facial nerve

"I thought I was going to die," he said, adding the attack "broke my jaw, caused facial nerve damage and affected me mentally as well".

The positioning of the parotid gland was important as it was preventing the tumour from damaging facial tissue or harming important nearby structures, including the facial nerve.

"Some people chose not to have surgery because it's really scary to have surgery on your facial nerve because there is a lot of risk to it."

Doctors determined the symptoms were a result of swelling of a facial nerve, “most likely caused by a post-viral infection,” she said.

One side of her face was drooping, apparently from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which can occur when the shingles virus reaches a facial nerve near the ears.