two months before FSR it got worse and during the FSR my AN side of face tightened up some--Dr Loeffler wasn't concerned that it had to do with AN swelling. 3 months after the FSR my face is really tight around my mouth and my eye and my eye is pulled down more --it's almost as if the synkinesis is worse --I can feel the muscle in my neck when I swallow or close my eye hard so I believe it must have to do with the muscle and not any AN swelling from radiation. And the neck muscle is extremely tight now and I've had  headache problems so it seems this muscle has tightened and goes into spasm--why I wonder 6 yrs after surgery???  I am looking into the cost of massage as my PCP wants to go that route before prescribing any muscle relaxants..  Just wondered if anyone has any experience similar or could shed some light on this for me--Otherwise apart from increased tinnitus and balance issue (due to neck muscle) I fee okay and one year MRI is due Oct of this year to see if the FSR worked or not....

Regards, Mary from MA

[tsl]

Hi Mary,
You might want to contact Jane (jcinma).  She also had FSR with Dr. Loeffler to radiate the small amount of tumor that was intentionally left to preserve the facial nerve after her last surgery for regrowth.  She's been at our Worcester brunches.

Take care,
Theresa

[ppearl214]

*blows kisses to Mary and Theresa*      


Actually, this raises a very good point... for those that had AN microsurgery... then follow up with FSR (either for residual or new growth, etc)..... hoping others chime in (including jcinma... another round of kisses to her        ) to offer thoughts on this....

Be well, you 2!
Phyl

[Jim Scott]

Hi, Mary:

For what it may be worth: I had retrosigmoid microsurgery followed (3 months later) by 26 FSR sessions and to be honest, I never experienced any neck pain.  This may be something specific to you or possibly due to other causes, unrelated to the AN treatment but exacerbated by laying on that table, etc.  I know that I had tumor swelling following the FSR treatments as a follow-up MRI showed it and I felt it in the form of shooting pains and a tightness on my 'AN side' (left) but my neck never bothered me.  The swelling eventually subsided as did the accompanying pain and feeling of 'tightness'.

Whatever the source of your pain, massage sounds like a viable method of treatment for it.  My wife, who has suffered from back pain for years, found prescription muscle relaxers to be very effective.  I trust you'll find relief from your neck pain soon, whether by therapeutic massage or medication.

Jim