I suffered a pretty nasty fall on 6/29 in my home. I lost my footing and hit the RT side of my forehead on our tile floor. I am not sure if I lost consciousness as I was home alone at the time, but I was definitely disoriented and my memory of that night is vague at best. My husband did take me to the ER when he got home as I was still confused/not myself. My CT scan was clear. I had a nasty black eye from the fall that is finally almost gone. As the brusing and swelling subsided, I realized that my RT eyebrow and forehead (where I hit my head) is completely paralyzed. My eyebrow has subsequently dropped a bit and my eyelid is drooping. I assume this is from the accident?!? Could it be permanent? I am able to raise my LT eyebrow/forehead with no issues. I am really freaked out about this. And depressed. I am also having consistent mild to moderate headaches and don't feel myself - very "fuzzy". I know these symptoms are farily normal with PCS, but I can't find any information about the effect it's having on my RT eyebrow/forehead. The area where I hit my head is still a bit tender to the touch, but there doesn't seem to be any residual swelling.

I have an appointment with a Neuro on 8/15, but am trying to get into another office sooner. ANOTHER isssue is that I am scheduled to have surgery on 8/30 and am worried about going under anesthesia so soon after the concussion. Should I reschedule? Is there an acceptable timeframe for having surgery after a concussion?

Thanks so much!

Have you advised your doctor about this ongoing issue? For myself the PCS issues I am experiencing require a patience that is very difficult for me. Try to keep a positive outlook it is important. I had a complete emotional breakdown today and if it was not for my wife I would still have my head stuck under a pillow. The woman is a saint and I don't deserve her.

Hope you feel better.

I had something very similar happen to me a couple weeks ago. My accident was back in December, but I still think it's related b/c in my case, I believe nerve damage is the biggest factor. I lost control of the entire left side of my face a couple weeks ago, which came along with a stabbing pain in my neck, deep behind my left ear. The ER docs called it Bells' Palsy, gave me steroids and sent me home. I had to do 2 rounds of the steroids, and now that I am running out of my second run the stabbing pain is coming back.

But to your question, what I learned from all of this is that all the functions of the left side of the face come from the seventh nerve; my guess is that the RT side of the face comes from the 6th or 8th nerve. Whatever the number, there is a single nerve that comes out from the back of the skull area and feeds signal to all the muscles on one side of your face. If you are having trouble moving things on one side of the face, it is a good bet it involves that nerve.

It could be something else I suppose; maybe locally the nerves around the eyebrow got damaged, pinched or are just under swollen tissue. I would carefully check the function of the rest of the RT side of your face; can you pucker up, smile, frown, squint, or spit properly? Keep track of this, if the paralysis spreads then the condition is worsening.

In any case, you should report this symptom right away, and get checked out. I've not heard of this kind of thing coming from a concussion, but I'm sure it's possible. But it is more likely caused by a nerve issue, and I'm guessing it's from inflammation around the nerve/nerves. IF your troubles are nerve related, getting treatment sooner than later is important; the longer the condition is allowed to continue, the more likely that damage or dysfunction will be long term or permanent.

Good luck and keep us up to date,

Scott

My son had a severe TBI with black eyes, major brain surgery and another a month later to put his bone flaps back in. A couple weeks later he realized he couldn't raise one of his eyebrows, he just shrugged it off. When I asked him about it a few weeks later, it had cleared up. So my guess is that yours just needs more time to heal, no need to worry. About the surgery, it more depends on how you respond to anesthesia.

DO make sure the doctors know about your concussion, they might want to adjust the medication. In general it is possible your brain may be a little fuzzy / confused for a bit, or other PCS symptoms exacerbated for a little time. I'd guess if your surgery is one that can wait, like cosmetic, then wait. If it's medically necessary, then relax and take precautions like making sure you have plenty of help afterward.

This is just an "educated" guess going by my son's experience. Others may have different stories. Best wishes!

I am able to smile, squint, flare my nostrils with no problems. No hearing loss. No blurred vision/double vision. No pain in my neck. It's absolutely limited to my eyebrow/forehead. When I googled 'concussion paralyzed eyebrow', my search came back with pages and pages of Justin Beiber related links. Apparently he ran into a glass wall while filming a music video and suffered a concussion and tweeted/posted a YouTube video of his paralyzed eyebrow that resulted. I could not find an update if it resolved. That's the only similar case I could find.

I am hoping I can get in to see a Neuro sooner than 8/15 to discuss this and the upcoming surgery.

I realize things could be much worse and people endure much worse than a paralyzed eyebrow/forehead, but between the headaches and the feeling of not being myself, this is all very overwhelming and depressing. When I get ready for work in the morning, I burst into tears everytime looking at myself.

mmc,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. It sounds like you hit the floor quite hard.

The myelin sheath that surrounds and protects the nerve fibers take some time to heal, longer than the nerve fiber itself. I bet you contused the sheath.

The specialist with the most expertise with this would likely be a facial plastic surgeon.

If you can tell yourself that the nerves need time to heal each morning and when someone at work notices, it may help with your stress levels. Stress is the worst thing for a concussion.

If it was my choice, I would avoid general anesthesia so close to a brain injury. I'd want the concussion symptoms to be cleared up before going under.

In the mean time, maximize your intake of folic acid and B-12 to strengthen the blood brain barrier. This may help your brain endure the anesthesia. Some anesthetic gases have less impact on chemo brain like residuals. Google anesthesia and side effects or such to see if you can learn more.

My best to you.

Thanks so much for your response. It's good to know that this paralysis may (HOPEFULLY) be temporary while everything heals. I have actually been on a therapeutic vitamin/supplement regimen since early June that inlcudes Folic Acid and B12 + others. I'm going to keep my appointment with the Neuro as the expert who will clear me for surgery. I have already identified a facial plastic surgeon and oculoplastic surgeon in my area who I am gonig to contact about the paralysis if it doesn't resolve soon. Thanks again for your input!

This is my first post but I have something very similar. On June 2nd I slipped and fell on tile and hit the right side of my forehead. I was unconscious for maybe five minutes (I was found about five minutes after it happened).

I also have paralysis in the right side of my forehead/eyebrow. I did have a pretty severe cut through my eyebrow. My dr told me that he can't be sure if the paralysis is permanent or not - depending on if it is just swelling/damage or if the nerve was cut. I haven't seen any improvement yet.

I have an appointment with a Neuro tomorrow and am hoping to hear some good news about this paralysis. It will be one month since my accident on Friday and there's still no movement. I also have an appointment with an Oculo Plastic Surgeon next week to discuss furture treatment options if this does not resolve. :-(

After a concussion I am experiencing the same symptoms (not able to move my forehead/eyebrows) My left eye looks droopier as that was the side of my face that got hit. I am very down about it and still resting as my head still hurts also from the impact. It's been a week since the accident. I just have been told that I hit a nerve and at this point I don't know if my face will go back to normal or if this requires medical attention.