My report says i dont have jugular compression but my question to you was when Mr Hughes said he will remove from skull base the first time, why didnt he remove it? Did u ask him.
Hi
I have some left sided lower facial weakness since my surgery to remove right styloid on Friday. Have any other members had this problem and if so what has helped with recovery. Web suggests specialist physio work and maybe steroids for 10 days can help? Any advice/tips appreciated.
But my brain is feeling much better on right side, so overall am hoping op outcome will be good.
Thanks. D
Thanks for letting us know how you are, Iâve been praying for youâŚfacial weakness is quite common usually from the facial nerve being stretches/ irritated after surgery, it usually goes quite quickly. Some members have had droopy muscles affecting their mouth & eye closing, hopefully you havenât got that? If it doesnât resolve then definitely physioâŚHopefully @Isaiah_40_31 will let you know, if I remember right thereâs been mention of using a soft brush to stimulate the nerves?
I donât know if it made much difference but I took B group vitamins which are supposed to help with nerve healing, best to check if theyâre okay with any other medications though.
Iâm glad that youâve noticed an improvement with the brain already! Obvs youâve been through this before so you know that the swelling may well still peak & you might feel like youâve gone backwardsâŚSending you hugs 
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Thanks Jules. Yes swelling not good but have hivamat/Vodder deep ossilation lymph on Tuesday so know that will help a lot. Doing what I can myself for now.
Facial weakness is affecting left side of mouth. Mr Hughes asked me to try to smile and weakness was apparent( bit lopsided on left side). Hoping will go but trying to work out what I can do to help facial nerve recovery.
I told Mr Hughes if was choice between bone coming out or facial weakness then getting bone out took priority. Facial stuff does not hurt or have Neuro impacts, so a lesser concern. Is feeling much calmer now on right side of brain, even with post op swelling.
Had so many false dawns & time will tell but hoping this op has fixed me enough to regain some quality of life 
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I second what @Jules said - weâve had quite a few members w/ lip droop after ES surgery. For most it cleared up completely w/in a few weeks to a few months. My surgeonâs first comment when I woke up after surgery was, âDo you want the good news or the bad news?â The good news was that my lip wouldnât droop, the bad was that half my tongue was paralyzed for awhile. Even w/ that, I did have some immediate improvement in how I felt, but it did take months for the full ârecovery pictureâ to develop.
Prednisone helps reduce swelling which could help take pressure off your facial nerve & reduce the numbness, however, if your facial numbness is for the reason Jules mentioned - irritation during surgery, then time will be the best healer. Sheâs right about using a soft brush/cloth on the area around your mouth & cheek to try to help stimulate nerve recovery. You donât want to irritate your skin since youâre numb & wonât be able to feel the brush/cloth so start slowly - i.e. 30 seconds-1 min a couple of times/day, & increase as you see your skin tolerates it.
Iâll be praying for your face to recover sooner than later. So glad all went well w/ your surgery, @PatientD. 
Iâm really glad youâve gotten some notable positive results already.
If itâs any help my aunt had a trigeminal nerve surgery earlier in the year, she had facial weakness, couldnât eat properly, couldnât close her eye, but it all resolved within 2 months & sheâs feeling loads better. As far as I know she didnât do anything to aid the recovery other than eye drops & taping her eye downâŚ
Thinking of you
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Hi @PatientD nice to know your surgery is behind you. Did you check if the styloid was removed to skull base? Did you just stay at Cleveland for one night? Hows the facial weakness now, any improvement?
Sending healing hugs
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Hi, yes report says removal to skull base & I believe this is true. Will try to post op summary soon.
Facial weakness still present but I have facial
Muscle movement & only mouth area is affected. Mr Hughes says it will recover and to just wait. But I am a proactive patient so am having one consult with facial physio at Queens Sq soon. I just want to be assessed by an expert & told what to do/not do.
My jaw opening is bit painful & limited but I know from my jaw surgery in 2017 that I will be able to fix that once wound has healed up bit more.
All this is temporary I hope and will pass as I heal & work at fixing myself.
I only stayed at Cleveland one night. Like all hospitals they love to disturb you. Nursing excellent but needed peace to recover. D
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Thats nice to hear. Yes im absolutely certain that you will fully recover. Just rest it out. So yet another successful surgery with Mr Hughes. Im so excited that you will soon have a normal life. Have been thinking about you all these days. God bless dear and a wishing you a full speedy recovery. 
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Take care of yourself, I hope that the facial weakness resolves soon
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Thanks Jules. Am looking forward to removing steri strips this weekend.
Think May have mild first bite syndrome at present but hard to tell if just part of normal post op discomfort & pain at this early stage. I notice that starting to eat hurts on operated side but after 2 or 3 bites the problem goes away.
Anyway have deep oscillation today which I know will help me. Still early days but brain still feels better than it did
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Yup! That sounds like first bite syndrome, @PatientD. Hopefully it will remain mild! It too shall pass w/ time. Praying for your facial nerve recovery in short order.
Thanks Isaac, you confirm my suspicions. If it were not for this community I would have been more worried not knowing what is was, so thank you.
My lymph drainage of head & neck helped me yesterday. Will be even better next week when can travel Hivamat over wound itself, rather than work around it.
Take care. D
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Iâm so glad the lymph drainage was helpful @PatientD. Itâs good youâll be able to do your own therapy soon!
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What scan showed your JV compression. Is it a regular neck CT?
A regular neck CT with contrast can show IJV compression, but it helps if the scan is done dynamically i.e. with your head turned in different directions i.e. up/down, left/right, & on the diagonals to see which positions make the compression the worst. Sometimes compression doesnât show at all when the head is in neutral position (face looking at the ceiling).
It was a neck CT with rotation reviewed by Mr Timothy. The radiologist at London Bridge hospital missed compression & just said âJV patentâ, so getting right people to do/report on scan is vital. Queens Square London also have some experts who can do scans for JVs but my scan there was only MRI without rotation so unsure if they can do CT (but expect they can as have very extensive imaging there). Good luck. D
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Today Thor photobiomodulation session (as learnt from past jaw surgery that it helps with post op recovery.)
Practitioner used âlollipop likeâ device (see image) inside mouth and cluster round device around affected wound/scar. Thor website has practitioner locations worldwide on website. Skull if practitioner is important factor.
Think it has helped my nerve & other pain improve. Sharing in case helps others. D
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Thank you for sharing whatâs helping you & the link, @PatientD. Hopefully what youâre doing will be helpful for other forum members.
Iâm glad youâre feeling some better.
Facial physio expertise - if have facial nerve weakness/damage post op. These folks are hard to find in UK so posting image of team I saw at QS this week in case others need this help. Hannah was very helpful and nice.
As op affected nerves right side had expected exercises to strengthen that side. But instead have to work on relaxing left side facial muscles as body uses good side to try & compensate. Also have some symmetry work to do.
NHS wait list is c 4 months, but can pay to see them privately sooner if needed.
Sharing in case others need this type of rehab help. D
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