When does the temp facial go away

[Lilan]

This is no doubt a stupid question, but with facial paralysis, does your eye still blink? I know it can't close be closed voluntarily using the muscles, as for sleep, and thus the taping, but does the involuntary normal blinking reflex still happen?

[saralynn143]

Not a stupid question at all. Unfortunately, the answer is no, involuntary blinking does not occur. This is in fact the most serious side effect of facial paralysis as serious vision problems can occur as a result of corneal dryness if we are not diligent in keeping our eyes properly lubricated with eye drops or ointments. There are all kinds of threads about this in the Eye Issues section of the forum.

Sara

This is no doubt a stupid question, but with facial paralysis, does your eye still blink? I know it can't close be closed voluntarily using the muscles, as for sleep, and thus the taping, but does the involuntary normal blinking reflex still happen?

[arkansasfarmgirl]

This is no doubt a stupid question, but with facial paralysis, does your eye still blink? I know it can't close be closed voluntarily using the muscles, as for sleep, and thus the taping, but does the involuntary normal blinking reflex still happen?

My blink reflex is still there and it tries to blink.  It just doesn't make it all the way closed.  I have to remember to make it blink.

Vonda

[m4guzman]

My eye does not blink.  And Yes i think that this is bad because I have to lube it up all the time.  Hence I can not see out of that eye.  This is having an effect on my balance.  If I cover my eye, my head does not hurt as much and I balance alot better.  I think this is making my recovery a lot longer.

Marybeth

[Kaybo]

David~
I have never heard of this either...

K

[NancyMc]

Along these same lines . . .  I am frustrated that I cannot open my good eye when both eyes are closed.  It just doesn't make sense to me that my good eye does not function independent of my AN eye.  Anybody?

[Keri]

my 'bad' eye just sits there open all the time and my 'good' eye is so tired all the time. the good eye feels like it's the bad eye, and vice versa. does that make any sense?

[nancyann]

Keri:  that's exactly how I feel - I recently had my eyes checked for a new lens Rx - my 'good' eye has become worse than the AN eye - so new glasses it is.
The one silver lining I've found is that when I'm driving & I sneeze,  the AN eye is still looking at the road (I laugh to myself every time it happens !).
Always good thoughts,   Nancy

[salamander]

My AN eye does not blink so I have to remember to close it frequently.  When working on the computer it sometimes gets too dry when I get wrapped up in typing something and forget.  Just recently I have started to be able to wear my soft contact lens again.  It helps to protect my cornea, and I can put drops in a little less frequently.  I have a weight implanted in my AN eyelid, and it is great help.  I can close my eye, and keep it closed while sleeping.

Like NancyMc I also noticed that my good eye can not work independently of the AN eye (Other than blinking).  I cannot close both eyes and only only the good one.

What I do to check periodically to check progress, which sounds kind of nutty, is I use my webcam to record myself opening and closing my eyes and then play it back.

Samantha

[4cm in Pacific Northwest]

David,

Yes caffeine and alcohol affect the nervous system.

Here is a book I recommend: Caffeine Blues (I am not promoting Amazon here- it just has a “look in side the book “ link I want to share.

http://www.amazon.com/Caffeine-Blues-Hidden-Dangers-Americas/dp/0446673919

When I drink too much coffee my face becomes hypertonic on my AN side. I have drunk caffeine most of my life… and I am have yet been able to be off it for than a couple of weeks. (Not including the months I actually did not drink any coffee recovering from the AN tumor surgery because it tasted SOOH awful due to the metallic taste from the facial nerve damage thing). I am down to 10oz max/ day (some days I have only 6 oz) of coffee but ideally I would like to be off ALL caffeine: tea and coffee. My facial nerve action and taste buds appeared to return simultaneously. Once I liked the taste of coffee - I started to drink it regularly again. This is when the synkenisis started in.

I hardly ever consume alcohol except on special occasions. Over the Christmas holidays I had a few bevies containing alcohol and my eye-lid function went into regression -each time I did. The face did too. I had to go back to using my stick on eye weight. I no longer touch alcohol AT ALL- and consequently seldom need the eye weight -now.

Here is a blurb on alcohol
http://www.oregoncounseling.org/ArticlesPapers/Documents/ETOHBIOFx.htm


My youngest child did a project on “the brainâ€? in 3rd grade .She became very interested in this topic while I was away at surgery and flew with it researching  once I returned home. (She also knew we could research together being that I too was keenly interested). She even creating a motor neuron out of play dough. Here is a link that she dug up from the University of Washington titled “neuroscience for kidsâ€?

