for you,the Dr, and all goes well!!!
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@Sammi - Tomorrowās your BIG DAY! We look forward to hearing how your surgery goes when you feel well enough to post about it. 
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Thank you so much! Balancing rest and fun today to enjoy my last day before recovery. I have to be at the surgical center bright and early tomorrow morning (which is great because I was hoping for an early time). I am a little nervous because I havenāt been under anesthesia since I was in kindergarten, but mostly, I am grateful and relieved to be getting this procedure and am cautiously optimistic about the future.
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5:05 PM. Went back for my procedure at approximately 7:30 AM and left the surgical center around 12:42 PM. Observation took longer than expected as I have a complication with the facial nerve that was unexpected by both me and my doctors. My right side of my face is difficult to move, not just the lip area as expected. The upper face did show some progress at the center, which Dr. Cognetti said he felt good about and optimistic that this will resolve sooner rather than later, which was encouraging because if you know Dr. Cognetti, he is very straightforward and does not say anything he does not earnestly mean. The gave me a strong steroid in hospital and prescribed for the following days to hopefully help with this. Post op is mostly going well. I had some pain in my face and neck going into surgery which was resolved already following surgery. Obviously the neck is sore in a different way but having some instant relief is encouraging. Pain is tolerable. I am taking everyoneās suggestions for keeping up with icing and otc pain meds. I really would like to avoid the prescribed oxycodone if possible. My throat and jaw are a bit sore from the intubation, so swallowing isnāt great. I have only had ice chips and a little apple sauce with my medicine crushed in it so far, but I just got a slush from our local ice cream stand. I took a good nap when I got home and am resting. Continued prayers would be welcomed and encouraged. I will keep everyone posted in the coming days.
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Thank you for an update so soon after your surgery, @Sammi. Iām sorry to hear about your facial nerve being more irritated, but itās good news Dr. Cognetti feels itās temporary & may be short-lived. Unfortunately, even though nerves can be seen during transcervical surgery, causing them to get more āupsetā during surgery is often unavoidable. My glossopharyngeal/hypoglossal nerves were affected & the right side of my tongue was paralyzed for almost 9 mos after my first surgery.
Regarding sore throat from intubation - youāre doing all the right things. It may take several days for it to settle down & your jaw may also be a bit sore so chewing may be challenging for a week or more, but thos problems will also go away before too long.
I will be praying for your facial nerve to settle down quickly so your face feels normal again. Iām glad surgery is done & your on the healing end of things now.
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Thank you so much for your encouragement, prayers, and advice throughout this. It is so appreciated. I will continue to post updates for everyone throughout the recovery process. Tonight has been pretty okay so far. Some pain obviously but still manageable. Dr. Cognetti called to check in himself earlier in the evening and said heād do so again tomorrow, which was nice. Also, I was able to drink half a protein shake and am eating some water ice now. I have been taking my meds crushed in applesauce as well. Iām not really hungry at this point but am doing my best get down some non-water things as tolerated. Hopefully, I will be up to trying something a little more substantial but still soft, like soup or yogurt tomorrow. But we will see. Iām just trying to listen to my body and take things as they come. I felt very prepared for my care at home thanks to you all!
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All the best with your recovery @Sammi.
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Thank you!
How are you?
The facial nerve is incredibly delicate & easy to irritate during surgery, so having some facial paralysis is quite common after the surgery, and usually resolves fairly soonā¦ Praying for you & for a good recovery
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I am doing okay. The pain is still very manageable. I still donāt have very much movement in my right side of my face but I know that may take time. Iām also very tired. Overall not any worse than expected though all things considered.
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Yeah that is what Dr. Cognetti said. He has been calling to check in. I have had very slight improvements since waking up from surgery. Nothing very significant but Dr. Cognetti said any small progress is promising.
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I am glad it is all behind. Day 3 was the worst for me.
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Update: Spoke with Dr. Cognetti this morning. I havenāt made anymore progress with my facial movement since yesterday. He wants to check in tomorrow again but is thinking we get an MRI done of the facial nerve to assess further. He still feels it is most likely swollen or just the stress of the surgery on the nerve, but he wants to be sure that if there is any damage that they can get back in to repair it quickly. Pain is still manageable but some more progress in the facial movement would be more encouraging.
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Itās early days yet, but some members have been advised to use something light like a feather on their skin to stimulate the nerveā¦if youāve seen a little improvement already thatās goodā¦ get lots of rest, are you enjoying ice cream?
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Praying for you and the facial nerve improves quickly.
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Thank you for the encouragement. I took a really long nap late morning into early afternoon. I have been enjoying lots of cold treats. Most substantial thing Iāve been able to have is soup. Iām going to try some Mac and cheese today and see how that goes since itās a little more chewing. With the facial palsy, lots of activities have been a little challenging. But Iām trying my best to be patient with it.
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Thank you 
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@Sammi - As @Jules said, itās very early in your recover. Nerves often remain irritated due to the post op swelling that occurs & which is designed to help protect the areas injured by surgery so they can heal. Unfortunately, that cushion of swelling puts pressure on the soft tissues like nerves which temporarily continues to stimulate them & cause symptoms. As the swelling reduces, the symptoms gradually fade.
Iām glad Dr. Cognetti is being extra vigilant in checking in about your facial palsy due to the extra āstimulationā the facial nerve got during surgery. I will also be praying itās just annoyed, but not damaged, & will recover as time passes.
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Thank you very much for all the support. I believe Dr. Cognettiās main concern is that it is more of a full right facial palsy than he is used to seeing. I appreciate his vigilance because it helps me to feel that I am in good hands (he even mentioned trying to get costs reduced or eliminated for an MRI should I need one because my insurance does not cover his team of doctors). As everyone who has dealt with ES knows, it can be really hard to live with symptoms you cannot control. While I wait for this to sort itself out, I am just trying to hold on to the fact that I have had no facial pain since my surgery on Friday, which is a good sign for my ES symptoms.
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