Question about a lip twitch/spasm

[worriermama]

Hi all,

I'm a veteran twitcher (almost 20 years), and it usually doesn't bother me anymore, but I've got one thing that's bothering me the past couple months, and I'm bothered enough to post here about it. This is going to be long-winded because I like to be thorough!

Basically 2-3 months ago I noticed that when I pucker my lips, like to drink through a straw or take a sip of a beverage, there's one muscle on my lower lip near the corner of my mouth that sometimes takes a second or two longer to release/relax after I go back to the neutral mouth position. So it's like I pucker and release, and everything relaxes instantly, except for that one small muscle that stays contracted for an extra second. I feel it when it releases, similar to how a small twitch feels, like a little thump/pulse.

Background information, six months ago I had a mole excised from above my TOP lip on the same side. It was a deep incision with internal AND external sutures. I had a reaction to the stitches so there was a lot of trauma to the area and the upper lip on that side is ever so slightly "fallen" since the surgery. Do you think it's possible that a little nerve damage occurred above the lip that could affect the function of the lower lip? The scar/incision line is EXACTLY above the "faulty" muscle and starts right at the lip border, just on the top lip not the bottom.

Another piece of info which may be relevant is that I am pregnant and I have had terrible nausea with lots of dry heaving and vomiting. I felt like the lip twitch was getting better until the nausea got really bad for a few weeks, at which point it worsened. When I vomit or dry heave, it definitely causes my lower lip to contort/contract in a weird way that I imagine could irritate a muscle or nerve. I have also had bronchitis and have been coughing a ton. The spasm has definitely been worse since all the vomiting and coughing has been happening.

Anyway, that's about it. I'm hoping it's nerve damage from the minor surgery/scarring on the top lip plus a muscle pull/irritation from all the vomiting and coughing. Of course the big fear is ALS. I am not freaking out and I don't wish to. But I am thinking about it enough that I wanted to run it by some folks who understand HA and twitching anxiety.

If you read all this... thank you!

[worriermama]

Bump!!

[ErinKC]

It sounds like nerve damage from the mole removal is totally possible. But also, pregnancy does so many insane things to your body, puts pressure on different places/nerves, etc... anything weird that happens to you during pregnancy you can totally blame on that. It could be hormonal.

[worriermama]

Hi Erin and thank you so much!! I agree pregnancy does really weird things. I THINK this actually started before I was pregnant but it got worse when I was in the worst of the vomiting and the bronchitis cough. Almost like I pulled or injured some muscle in my face and that exacerbated the twitch. I’m glad you think the nerve damage theory is plausible.

I guess it would have to be a crazy coincidence to have ALS present in exactly the area where I’d just had a surgery months prior and was still forming new scar tissue. I also noticed that it’s awfully hard to isolate upper lip movement/control from lower lip... so I’m thinking both lips must share a lot of nerves. The incision went vertically from my upper lip border up to the corner of my nose/nostril. Since there were internal stitches I imagine that means he cut through nerves and muscle not just skin...

Thanks again for replying. I have been doing really well with my HA but I’m under a lot of stress right now with an upcoming cross country move before the baby is born. Moving tends to set off my anxiety.