Marci,
I had major numbness after surgery - the entire right lower half of my face was very numb, including the right half of my tongue, my lips and my teeth. I had major problems with speech because of it. I had other problems, too, but they are either gone or are close to gone. The problems improved when the numbness improved. I got my first major improvement at 3 months. Before that, I was seriously worried if I am going to improve at all and was e-mailing everybody who was potentially in the same situation.
If your face moves, just like mine, then you don't need any facial exercises, such as given to you by PT. Speech clarity is addressed by speech therapy, so you might want to think about that. They are hit or miss, just like any therapist. I got a lot of rejections (just like surgery) when I actually found somebody who was willing to work with me. She told me of a woman whose face was completely numb after surgery and who initially could not be understood at all but in 2 months spoke beautifullly and clearly. So, you might want to keep it as a rough estimate of time needed to improve your speech. I said a rough estimate because you can be better or worse, because everybody is different and because you are starting at a different point. Good luck to you! Keep as posted as to your progress!
Eve
