Jaw Surgery Forums » Post-Surgery and Recovery Questions

Anyone here with nerve damage?

(15 posts)
  • Started 10 months ago by Cyborger
  • Latest reply from Scott4usa
  • 5 Members Subscribed To Topic
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  1. Cyborger
    Member

    Please share with me your experience with nerve damage in the greatest detail you can give. It's one of the things I'm worried about. Please do not sugarcoat it because you think that telling the truth will scare me off. I want details both good and bad.

    Posted 10 months ago #

  2. RachelM
    Member

    I'm only 20 days post op (double jaw surgery) so can't tell you the full story just yet. However, my experience has been pretty good so far.
    Immediately post op I couldn't feel my face or lips at all. I was dribbling a lot (for about two days)
    About five days post op I could feel 90% of my lips all the way round when I pinch them and could drink from a proper cup rather than just with a straw or beaker.
    At present I still have numbness in my cheeks which is hard to describe. If I touch them I can feel it but because of the swelling it's a reduced sensation. This should get better in time.
    My surgeon has said there is a one in ten chance all the sensation in my face will not return. However, I can't see this being a problem as I can get used to it and you can't tell when you look at me.
    The only thing that boters me a little at the moment is that I always have food on my lips after I've eaten as I can't feel it. I'm told this will go away in time.
    As I say, it's really early days but that's my experience so far.

    I have a friend who had her surgeery two years ago and she has nerve damage on her chin. She says she doesn't even notice it any more and does not regret having the surgery at all.

    My surgeon has done some research with 200 people post op jaw surgery and of those who had nerve damage, all of the were 100% satisfied with the end result and would do it all again.

    I guess it's just one of the risks of surgery but personally I think it's a risk worth taking given how much better you'll feel with the final results.

    Posted 10 months ago #

  3. xdianao
    Member

    I'm 3 months post op and have total numbness in the entire left side of my side and lower lip. I'm still hoping it will come back as I get shooting, lightening bolt pains a lot. Numbness was one of my main concerns going into the surgery. But after everything is said and done, I don't regret having the surgery, even if the feeling doesn't come back. I'm still healing, but I'm so incredibly happy with my results. Like Rachel said, the only thing that bothers me is that when I'm eating or drinking, I don't feel it if I get something on my face. I don't notice I'm dribbling water or some other liquid until it's on my shirt. Not the best situation, but it was worth it.

    Posted 10 months ago #

  4. Amuu
    Member

    What jaw are you getting operated on? I had only my top jaw moved forward and I have no numbness. I have a tiny little spot on my lip that is a bit numb and I have no feeling in the front of my gums, which honestly doesn't affect me at all. It's just weird when I brush my teeth to not feel if I'm brushing my gums.. nothing serious. From what I understand, top jaw surgery doesn't leave as much numbness as bottom jaw surgery, so it probably depends on the surgery you're getting.

    Posted 10 months ago #

  5. sls72
    Member

    I had upper and lower jaw surgery on April 19,2011. I'm 39 years old. I had a major underbite. Going into my 3rd month of recovery, I still have a lot of swelling in my cheeks from my cheek muscles being hard as a rock still. As for numbness, I started with being numb from my eyelids to my chin after surgery. Now I figure I have about 95% of the feeling back in my face,except a mild numbness in my chin....But, the rough part for me to get used to is that ever since surgery the entire roof of my mouth is totally numb. No feeling what so ever has returned to that part of my mouth. I'm hoping and praying that I'm not one of those rare cases people talk about that have permanent nerve damage. As for how I feel about my looks since surgery, I am very pleased so far. The swelling can take up to a year to go down since the muscles in my face have to reshape and reform to my bone structure.

    Posted 10 months ago #

  6. jacmac77
    Member

    I had upper and lower jaw surgery in 2001 and have nerve damage. I can not feel most of my left side of my face, nose, gums or lip. It is very annoying. I droll and can not feel when there is food on my lip. I went to see my surgeon a couple of years ago to see if there is anything that can be done, and he sad no!!! Anybody out there have any advice??

