My head/ear- I still do not have feeling in my ear and around it on my head. This is due to the Dr. cutting the main nerve to my ear. My scalp is pretty sensitive and there are areas that hurt just to barely touch with my finger tips. My ear is also sensitive to windy, cold weather.....can you say, "ouch"? I haven't had an earache this bad since I was a kid! I guess this sensitivity and pain are good signs of nerves repairing themselves!
My face- I had some noticeable paralysis right after my surgery and it has gradually gotten a little better. I can actually raise my eyebrow a little now....slightly anyway, and that's a huge accomplishment for me! It looks like I have a questioning look on my face most of the time, lol. My smile is also lopsided, but it really isn't that noticeable unless I am laughing hard....a casual smile doesn't look that bad! My cheek is still numb as well....it is in the "pins and needles" stage, so I hate touching it because it sends chills down my spine! Very annoying!
My incision- I have to say I'm very happy with the results! It has healed nicely, without any infections. The upper part of it, near my ear, is hardly noticeable! The lower part of my incision, on my neck, is still a little raised, but is going down every day. The scar is very minimal and I am using a Doterra product to help minimize it even more.
The ONLY part that I've struggled with is the "dent" that was left in my face. My tumor was the size of a ping pong ball and because of that, it left a bigger empty space! Had my 1st doctor removed it when I first discovered it 8 years ago, It would not have left such a big "hole". The picture does not show how deep it actually is. Luckily, when people look at my face straight on, it isn't noticeable. It is only visible if I turn my head and move my hair. The doctor said that it should fill in somewhat over the next year or so, so i will wait and see. I just got my hair cut and colored, so I'm feeling pretty good right now, haha!
All in all, I'd say the surgery was a success!
Looking great! It weird that something numb hurts to touch isn't it? It will pass I promise. The paralysis will too. Nerves take a long time to heal. For me it took four months before my lip came back. Keep your ear warm, use sunscreen to keep your scar from getting darker and before you know it everything will be normal again. Your ear lobe feeling may never come back but you get used to that too. God bless!
ReplyDeleteThan you for the words of advice! I appreciate your comment. It has been so nice to have the support of others who have been through the same experience😊
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to hear that the increased pain and major fatigue I have feeling are not completely abnormal (although with 5 kids I don't know if the fatigue is ever normal!) Thanks for posting about your experience! Your cousin sent me here to your blog and it has been great to read. I've been searching for personal experiences as well and have found a few. But more is always better. I am 6 days post surgery and still only feeling so-so. I have been getting bad headaches too which get better with gentle massage to loosen my scalp muscles but only stay better for a few minutes. Hope things continue to get better! My doc "filled in" my crater with a kind of artificial cells...or something.. (sorry. I'm not positive) so i am hoping I won't have to deal with a hole either. I don't think it looks that noticeable though. I think you look great!!
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