Nerve repair 3 years post-op?

[steven123]

I had double jaw surgery 3 years ago. The results are good, but unfortunately the trigeminal nerve on one side of my face was severed during the operation. At this point my lower lip and chin have reduced sensation, not completely numb, but dull enough where I can't feel if there's food on my chin. Has anyone had success with nerve repair/reattachment surgery? Did it significantly improve sensation in the affected areas?

[kavan]

I had double jaw surgery 3 years ago. The results are good, but unfortunately the trigeminal nerve on one side of my face was severed during the operation. At this point my lower lip and chin have reduced sensation, not completely numb, but dull enough where I can't feel if there's food on my chin. Has anyone had success with nerve repair/reattachment surgery? Did it significantly improve sensation in the affected areas?

Trigeminal  basically refers to the whole TREE that has 3 main branches and sub branches (or 'twigs') from there. Sounds like your mental nerve got nicked which is a 'twig' of one of the 3 branches of the whole TREE/TRI. Although i don't know of anyone who had that 'fixed', I do know that perm numbness to where you have it (partial numbness, reduced sensation) is one of the risks.

[Lazlo]

i got it too. Would love to know if there are any future solutions.

[Lefortitude]

This is the most common adverse effect of djs. When i think about it the way its described, it does not sound so bad to me. Can you give some perspective on the impact of such nerve damage on you? Perhaps a scale of 1(no problem) - 10(crippling).

[jusken]

There have actually been numerous articles released recently related to nerve regeneration advances.  Stuff like:

https://phys.org/news/2019-03-cultured-stem-cells-reconstruct-sensory.html

Seems like they're making huge strides with this stuff, but who knows.

[Lazlo]

it's like a -4 cause when you're stressed or begin noticing it it can really bother you.

So most of the time you're fine, but every now and then you'll spend a few hours with it bothering you. I have mild nerve damage compared to some cases.

[PloskoPlus]

it's like a -4 cause when you're stressed or begin noticing it it can really bother you.

So most of the time you're fine, but every now and then you'll spend a few hours with it bothering you. I have mild nerve damage compared to some cases.

Facial hair made mine 10 times worse. Is it all in your lip or the chin as well?

[Lazlo]

Facial hair made mine 10 times worse. Is it all in your lip or the chin as well?

mines half of my lower lip and flesh area and yes one whole side of my chin leading up to my jaw. It's a pretty big area of my face if you think about it.

[PloskoPlus]

mines half of my lower lip and flesh area and yes one whole side of my chin leading up to my jaw. It's a pretty big area of my face if you think about it.

Sounds terrible.  I'm really sorry.  Every surgeon should undergo jaw surgery so they know what it's like.  At least I have surface feeling, but it took 2.5 years for the burning to stop.

[april]

I had double jaw surgery 3 years ago. The results are good, but unfortunately the trigeminal nerve on one side of my face was severed during the operation. At this point my lower lip and chin have reduced sensation, not completely numb, but dull enough where I can't feel if there's food on my chin. Has anyone had success with nerve repair/reattachment surgery? Did it significantly improve sensation in the affected areas?

I've heard that severed nerves should not be left for too long. (so be prepared that 3 years could be too long for a significant improvement with reattachment). Will PM you the name of a maxfac microsurgeon who specializes in this.

[Lazlo]

I've heard that severed nerves should not be left for too long. (so be prepared that 3 years could be too long for a significant improvement with reattachment). Will PM you the name of a maxfac microsurgeon who specializes in this.

could you pm it to me too?

[april]

These are the two I've heard most about, (altho I can't vouch personally)

Dr Bagheri
https://drsbagheri.com/dr-bagheri/
His articles on nerve injuries & repair
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=bagheri+sc

Dr Zuniga
https://utswmed.org/doctors/john-zuniga/

[Lazlo]

These are the two I've heard most about, (altho I can't vouch personally)

Dr Bagheri
https://drsbagheri.com/dr-bagheri/
His articles on nerve injuries & repair
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=bagheri+sc

Dr Zuniga
https://utswmed.org/doctors/john-zuniga/

thanks a lot!