I Put My Facial Spasms Down to Age. A Diagnosis Left a Painful Choice

I have been serving in the Navy since I was 18 years old. I went into active duty and served in the 80s, including a stint on a ship in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War in 1986.

After active duty, I joined the Naval Reserve Force and continued to serve. In 2006, I was called to Operation Iraqi Freedom as a naval reservist. Although I was not in direct combat, I was in a war zone and carried out customs missions on the north side of Kuwait, near the Iraqi border.

Around the time I turned 40, I noticed a small twitch in the corner of my left eye.

At first, I thought it was just an oddity or perhaps something that happens when you turn 40. However, it slowly progressed and worsened over a few years into my early forties. The twitch started affecting different areas of my face, pulling at the corner of my mouth and my eye.

Realizing this was more than just an eye twitch, I sought medical help and went to a neurologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He conducted tests for serious conditions like tumors and Bell's Palsy.

After ruling these out, which was good news, the doctors performed a special sequence MRI, which helped them pinpoint a hemifacial spasm, a condition where a nerve bumps into a major blood vessel in your brain stem area.

I felt relieved when I found out that my condition wasn't life-threatening. The tests for tumors made me nervous, and I kept wondering if I had a growing tumor.

When my condition was finally diagnosed, I thought to myself that it was something I could live with since it didn't seem dangerous. At that time, the symptoms weren't as intense.

I tried medication, but it didn't work for me. Then, I tried Botox, which I absolutely disliked because it paralyzed my face. My eye wouldn't blink and stayed open all the time. It was a horrible experience. I couldn't wait for the effects of the Botox to wear off in three months.

A neurologist suggested micro-vascular decompression. I was told that what was unique about my case was the larger vertebral arteries compressed my nerve rather than the usual smaller arteries.

So, I needed a more complex and delicate operation requiring a sling to be used to move the larger arteries away from my nerve. This surgery is not commonly required or performed.

However, the risks associated with it, such as potential hearing loss and the invasive nature of the procedure (going through the brain and removing a piece of the skull), scared me. So, I decided not to go ahead with it and continued with my life.

My neurologist warned me my condition would only get worse and predicted that I would be back.

Seven years later, my condition worsened significantly. The twitches were so bad that they kept my eye completely closed. I lost control over my mouth and couldn't even whistle. Being around people made me conscious of my condition.

It seemed like whenever my anxiety or nervousness increased, or my blood flow went up, the twitching would become more intense.

Meeting strangers was particularly challenging. In such situations, my eye would start twitching uncontrollably. People would stare at me and some people didn't hold back. They would bluntly ask: "What's wrong with your eye?"

While the condition wasn't painful, it began to interfere with my vision. The twitching on the left side of my face was so intense that it caused my right eye to compensate. This started to affect my driving, my vision, and my ability to read.

That's when I decided to consult with Dr. Jacob Cherian, a neurosurgeon at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The thought of brain surgery and its risks made me question if I was doing the right thing. But I went ahead with it and he took good care of me.

The recovery process was tough. I spent three days in ICU and couldn't lay back due to the pressure in my head. I felt miserable during the first week because of the head pressure, but it eventually subsided. The support of my girlfriend, Pammy, helped me tremendously.

There were some side effects for a while, but right from the start, I saw results quickly. Even during recovery, I could tell things were improving. Dr. Cherian said that as the swelling went down, I would feel better and better over time. This improvement continued for months. Initially, I had a bit of a hearing issue in my left ear, but once the swelling went down, I felt better. I was able to return to work just five days after my surgery.

Dr. Cherian did mention that he didn't want to get too aggressive during the surgery because the vein involved is very vital and has two or three other veins running off it that are critical for many body functions that run up to your brainstem.

But I feel 80 percent better. I can live with the 20 percent of twitching because it's nowhere near where it was before. I feel it in my eye, but not really in my mouth anymore.

I'm happy with the results. Sometimes, I get a little aggravated when I do feel some twitching, but then I compare it to what I was like a year ago and what I looked like then.

My face is more symmetrical now; my eyes and mouth are more aligned. So, I can see the difference in pictures and such. My face used to be crooked when I smiled; half of my mouth would go up. But everything's realigned now.

My confidence around people in groups is much better now. I don't worry about which side of my face to show people anymore because before, I'd always present the right side of my face to people that I'm getting to know or even when going out to dinner with my girlfriend.

Nowadays, a lot of guys at work and people who know me well are impressed by how much better I look now. Not just the absence of twitching, but also how much more aligned my face is now compared to before when my eyes and mouth were crooked without me even realizing it.

Many people have noticed the results—family members, my sons, and many of my friends.

Thomas Armbruster (Tom) works for the Department of Defense. He is the Lead Shipfitter at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Dr. Jacob Cherian, who performed Thomas' brain surgery, works for the University of Maryland Medical Center. He is also an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

As told to Newsweek associate editor, Carine Harb.

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

Do you have a unique experience or personal story to share? Email the My Turn team at myturn@newsweek.com.

Correction, 10/31/2023, 16:23 ET: Dr. Jacob Cherian's title was corrected from neurologist to neurosurgeon.