TBI and Face numbness and double vision

[bdizzle79]

Greetings to all,

Exactly twenty weeks ago today, I received a TBI when an extremely large and heavy pipe(
500-1000 lbs) rolled off of a trailer and landed on my head.  I had a lovely six weeks stint in inpatient rehab.  I had to relearn how to walk, talk, swallow and move my left arm.  Fast forward twenty weeks and my recovery has been anything short of miraculous.  I am up and moving around almost like nothing happened.  I still have two lingering issues that are as prevalent as when this first happened; face numbness and double vision.

My entire face, from mid skull to chin and from a half of an inch from my ears on both sides, is completely numb.  Not an once of sensation.  Due to this, my voice doesn't sound exactly like the old self(imagine talking after getting a shot from the dentist but your entire face!) , I still can not chew and have to eat pureed food, and I am having eye issues because my blink is not normally(I have to remind myself to blink).  

My second main issue is I still have double vision.  I wear glasses and have to cover one lense to avoid this. I have two questions.

1. Based on what I have mentioned, what kind of potential prognosis for getting the feeling back in my face(if any)? 2. When can I except the double vision to go away?

Thank you,

Brian

[bdizzle79]

It's been 22 weeks(as of yesterday) since my accident and I still have double vision.  I have an eye doctor appointment this week and am going to inquire about prism eye glasses.  I am wondering if there are normal looking frame for prism glasses or how it all works.

[caregiver222]

The thing to remember if you are wearing a patch and have double vision is not to wear the patch 24 hours a day. No more than 12 hours in each eye. If you wear a patch over the same eye for an extended period you may degrade vision in that eye. As doctor Mathur mentioned this is genrally due to a cranial nerve palsy, which may or may not be permanant. Often the palsy will resolve within three to four months.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Similarly, CSF leaks and bleeding and damage to brain tissue can cause diplopia. This may or may not recover fully. However, it can also be due to compression to 4th and 6th cranial nerve. If the nerves are damaged, then recovery may not be possible. However, if there is only compression and that can be removed, then some recovery is expected. Please discuss with your doctor. Take care!

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
It is very difficult to answer both the questions. Numbness and double vision may be related to damage to some part of the brain, in which case you may or may not fully recover. However, if the numbness is due to the following causes then treating the cause may help bring sensation back. The various other causes of hemi-facial numbness are: Common cold, sinusitis, ear infection, sensory nerve compression, peripheral neuropathy as in diabetes, inflamed wisdom tooth, impacted wisdom tooth, dental caries, etc.  Please discuss with your doctor. Take care!