Left corner of mouth paralysis, weak muscle anterior neck

[LenaGoth]

Someone suggested I post here instead of the neurology forum. Here it goes: I attempted to do some facial muscle exercises because I noticed a change in my neck (throat) contoure that increased with time (6 months). The left side has a slight swelling to it underneath the chin (silly me was thinking it was getting fat one one side of the neck, hmmmm?) As I do these ugly faces and tensing of the front neck muscles I notice that the muscle doesn't move on that same side of the neck all the way down to my collarbone. I also notice the swelling I mention then protrudes below my chin (There is no hard lymphnode, just swelling of the tissue).

I also notice that the left corner of my mouth is unable to move at all if I intend to pull it left/ down. It does move, up if I smile. It appears totally paralyzed. Lately an itch has developed where the swelling is, it's not warm to the touch but feels warm inside. As I look back there are photos my family has taken where I see that I smile crooked, and when I look down slightly the swelling on the neck is very obvious. Last x-mas there was nothing like that there, and I had the same weight as now. I realise this has been going on for a while since I have noticed this change in contorur of my neck progress for the past 6 months.

I'm considering a few possible reasons: I have CFS- which can cause permanent nerve damage. My cervical neck has been a pain in the rear thru the years, as well as the rest of my spine. Another possibility is the (what I think it was) the TIA I had about a year ago, lasted for about half an hour. During this one I experienced extreme weakness on the right side, spinning, and nausea (the sudden weakness made me crawl on my four since I was unable to stand up. As I sit here and write I scratch my itch every now and then, nothing visible on skin.

I'm not too excited about going to any doctor, I've become "allergic" to them, probably because of my CFS that is still stigmatized by many doctors. Many years have passed and I ran into many who treated me as if it was all in my head and I just had to get off my bum (never mind that I once was a proffessional cyclist and worked 2 jobs since my teen years til I got ill,,,lol!) My teeth are in perfect shape, so it's not from any dental problems.

Thank you for your time!

[LenaGoth]

The weight gain is not significant but won't go down with healthy eating and good nutrition. It occured at the same time as I first got ill with CFS in 2004. We have thyrroid issues in the family and many with CFS have low thyroid. My values are "normal", but higher end TSH and very low T3 and T4, which could point to adrenal fatigue I suppose.

I have not had any scans done yet, I am heading to the doc today, hopefully he won't consider yoga to solve the issue,,,lol! Dry mouth also goes with CFS, I have measured 0.6 but have tested for Sjögren's- negative. Constantly elevated white blood cells and other bloodwork that points to inflammation. That has not changed in the past 6 yrs.

The lump is right below the chin on the left side, it's not solid, but notably swollen if you will. I am leaning towards Bell's Palsy since nerve damage is not uncommon with CFS. During my worst period in my (imagined,,,) illness I had paralysis/ weakness of my whole face, but at that time it resolved after a few weeks. This time the area is smaller but it has not resolved. We'll see what the doc says today. If he says something dumb I'll ask him if he went to a psychiatrist for his bad vision, and that I am sure he just needs to talk about it,,,lol! I hope the jokes won't insult anyone here!

Blessings

[laborlawchick]

Hi,

Have you had bloodwork to check you thyroid?  Have you had an ultrasound of your neck?  Can you think of any other changes that has occured these past six months?
Like weight gain, rashes, dry mouth and such?

Also, can you feel a lump under your chin or down your throat?  I know, lots of questions.
There are so many things it could be, do you think you can take some benadryl for your doctor allergy (just a little humor).  because it may be nothing, but if it is not, the quicker you get a diagnosis, the better.

Best,  Carly