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/alco.html


Quote from the above link

Effects of Alcohol on the Nervous System
As mentioned above, alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. It acts at many sites, including the reticular formation, spinal cord, cerebellum and cerebral cortex, and on many neurotransmitter systems. Alcohol is a very small molecule and is soluble in "lipid" and water solutions. Because of these properties, alcohol gets into the bloodstream very easily and also crosses the blood brain barrier. Some of the neurochemical effects of alcohol are:
   Increased turnover of norepinephrine and dopamine
   Decreased transmission in acetylcholine systems
   Increased transmission in GABA systems
Increased production of beta-endorphin in the hypothalamus


http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/caff.html

Quote from the above link

Caffeine enters the bloodstream through the stomach and small intestine and can have its effects as soon as 15 minutes after it is consumed. Once in the body, caffeine will stay around for hours: it takes about 6 hours for one half of the caffeine to be eliminated.
Caffeine belongs to the xanthine chemical group. Adenosine is a naturally occurring xanthine in the brain that is used as a neurotransmitter at some synapses. One effect of caffeine is to interfere with adenosine at multiple sites in the brain including the reticular formation.

I also noted that the synkenisis I had ALSO started around the time I started sleeping on the AN side. That is much weight and pressure to put on new regenerating nerve fibers … especially sleeping on one side for 8 hours. The nerve fibers in your face are as delicate as a butterfly wing…

I think if someone were recovering from Bells Palsy they would be best to avoid alcohol and caffeine... and to not put any pressure on the face.



These are the reviewers on the Natural Standard’s Board (integrative medicine)
Their “about us� link
http://www.naturalstandard.com/
(ie some credible reviewers with medical background)

I am aware that this is the research paper that discusses this topic of Bells Palsy and avoid these substances
http://www.naturalstandard.com/index-abstract.asp?create-abstract=/monographs/conditions/condition-bellspalsy.asp

I found this quote from the article in a Google search
“It is best to avoid caffeine and other stimulants, alcohol, and smoking. All of these place stress on the body that can lead to symptoms of Bell's palsy ...�


I want fellow AN’ers to learn from my mistakes- not repeat them. (Although I was never a smoker and only drank on speciAL occasions ... caffeine consumer however I have been since childhood which started with regular "afternoon tea" etc ... now living in the USA a coffee consumer too...)

Stay off caffeine (if you can) and alcohol... and sleep on your non-AN affected side (or on your back) unit full movement returns to your face.

We really need more research done on this facial nerve regeneration and "alcohol and caffeine consumption" relationship with synkenisis… In the mean time stick to only putting healthy and nutritious stuff into your system… instead of stimulants and depressants.

DHM

[4cm in Pacific Northwest]

Mary Beth,

You are bang on about your eye issue. You need to get an eye weight until the movement returns. I did not get one surgically implanted but got a stick on temporary one- that did the trick. Most days I no longer need the weight unless it is very arid or I am fatigued (sleep deprived)

This is the product that your ophthalmologist (or neuro ophthalmologist) can order for you...

Blink-eze stick on eye weight

http://www.fci-ophthalmics.com/files/pdf/blinkeze.pdf

Once I got this little gizmo- my balance improved tenfold- simply because I could see better without having to put all that goop into my eye (which was blurring my vision)

Hang in there- you WILL get though this…

DHM

P.S. Was your eye blinking immediately after surgery?

[Keri]

oops... i'm sitting here drinking my second cup of coffee as i read this info about caffeine...

nancy, that was funny what you said about driving and sneezing and keeping your eye open!! just don't hold your nose!

[cindyj]

Caffeine - so evil, yet so good...no way I can get through a morning, much less a day without my Coke.  Never had heard it specifically causing problems, or delayed healing, as related to facial weakness, but I suppose that does make sense.  I, however, can never seem to give it up - know it causes me other issues as well, but I'm weak in this regard...it's my only real vice, so I can't, ok, I choose not, to give it up   What else would I have with pizza, french fries and my chocolate fixes?

I bit my tongue and slurred more words this weekend than I have in quite a while - interesting that it may be due to so much caffeine intake...also had my first post-op migraine earlier in the week.  Suppose that means things are really getting back to normal

Cindy

[epodjn]

I've been living with the no blink for 5 mnths now. Why didn't anyone tell me about blinkeze? My eye doc wants me to wait on getting gold or platinum weight put in. I'm not sure why. Does  anyone know of any good reasons to wait? I'm so tired of not blinking. But on the positive side, I must be the odd ball (nothing new there) but my good eye will open when my AN eye is closed. It didn't at first but it did after the first month or so. Weird.
I'm going to the eye doc in a hour. I'm excited to ask him about the blinkeze. Thanks!

[mimoore]

Great research DHM - thanks Michelle