    Posted 10 months ago #

  7. daniel
    Member

    my surgery was on june 7th - one month ago :-) I have reduced feeling in my chin, but that is already getting better compared to right after the surgery. my surgeon warned me about it prior to surgery and though it may take several months I don't expect lasting problems.
    also I have no feeling whatsoever in my palate. no idea whether that is normal but it doesn't bother me because my taste is fine. I didn't even ask my surgeon about it because I never think about it.
    @jacmy77 uh, that sounds bad and docs saying they can't do anything are always bad... :-(

    34-old male, Switzerland, both jaws, chin reduction, correction of overbite and segmental osteotomie, surgery on June 7th 2011

    see http://kieferop.blogspot.com for more! (in german)
    Posted 10 months ago #

  8. EllieMay
    Member

    New to BLOG stuff so please be patient. 10 years post-op. Both jaws broken by one of the "top" surgeons in the world...seriously. Even with that reputation ask every question that you can think of no matter how ridiculous it may sound and if possible speak with former patients who can give you guidance on their experience. For me, one obstacle was a medication that I must take daily. It didn't come in liquid form so we had to find an alternate way to get it into my mouth. Read EVERYTHING you can on your doctor and the hosital.
    As far as how I looked - I was thrilled, BUT I did have issues and still have issues to this day. 5-6 weeks post-op I had returned to work and after giving birth to two children I can say that this pain was excruciating. It was a sharp stabbing pain as if with a hot ice pick. Because the nerves had been "moved", I couldn't pinpoint for them exactly where the pain was so I was dismissed with "it has nothing to do with the surgery." It felt like it was in my ears. I had to go outside the "circle" of doctors to find my own answers. Approx. 5 weeks, 3 dentists, 2 ER docs and 2 orthodontists later I finally found out what happened. When the bite splint was wired into my top jaw, the "new" measurements were not taken into account. This huge arch wire had embedded itself into the soft tissue in the back of my mouth and nerves and tissue were growing around it. I was days away from sepsis and down to about 95 lbs.

    Thank God it was found. I remember laying in the chair, crying and screaming at the top of my lungs as they had to cut this thing out of my mouth. Don't accept "it's nothing we did." I don't know who your surgeon is, but forget the toothbrush and get a water-pic and DON'T USE A STRAW. Negative pressure can cause problems. I still have nerve damage, especially in my chin. Haven't felt much of anything in it since the surgery. It took me 6 months to be able to apply lipstick, and figure out how to eat without biting my numb cheeks. Be careful, just because you cannot feel it doesn't mean that hot food won't burn you.
    If you have hesitation - Wait. Don't be pressured into the surgeon's time-table. Ask of the possibility of being allergic to the hardware...that happened to a friend of mine. I have had chronic sinusitis since this so ask to see where exactly your hardware will be, if on top will it be near your sinus and if it is removable. Ask the stats on allergies within HIS/HER patients.... how many patients have had to have a second surgery or permanent nerve damage. This is your body - don't be bullied and if he/she is not willing to be upfront and answer questions, then keep looking.

    To this day I still feel where the cuts were made, where the bone plates are, and where the screws are (and they still hurt at times). These are things that I wish I had known before the surgery, but I cannot say definitively that I would do it again. I can't say that the beauty was worth the pain.

    Posted 10 months ago #

  9. Meggie
    Member

    Ellie, I had a consult with a world re nown surgeon in Chapel Hill, and I am still frightened of the risks. Most bloggers and people I have spoken to say the procedure is worth it. Of course, this answer is always based on individual results. I have an open bite, am at a higher risk of relapse, and terrified of nerve damage. How are you feeling about your recovery now?

    Posted 8 months ago #

  10. THECW
    Member

    Meggie you shouldnt worry. Growing up I was known as the "weak-sick" kid. I would always get sick and my body just felt weak all the time, which is why my parents were hesitating for me to get the surgery. I'm currently 4 weeks post op. As for pain on a scale 1-10 the pain was "1" (and that "1" was for only for discomfort for the first 3 days). After the first 3 days, its a sinch. Eating will get annoying but you will get used to it. Also, for me, my stomach just wasnt that hungry throughout the 4 weeks. So yeah recovery is easy its just annoying. As for the nerve damage and swelling it'll go away. You just have to keep icing and using heat pad, you have to drink lots of water, you have to keep moving around to keep the blood flowing, and have your head elevated when you sleep. Also my surgeon said if you're young than the nerves will come back faster. One last thing, the doctor will prescribe you this pink pain medicine that will make you drowsy (so i've been told), I had NO PAIN at all so I never took a sip of it.

    Posted 8 months ago #

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