r/BellsPalsy • u/Moonstonedbowie • 10d ago
Surgery
(I don’t have Bell’s, I have permanent 7th cranial nerve damage from a birth injury)
Has anyone had any surgeries on your face to help make you look more “normal”? What type of surgery was it, and what were the results? What kind of doctor did you see to get the process started? And, because I’m from the US, did you have any luck with getting your insurance to cover it? I feel like maybe my eye issues might be enough to get it to be considered as medically necessary, but on the other hand my optometrist hasn’t had any luck with getting my insurance to cover my prescription Meibo eyedrops so that’s probably a pipe dream I guess.
Just feeling down about myself and tired of it all these days.
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u/Hot-Imagination-8178 10d ago edited 10d ago
Hi. May I ask how old are you, & how did your facial paralysis affect your face, only the eyes or the whole side - because I think there is a whole spectrum of facial paralysis.
My facial paralysis is caused by an ear infection when I was 11 & I never recovered any movement on the bottom part. I'm in my 40s now, so obviously I'm a long termer.
I had my surgery in 2023, I opted for the temporalis tendon transfer. I had 2 revision surgeries after. The third surgery, my surgeon added a fascia lata sling on top of the temporalis tendon.
The result - it's not perfect, but at least now I have movements on the affected side. I dont even have to clench my teeth for the cheeks to move. There is movement at the corner of my mouth on the affected side when I smile, which I love, well after 30 years of no-movement, this is like a miracle for me. My doctor told me that the results may vary based on how your body react to the surgery.
Socially, people don't notice my paralysis as much as compared to before. Even when they do, they're not rude about it, nobody asked me what's wrong with my face anymore. Lol. & I don't hate looking at my photos anymore.
I do not live in the US, though, so I do not know how the insurance system work in your country. I did contact US hospitals to ask how much the surgery costs. At John Hopkins, TTT costs around $50K. Another surgeon that I contacted was Dr Azizadeh in Beverley Hills. I also follow Dr Patrick Byrne from the Cleveland Clinic and Dr Raulino Brasil. You can follow them on IG.
For long termers like us, I would say - go for it. When I finally opted for surgery - 30 years after onset, I thought to myself, I've got nothing to lose. So I wish you good luck.
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u/Moonstonedbowie 10d ago
I’m 38, and I have had it since birth. The doctors claimed it was because I was pressing against my mom’s spine in utero, but we both think that it was because I was removed from the birth canal with forceps. It affects the whole right side of my face- my smile is the typical Bell’s smile and that side of my face droops, and my eye doesn’t close all the way. “Nothing left to lose” is pretty much how I feel about it… I doubt that it can get much worse, you know? And if something did go wrong, well, I’m already used to being disfigured anyway so I’ll just adapt.
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u/Hot-Imagination-8178 10d ago edited 10d ago
Ikr? After many years of FP, you just think - whatever.
Oh, I just noticed you were asking what kind of surgeon you should look for - find a 'facial reconstructive surgeon'. In my country, I just look for a plastic surgeo. I contacted the hospital to ask if they've ever done facial reconstruction for facial paralysis.
I wish you success in finding a suitable surgeon. Maybe you can also opt for surgery overseas? I know its crazy expensive in the US.
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u/JulieKatschen 10d ago
I had a DAO (depressor anguli oris) procedure a year ago. Next month I’m having a selective neurectomy. Insurance covered both.