Except that you obvious lose feeling with a nerve damage, are there other implications such as paralysed muscles and unable to control parts of the face? Or is it always only lost feeling that is ment by nerve damage?
I was told preop and even post op that any nerve damage would just be a slight annoyance and something “you only notice briefly while shaving.” For me that hasn’t been the case. I have pretty bad stiffness in my lower lip and entire chin. It makes talking strenuous. Any speaking problems I have are fairly undetectable over the phone though, so I believe people only notice in person because my lower lip is stiff and not moving properly.
However, Caminitti confirmed for me that lower lip numbness can present with speech problems similar to Bell’s palsy - trouble with letters where the lips come together: F,V,B,P,M. If you go to pronounce ‘f’ your upper teeth are contacting your lower lip to produce this sound, however if you can’t FEEL your damn upper teeth touching your lower lip you can sometimes botch the sound. Not always. For me it happens when I’m speaking quickly. So I still DO have speech problems.
Mostly though, I’m concerned with this damn STIFFNESS in my lower face. I really hope this improves but I’m 6 months out so I’m probably screwed. Thankfully, I have no neuropathic pain. My chin/ lip just feels FROZEN. I shudder to think how bad this will be in the winter.
So yes Dogmatix, nerve damage can present as much more than just loss of sensation. It won’t be paralysis though, that’s motor nerves, it’s just that nerve damage can cause all kinds of aggravation and inflammation that can restrict movement somewhat.
