jawsurgeryforums.com
General Category => Functional Surgery Questions => Topic started by: Heavyweight on October 18, 2012, 04:43:47 AM
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Has anyone here looked into nerve repair surgery? Someone on JSB mentioned having it done to fix a severed inferior alveolar nerve: http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3385 (http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3385)
It seems that everyone who has lower jaw surgery ends up with a degree of permanent numbness in their lower lip and chin. I'm sure some people aren't bothered by it, but it does seem like something that would affect quality of life (especially if it's entire lower face, which happened to someone I know). To me, it makes sense to try to fight this unfortunate side effect of jaw surgery rather than just accept it, especially if insurance will help cover the nerve repair operation.
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bump
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well, i think the younger you are the less likely you'll have nerve damage. i think there is a strong chance you'll have less sensation, but right now i have most feeling in my lower jaw/chin - no numb spots, but i can't really compare it to how it was before because i dont remember. it's not so blatant to a point where i can tell a difference. the lower lip on the other hand is still pins and needles.
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well, i think the younger you are the less likely you'll have nerve damage. i think there is a strong chance you'll have less sensation, but right now i have most feeling in my lower jaw/chin - no numb spots, but i can't really compare it to how it was before because i dont remember. it's not so blatant to a point where i can tell a difference. the lower lip on the other hand is still pins and needles.
How exactly is it not to have any feeling in your lower lip? Do you have problems doing certain movements with it because of it? How different from before is kissing for an example?
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How exactly is it not to have any feeling in your lower lip? Do you have problems doing certain movements with it because of it? How different from before is kissing for an example?
it's not that different, it's just when you push against it with something other than your finger it's very tingly. and the sides aren't even sensation-wise. guess it takes up to a year before full nerve damage? im pretty young so the chances of permanent damage is unlikely. what i have now is definitely livable.
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nerves are very temperamental...i wouldn't bet on the surgery fixing but that's just my opinion
numbness is annoying but at least it doesnt "hurt"
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I wonder what happened to Timi from this JSB thread. I've emailed him a couple of times but never got a reply :-\.
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I read acunpuncture soon after surgery helps.
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I don't remember exactly which blog/forum it was. but I read acunpuncture treatments soon after surgery
help in gaining the feeling back.
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bump
Will surgeons inform you ahead of time of where you IAN and LN are located and whether their location puts you at higher risk for numbness?
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I've read it somewhere as well that acupuncture does help in nerve regeneration. I'll be considering it soon if my nerves dont start behaving shortly.
CK what was the progression in nerve regeneration for you like- were you completely numb post op or how did it work with you?
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I've read it somewhere as well that acupuncture does help in nerve regeneration. I'll be considering it soon if my nerves dont start behaving shortly.
CK what was the progression in nerve regeneration for you like- were you completely numb post op or how did it work with you?
hmm. i might have written about this in my original thread but i cant recall precise details. numbness is kind of an ambiguous term, i was never 100% numb. the problem is different levels of numbness and temperatures on the face. like my cheeks felt frozen and hard for awhile, my lower lip stiff while my upper lip just...different. chin completely numb for quite awhile.
i still have a loss of sensation in my chin but i dont care about that. some nerve issues on one half of my lower lip, which is annoying but hopefully will go away eventually.
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I've read it somewhere as well that acupuncture does help in nerve regeneration. I'll be considering it soon if my nerves dont start behaving shortly.
CK what was the progression in nerve regeneration for you like- were you completely numb post op or how did it work with you?
How far along are you in recovery again and where are you experiencing numbness?
From how I understand it,
Tingling + pins and needles feel = good
Dead numb = bad
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hmm. i might have written about this in my original thread but i cant recall precise details. numbness is kind of an ambiguous term, i was never 100% numb. the problem is different levels of numbness and temperatures on the face. like my cheeks felt frozen and hard for awhile, my lower lip stiff while my upper lip just...different. chin completely numb for quite awhile.
i still have a loss of sensation in my chin but i dont care about that. some nerve issues on one half of my lower lip, which is annoying but hopefully will go away eventually.
Well its good that you were never completely numb, thats usually a good sign. When did you feel the varying levels of numbness begin to fade to normalcy? Have you considered any treatment or acupuncture to recover the nerves or can you live with it as is? Im a little over 3 weeks and feel burning when I touch my chin but its mostly numb and there is some light tingling/burning on my lower lip, hope Im not screwed.
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Well its good that you were never completely numb, thats usually a good sign. When did you feel the varying levels of numbness begin to fade to normalcy? Have you considered any treatment or acupuncture to recover the nerves or can you live with it as is? Im a little over 3 weeks and feel burning when I touch my chin but its mostly numb and there is some light tingling/burning on my lower lip, hope Im not screwed.
maybe 3 or 4 months ago, but my muscles are still sore and i find that more uncomfortable than the numbness. temperature is the first sensation to return so hot/cold is normal. i had coldness in my cheeks.
