Hi Jeff,
I had GK, not surgery, but I have some of those issues. I've already asked people if they get a "cold nose". I sure do. And I have a drippy nose too, but I have no idea if that's allergy related or AN related, but it sure seems to me that I am mostly drippy on the left side.
I have one of those things that they sell at the mall and it is a neck warmer thingie that you put in the microwave for 2 minutes to get it nice and warm. I use it a lot, but mostly for my face and nose when it feels cold (in the evening) or for my feet at night in bed.
The inside of my mouth is sensitive on the AN side. It sort of hurts to brush my teeth on that side. And my tongue is affected also. It's our nerves, and they are not happy. I found this:
The Facial Nerve
The facial nerve carries impulses from the brain to the facial muscles, allowing facial expression and movement. In addition, portions of the facial nerve activate the tear glands, the salivary glands, and tiny ear muscles, as well as carry taste sensations from the tongue back to the brain. When the nerve impulses to the facial nerve are interrupted, any or all of these functions may be affected.
I also found this on the Internet in answer to a question from a woman who experienced these things on a trip and had changes in altitude. They don't necessarily apply to us, but then again maybe they do and I thought this was interesting:
The tingling tongue. One of the nerves to the tongue, a little guy called the chorda tympani, travels through the middle ear on its course from your brain to your tongue. Conceivably, pressure changes could cause a temporary impairment of blood flow to the nerve, resulting in your symptoms.
The sluggish blink. The nerve that powers ALL the muscles of facial expression, including the muscles that allow you to blink, is called the facial nerve. The facial nerve also traverses the middle ear. Once again, rapid pressure changes might alter blood flow to the nerve, causing temporary weakness.
Facial numbness. I suspect that this may be due, not to pressure changes in your middle ear, but in your sinuses. As with the middle ear, the sinuses are "air pockets" that at times may get "cut off from the outside world." The sinuses do have natural drainage channels, through which air enters and mucus exits. If you have had nasal congestion from a cold, these tiny channels may have swollen shut. A nerve that provides sensation to the middle portion of your face, the infraorbital nerve, traverses the maxillary sinus (immediately below your eye, to the side of your nose). If blood flow were altered to this nerve, you would notice numbness of the middle part of your face, including your cheek, upper lip and upper teeth.
And finally this:
What is a vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma)?
A vestibular schwannoma (also known as acoustic neuroma, acoustic neurinoma, or acoustic neurilemoma) is a benign, usually slow-growing tumor that develops from the balance and hearing nerves supplying the inner ear. The tumor comes from an overproduction of Schwann cells--the cells that normally wrap around nerve fibers like onion skin to help support and insulate nerves. As the vestibular schwannoma grows, it presses against the hearing and balance nerves, usually causing unilateral (one-sided) or asymmetric hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ear), and dizziness/loss of balance. As the tumor grows, it can interfere with the face sensation nerve (the trigeminal nerve), causing facial numbness. Vestibular schwannomas can also press on the facial nerve (for the muscles of the face) causing facial weakness or paralysis on the side of the tumor. If the tumor becomes large, it will eventually press against nearby brain structures (such as the brainstem and the cerebellum), becoming life-threatening.
So there you go. Anyway, I wish you the best when you have your surgery and hope your recovery is fast and uneventful.
Sue in Vancouver USA
