recovery of facial nerve after AN surgery (retrosigamoid approach)

[krishnay]

hello all,
i am new to this forum.
i am 31 years old and had a 3 cm AN removed on may 10th by retrosigamoid approach.facial nerve is intact
they got all of the tumor out and i have facial paralysis on the left side of my face ever since aswell as balance problems.
i have been in vestibular therapy for a month and the recovery is going well except that i dont see any improvement in my facial nerve.this has been worriying me.
i had a gold weight placed on my upper eye lid for temperory closure after surgery.
anybody with similar experiences please write to me whats expected in AN recovery...how long does it take to see any movement.
thanks.

[irisor]

hello,
I have a very similar experience:
I had a surgery on May 2011. facial nerve intact but no movement at all on the left side of my face.
They told me to expect some movement within a year, but nothing happened.  two weeks before the one year mark, I have started to notice a very slight movement around my mouth.
this started about 2 months ago, and now people who see me say I am still improving. I can't see it myself: My eye still looks odd, I have a very very tiny smile, and some muscles in my face still don't move. but I hope things will get better.
about non surgical facial rehabilitation I recommend that you read this: http://www.bellspalsy.ws/retrain.htm
I will be happy to answer more questions, if you have.
good luck.
Iris.

[LADavid]

Hi
From what I've found over the past five years, recovery varies greatly.  In my case, my facial nerve was stretched and it took three months to get nerve action back -- only I ended up with synkinesis.  Through research, it appears that recovery of the facial nerves can take up to a year and in rare cases, two years.  The Bell's Palsy link above is an excellent one.  It provides a tremendous amount of information.  You'll know your nerves are recovering when you feel little tingles on your AN side, usually around your lip or cheek.  Hoping that you soon feel those tingles.
David

[Jeanlea]

I had my surgery nearly seven years ago now. It took 3 months before I had any movement at all. The first movement was very, very, very small. Slowly over time it has continued to heal. I went from absolutely no movement on the left side to being able to smile again even if it isn't quite as full as it used to be. I had a gold weight implanted shortly after surgery, and a tiny closure of the corner along with a lifting of the bottom of my eye. On  quick look you wouldn't even notice anything is wrong anymore. My biggest changes probably occurred around 18 months. But as I'm sure you may have read on here, each of us is unique in our recoveries.

Jean

[nancyann]

Like Jean & David said, it takes time for an intact facial nerve to come back, especially since yours was 3 cm - so glad for you that your nerve remained intact!!  Patience is the key here - & find a facial therapist to help decrease any synkenisis that may occur.
Again, I am so happy to here facial nerve intact - that is so important.
Always good thoughts, Nancy

[krishnay]

thank you all for your reply.
its been 4 months since my AN surgery and i feel small movements in my face like i am able to move my cheek.

still no significant change in the facial part.

the good news is all the other areas are far better. i am back to work part time and started driving.

please share you post op experiences.

[nancyann]

okay krishnay, hang in there - good news to me about you moving your cheek. I believe it's just a matter of time for the rest of your face to follow...be patient my dear...
always good thoughts, nancy

[spgreenfield]

Hi Krishnay.  I had surgery in Jan 2012 and was fortunate to have only temporary loss....probably about a month of real "noticeable" weakness - but even today I still FEEL as though I've just been to the dentist.  One thing PLEASE to do (or not do) is force anything!  I don't know where I read it, but your brain controls all those muscles through tiny little emotions and moods and thoughts.  I had no movement in my cheek but would IMAGINE moving into an expression - and I could feel TINY flutters that weren't visible to the eye....but it was there.  So I concentrated on them and rejoiced in every time I felt it.  I tried to repeat the motion each time, but very VERY gently - not forcing anything.  I had traveled across the country to an expert surgeon (Dr. Tew) and was disappointed that I had ANY weakness after surgery....  I, too, have balance issues.  I've started yoga and t'ai chi 3 times a week and am noticing a great improvement.  I also found a reputable acupuncturist locally once I saw movement returning (no point if nothing is connected....) and most recently I had a face massage - which worked on my tightened muscles.  I went from droopy eyelid to one that's too tight!  I have some synkenesis, but I'm trying to help it release.  I also have spoken to Jackie Deihls (sp?) who apparently will Skype with patients that can't make the trip.  So you do have options.  I just know that time is everything here....and you can't rush nerves - they take unbearably long to knit themselves back to health and functioning!!!!  Hang in there - if you're feeling that "fluttering" you're on the mend!!!!

