Personal HFS History - Mike Wuest

First noticed early in May 2002. I thought it was just a “tic” due to the fact that I had made the decision to retire just weeks before. A lot of thoughts were racing through my mind. The company that I worked for (37 years) was being sold to an investment consortium. They were doing major cost cutting and demanding the re-opening of our Union contract. This meant a minimum 25% reduction in pay and the loss of all provided insurance for my family. I was 58 years old and my job was being eliminated. I had to make a decision: either I exercise seniority and remove a younger worker, or retire and try to retain my insurance.

I was a Metallurgical Laboratory Technician for the past 22 years. I had been in meetings for the past six months fighting to preserve our heat-treat facilities. Turned out the company had already made the decision to outsource and these meetings were merely “smoke and mirrors” to retain trained operators until the outsourcing was complete. I was under a lot of stress during this whole period with a lot of mixed emotions. I decided to retire June 30, 2002.

My primary care physician also thought that my eye twitch was anxiety induced and on 10/21/03 started me on “Lexapro” (escitalopram oxalate 10 mg.). I took the drug for 180 days with no affect and we decided to discontinue it. Nothing else was ever said about it except that since I seemed to have some very short-term control, maybe I would be a good candidate for mind control therapy. I didn’t pursue this.

Around April 14, 2005, with no injury or apparant reason, I developed Cervical Rediculopathy. During pre-op tests, it was discovered that I also had a compressed Ulnar nerve in my left elbow. In the last 4 months of 2005, I had an anterior mini-diskectomy with decompression and a two segment allograft, left elbow Ulnar decompression, and posterior cervical laminectomy with decompression. During the pre-op evaluation, the Neurosurgeon asked if I had any other problems and I mentioned the “tic”. He made no further mention of it, and probably dismissed it as minor anxiety. I did mention that I had it for 3-1/2 years!

Curiosity prompted me to do some research on the Internet. I discovered Hemifacial Spasm meets all of what I have been experiencing for the past 4 years. At present, it is still predominantly in my left eye area but recently has also started to affect my left cheek. I am presently in the process of finding out the best approach to a firm diagnosis as this ailment only effects 8/100,000 men, which makes it hard to find a Neurologist familiar with diagnostic expertise. Only a handful of Neurosurgeons do enough Microvascular Decompression surgeries on a regular basis to ensure as good an outcome as possible.

Permission granted the HFSA to post Personal HFS History on website.
Mike Wuest, February 16, 2005

 

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