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Interesting topic. I actually inquired about where my nerves were during my pre-op appointment and where incisions would be made. I was shown where my nerves were running (mine were kind of lower in my jaw) and the likelyhood of them being in the way. Parts of my face are quite numb, so I can only hope I regain sensation there.
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a lot of people seem to confuse mobility and sensibility, the former eventually comes back in full. the latter? you have better odds on winning the lottery
i see a bunch of people (mild class III) over at the .br forum opting for an IVRO instead of a BSSO in order to avoid the permanent loss of feeling in the lower lip but I guess that really isn't an option if you need a somewhat aggressive advancement and rotation plus being wired shut for ~6 weeks is borderline torture
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i had IVRO, 2-piece Lefort I, and genio one year ago. (I relapsed and need more surgery, but that's another story)
I have significant numbness in my lower lip, as in still can't drink out of a cup without making a mess, and it does drive me crazy. Like Pekay pointed out, I have full mobility, I just can't feel anything.
My surgeon has said over and over that no nerves were severed/damaged in the surgery, so I should not have any numbness. But I do. I think it must be from the genio and not the IVRO, but I do also have some numbness were the bony cuts were made. My chin is also numb, and there are a few painful sensitive areas. I am wondering if the nerve is somehow pinched in there.
Now, I am a woodwind player as well, so lower lip numbness is very significant to me. I'm not sure how "crazy" it would drive anyone else. I am guessing at this point that I will not get anything more back. My other areas of numbness are pretty much gone.
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i had IVRO, 2-piece Lefort I, and genio one year ago. (I relapsed and need more surgery, but that's another story)
wow, what happened? what class were you before? class III? how old are you now? according to your surgeon what caused you to relapse?
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I'm class II with anterior open bite and asymmetry. I relapsed because I had further degeneration of the condyle, so I have further asymmetry and my bite opened up again. I needed correction in all three planes of space, and apparently was a complex case. I was told that during the surgery, my bite would not stay together in the ideal position, that they had to re-plate it six times during surgery, and that there wasn't enough bone left for them to do any more surgery in that round. So I am supposed to have another Lefort I to even the cant and more posterior impaction and another IVRO to address the asymmetry. I had 7mm of posterior impaction the first time. I don't know my other measurements. I'm 36. I don't have a surgery date yet. Right now they're treating my joint problems and hoping to decrease the inflammation before surgery to reduce the chance of any further relapse.
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@Mighty_Mouth: are you male or female?
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I'm class II with anterior open bite and asymmetry. I relapsed because I had further degeneration of the condyle, so I have further asymmetry and my bite opened up again. I needed correction in all three planes of space, and apparently was a complex case. I was told that during the surgery, my bite would not stay together in the ideal position, that they had to re-plate it six times during surgery, and that there wasn't enough bone left for them to do any more surgery in that round. So I am supposed to have another Lefort I to even the cant and more posterior impaction and another IVRO to address the asymmetry. I had 7mm of posterior impaction the first time. I don't know my other measurements. I'm 36. I don't have a surgery date yet. Right now they're treating my joint problems and hoping to decrease the inflammation before surgery to reduce the chance of any further relapse.
That's scary. I'm a class iii, anterior open bite, mandibular asymmetry. So you have condylar resorption?
I think us open bite cases are at among the highest risk for relapse. Either way I wish you the best of luck.
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@ Pekay--I'm female
@ Euphoria--Thank you!
They're not calling it condylar resorption. I have degenerative joint disease. My left condyle is hypoplastic; it has always been shorter. I can tell in pictures even when I was just four years old. I don't have a history of trauma, as far as I can remember. I guess it just grew (or did not grow) that way. I had ortho as a teen which straightened my teeth but did not address jaw deformity.
When I had my braces off after surgery, I was given a positioner, which my surgeon says loaded the joints and caused the DJD to become active again. Hence, the relapse. It's actually my second relapse and I am looking at a third surgery. My second surgery was five months after the first, and was just a Lefort. My mandible did not react kindly to the change, and so now I'm going back in for the double whammy.
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I have degenerative joint disease.
Out of curiosity -- what specific disease?
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Mighty mouth.... How are they treating your "joint disease". ? Hope your getting more opinions
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Right now they're saying it is osteoarthritis, but I also have lupus, so it complicates things. They're treating it with splint therapy and a combination of medication, also PT to help neck and shoulders relax as the bite adjusts with the splint. I've had many opinions. I trust the team I have now, but sometimes it does feel like just a crapshoot.
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What medications do they give you?