Pam

[krishnay]

Thanks all for your encouraging replies.
today is 6 months post op from my AN surgery.

i started noticing small movements in my face and i am hopeful this will get better with time.

i also wanted to let everyone know that i joined a "thai chi" group for 12 week sessions to improve my balance.
there is a blance board by wii that i practice on each day and it helped tremendously with my balance issues.

one thing i still have is the stiffness in the neck where the incision was made during surgery.i tried a massage but did'nt help.any thoughts on that? will it be there forever or will it take time?

life is still not back to normal yet......some times its difficult to wrap my head around all of this because im 31 years old was very active before surgery..but now things are different...but i am hopefull and encouraged by all of you wonderful people that soon i can start running and playing...

thanks to this site and the support ( i attended the local ana dc group meeting and found it helpfull)

good luck and best wishes to everyone going through this.

[janet1949]

i had surgery for my A C  in July 2010. surgery went well and i was so hoping that my face would be fine. Well wishful thinking. The Drs. told me the facial nerve was intact but stretched really bad.It could take up to a year to heal. A year past , i went for my yearly check up and my face was still numb and i had a gold weight put in my eyelid. Then they said it might take up to 2 yrs. so 2 yrs have passed and i still have the numbness half a smile and forhead does not move. My eye burns sp bad sometimes i can hardly stand it. I hope someone can tell me that after 2 years good things can still happen.

[mindyandy]

I had Retro this past March. My situation is different. My AN is still there. Long story....anyways I had not facial issues until 2 1/2 after surgery. I then started to notice my eye twtiching. I didnt think too much of it but it is constant. Sometimes below eye, eyelid, cheek, corner of mouth, or even my lip. I always feel little twinges/twitches. I can see them in the mirror when I look hard enough. Sometimes they are strong and really bother me but at times I can hardly feel them. I have to then run and look into a mirror to see if they disappeared (no such luck) but I find it funny how they fluctuate in intensity. Strange??? 
I have learned to live with it. It is not painful. Dr. Friedman & Schwartz just tell me as long as there is no change then hopefully things will settle down. Hmmmmmm its been 8 months now. My last MRI just 2 months ago shows slight decrease in size otherwise stable to I will take it. No more trigeminal neuralgia (this is why I had surgery) so things are great.

Mindy

[spgreenfield]

Mindy -

I hadn't had much 'twitching' in my eye until recently.  I HAD been going to acupuncture quite consistently until my husband lost his job and now I go only when I feel it's necessary.  When the twitching began got annoying I went.  Since I can't go all the time I can't tell whether it's really working or not, but I did notice some relief.  But find a knowledgeable acupuncturist - don't go to someone associated with a chiropractor doing just large muscles for sports injuries.....your face is too precious.  My sessions cost $68 each time after the initial one that was over $100.  I really think it has helped.  I will still go when I feel I'm having issues again. 

Recently with the change of weather my eye has become dry again.  I was fooled by summer into thinking that it was better - and it really may have been since I recall it actually watering when I woke up in the morning.....but it's back to needing drops again during the day - but not nearly as bad as 7 months ago right after surgery....

Pam

[spgreenfield]

OK - here goes - anyone who knows me knows that I am a problem solver....I think things sometimes to death but because of that I repair things thought unrepairable. (if that's a word....)  So I've been noodling around an idea in my head about our healing....so here it is:  has anyone thought of, or tried using gravity to speed healing by increasing blood flow to the area?  I would NOT attempt this unless way beyond surgery and initial healing, but logic says that these nerves need blood flow to heal, and our head is the highest point of the pumping system (heart) and therefore lower supply than say, our feet.  Has anyone ever tried purposely putting their head lower than their body during the day multiple times?  When we sleep, we are "prone" and therefore more blood will flow to our head since it's a level playing field so to speak.  But I personally don't sleep with my head lower than the rest of me.  I know when I bend over to dry my hair I'm doing it slightly only momentarily, but not to the extent of all of my body being higher than my head.  Any thoughts?  Think I'm going to try it and see what happens.  I don't get headaches either - I would think that anyone that does may not want to do this, but for now I'm going to sit upside-down in a chair or on a couch for a few minutes throughout the day.....  I'll report my findings!   

Pam