<s>[INST] I have a question about my husband. He is a 47 yearold african american male that is 6 4 290 lbs. He has been experienceing numbness on the left side of his head. It begins at the top of his head and he feels it on his face, his nose, the top of his mouth and on his lips. I would like to know if he should go to the ER. [/INST] Hi, Thanks for writing in. Numbness in the head on the left side needs to be investigated clinically. There are nerves which supply that part of the face and this requires clinical examination including that of the cranial nerves 5 and 7. The fifth cranial nerve is the trigeminal nerve and seventh is the facial nerve. These nerves have origins in the brain and arise from nuclei in the brain. The nerves are tested by doing simple clinical examination. If there is any dysfunction suspected in the nerves then the doctor will ask for a brain scan such as MRI to be done. This will help in finding out any cause in the nerve that can be causing his symptoms. Please consult a neurologist and get treated. If these symptoms have appeared over few hours then it can be due to a stroke like event, and he must go to ER immediately. </s>