felicia

I experienced my eye twitch/hemifacial spasms for 3 years,4 months and one week. The only time that I felt the weather affected me (in a positive sense ) was in sub freezing temperatures when my exposed face was on the verge of frostbite.But once I started to defrost,the twitching/spazzing resumed.If I were able to do everything all over again, I would avoid the Botox injections;I would research the top three neurosurgeons in the field;I would contact at least 4 patients who underwent Micro Vascular Decompression,with at least 2 of those individuals ;weigh my options and then decide on a course of action.Based on my own experience,and also what I have been told,the twitching/spazzing does not go away on its own,it only gets worse.

Hi Felicia.  Yes, I would say that the weather did affect my spasms, particularly the cold or the wind in my case.  Mine were also triggered by any 'excitement' to the senses such as talking, laughing, bright lights, hot or cold drinks, eating etc.  I also found that tiredness made things worse.  However, I was atypical in that my spasms always stopped when I was nervous, particularly in front of doctors!  I found that taking an excedrin (an American over the counter headache pill containing aspirin and caffeine) gave me a bit of respite (an hour or two) from my spasms.  We are all different and it's a case of seeing what helps you.  At the end of my 9 year journey I wore sunglasses indoors and out for most of the time; they helped with the bright light and also helped me to feel less embarrassed by my facial movements.  Hope this isn't too depressing!    

Hi Felecia,this is Bob who is one of the respondents to your question about weather as a trigger for activating the twitching response. As I stated above,cold weather had a numbing effect on my condition.(it actually improved it because of the numbing effect of the cold,but this was only temporary relief)At one point during my course of treatment, the doctor from Hahnemann Hospital asked me to participate in a Hemi Facial Spasm seminar at this hospital,which I agreed to.Each neurosurgeon posed a different question, which I responded to.(They had some really relevant inquiries.)After the seminar concluded,I had the opportunity to discuss my particular symptoms and trigger mechanisms with some of the doctors in attendance and ,yes, weather was one of the factors that caused the twitches/spasms to appear and reappear according to some of the neurosurgeons in attendance.If you could take each letter of the alphabet from A to Z and attach a symptom trigger to it ,you would find that each of us lays claim to a certain number  of these letters and their corresponding symptoms.The important thing to remember that everyone of us experience this condition in our own unique way,and what is true for one person,may not be true for the next one in line.If you keep a symptom diary,record each episode religiously and then consider some serious testing at a reputable hospital.In my particular case my first MVD (which was an abject failure) was completed in a matter of 4 days(out the door,so to speak) at a hospital in Philadelphia.By contrast,at UPMC in Pittsburgh,Pa.,my first 4 days included a series of neurological tests (which I found to be quite revealing) One or more tests were performed each day and the results were reviewed by the doctor in charge.The analysis was very detailed and informative(charts,graphs,pictures,and drawings).In other words you could see the heights and depths that this condition could eventually lead to.(It wasn't pretty).On day 5, the surgery was performed (4 + hours on the operating table,due mainly to the fact that I was a"redo").It would be good for you to undergo the testing, even if you decide to delay or avoid the operation.It will provide you with a much clearer picture of your overall condition,and will be extremely valuable to you should your condition worsen and you decide to meet it head on.Good Luck !