Personal HFS History - Judi Liu

During my 15 years of HFS, it had two remissions. However, this time my HFS has stayed for 7 years. It seems to me that stress has no correlation with my HFS. Sometimes I could be very nervous, but my face was very calm. Sometimes I could be twitching severely while I was just relaxing. Lack of sleep or not, it doesn’t always have correlation with my HFS, either. Like other HFSA members, my attempts to get the correct diagnosis was a very frustrating experience. But smile, talk, eat or other facial muscle movement will definitely trigger the spasm. I asked my previous neurologist why the artery, vessel, or vein would press on the nerve, sometimes not press on it, he said sometimes they just got bigger. One of our HFSA group member’s HFS went away after 7 years, so maybe there is still hope for my spasms to again go into remission. If not, there's “always” an option for surgery. See my HFS timeline below:

  • A couple of years before I had HFS, my eyes fluttered for a while. I went to a doctor, he said I was fine. I didn’t think much about it. It was gone after a while.
  • 1991 - Woke up one morning with HFS, I was a college student and also had a full time job. My spasm was strongly fluttered eyes, pulling cheek and corner of my mouth.
  • 1993 - After I moved to the United States, I became a full time homemaker. My spasms were either very mild, eye fluttered or were gone. It’s been a long time, my memory fades away. But HFS sure didn’t bother me at this time.
  • 1994 - I was a college student. Spasms came back.
  • 1995 - I became a mother, busy with children. Spasms were in remission.
  • 2000 - I had insomnia sometimes - around that time the spasms came back.
  • 2005 - In December, I had my first Botox® injection. I didn’t like the results because I had unusual crazy spasms for about three weeks or so before the peaceful second month. Then slowly came back in the third month. The 2nd injections were not similar to the 1st series. The muscle was tight around the eye when in spasm and still has cheek and mouth twitch. The 3rd series result was a little bit severe than before I had Botox®.
  • 2006 - October now 4 1/2 months after my 3rd Botox® injection, my spasms aren't as bad as last year. Mostly it doesn’t twitch by itself much anymore. If I smile, talk or eat, that seems to definitely trigger the spasms.

 

Permission granted the HFSA to post Personal HFS History on website.
Judi Liu, December 23, 2006

 

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