My Face Hurts

[Soundy]

My loving sister said if she had a face like mine it would hurt too 

From the center of my face across cheek and on around to past scar hurts...feel like I was slapped...
around mouth is tingly and have some numbness and a bit of drooling going on...

Right after surgery I had eye lid closure issues , taste problems  , droop to mouth and the sensation of
something always touching my face... it had pretty much resolved except the taste which I am beginning to
think I will always have a the taste of blood in my mouth and the feeling of something lightly touching
my face ...my jaw and teeth even hurt ... this is a separate pain from my headache which I am thinking of
naming since it never goes away

Now it is  hurting 24/7 ... I apply heat and massaged my face which helps ...this has developed over past
two or three weeks ... I think it has to do with the fall I took about a month ago that caused some swelling
at base of skull ...

I am with out a doctor to go specifically after AN issues related to surgery ... my regular doctor called someone and
was told to give me anti inflammatory and pain pills and to watch til I get in... was suppose to  see new man the of
September but he removed himself from my insurance plan...

my regular doctor said if things worsen before we get someone to take me on to go to ER and exaggerate how bad
things are so they will look deeper than just telling me take two pills and call us in the morning ...bad way to do
things but if it gets the job done ...oh well ...

he also thinks synkinesis may be part of problem since I had a return of the eye closing when I yawned first and
then some cheek twitching when I talk... no one sees any difference in face (except the drool) unless I talk or yawn...

Anyone have facial pain that returned after a long absence? ....

[yardtick]

Soundy,

I always have the pain.  Mine is a facial neuroma.  I'm on neurontin and it helps.  I think you need to pursue this further. 

My friend your plate is full, sending you hugs and 

Anne Marie

[4cm in Pacific Northwest]

My face is starting to tighten up and hurt again as the botox is wearing off....

Have you had any botox injected to your face. It releaved my tightness significanlty... while it was active...

Are you getting any therapy for your face?


DHM

[jazzfunkanne]

hi did your tightness get any better or are you still getting botox for it?

[4cm in Pacific Northwest]

hi did your tightness get any better or are you still getting botox for it?

Botox is temporary and wears off. My 1st dose is now wearing off. However while it was at its peak effectiveness I had complete relief- it was wonderful. I have to go back for more injections…

When the botox is in peak effectiveness my team is having me exercise to try and build up my muscles that were previously dominated by the overactive (temporarily paralyzed by the botox). The premise is that with this window-of-time we can try to create more balance of the facial muscles and the firing of the motor neurons.

How long I have to keep going in for botox injection, and how frequent, still remains to be seen. (Whether or not my medical insurance keeps paying for this may have a factor- they may have a quota as to the # of times they will allow this- I am not sure.)

I was so hesitant of the botox injection so I requested the most minimal dose from my team. Much of the scare with botox is from pediatric use for patients with cerebral palsy -where it was injected in mass muscle at a high quantity… and in some case death resulted. In the small facial muscles it is a small injection with a much lower dose… so the botox scare in the media was very much sensationalized… Trust me-I did much research before I made my decision…

If heat and stretches do not provide you with relief I recommend the botox. However I recommend that you have a qualified and trained “neuro-muscular facial retraining therapistâ€? (NMFRT) - work with the certified physician in deciding as to where in the face to inject.  NMFRT’s spend much time and coursework learning the face and how it all works. Physicians tend to be more generalists. You do not want a physician making “Willy-Nillyâ€? injections into your face- especially in areas close to the eye. My NMFRT instructed the physician where exactly to inject… and they worked together as a team.

I hope this answers your short question- with my long  response 

Keep moving forward

DHM