Bell's Palsy - Page 5

Irish1210 · ‎06-30-2014

Hi ~

I (55yo) had Bell's Palsy a year ago June ~ came out of the blue.......................My mom had had it the November before ~ odd! Both full recoveries ~ happy to say. Neither of us had ANY discomfort or pain ~~ but, of course, the emotional aspect is devastating!!

For both of us it took about 2 weeks to return to "normal" ~ I remember trying to whistle every day, kind of an exercise I worked at .......Boy, when sound finally came, it was glorious!!

This will pass ~ Keep reminding yourself of this.

That being said, I then dealt with the anxiety of it returning....the slightest facial twitch sent me directly to a mirror. That was awful, but I feel it is now easing up (after 16 months).

Mom and I both had the exact treatment you are using.

I think (can't substantiate this) the sooner you are diagnosed and begin treatment, the sooner you get back to looking like yourself.

You have lots of support here, sending positive thoughts your way!

mustbuyless · ‎03-31-2014

I had a bout 10 years ago; it lasted three weeks. That morning I wondered why my glasses seemed to be slipping down my face. Then at work, a co-worker said something was wrong and I should go get it checked. Only then did I get diagnosed.

My blood pressure shot up at the same time. It was pretty high, so they did an MRI which fortunately didn't show anything terrible. I'd never had that issue before. It was caught because of the bells palsy.

I remember having to put drops in my eye to prevent dryness, taping that eye at night, and also having to be careful when chewing so as not accidentally bite my inner cheek. Other than that there weren't any unmanageable aspects to it. Just had to wait it out.

Once I got it I realized a few other people had had it in my town....people would tell me their brother or friend or whoever had had it recently. I always wondered if it was caused by something in our environment but never figured that out.

Doctors don't consider it a serious health issue, or at least mine didn't. Maybe it's for that reason that so little was known in the medical community about its causes and even about treatment. Therefore there wasn't a whole lot of medical info I could research. Maybe that has changed now.

I read whatever I could online and did find it helpful.It was good to feel part of a community.

I wish you the very best, castlenv. I'm so impressed with the thoughtful and calm way you are handling it. It took me a while to make my peace with it, but I think you will do much better. It will be ok. I know it was a learning experience for me, but I won't get preachy about that. Take care.

luvpups · ‎05-03-2010

I have BP and have had for a year and a half. The only thing I remember is I was very tired. We were on our way to San Diego for further testing and to see if I was a candidate for this major surgery. That night I started feeling the right side of my face going numb. I was afraid it was a stroke, so we went to the hospital, they got me right in and that's when I was told I had BP. ugh 25% of people that have it never recover. Oh goody, I'm in the 25%. My right side is pulled up and all I can do is blink that eye. I had to stop wearing contacts, never completely closes. I have no movement on that side at all. Can't raise my eyebrow or chew on that side. I'm terribly sorry this has happened to you. I'm going to pray that you make a speedy recovery. I feel like I look like Egor. I never go out any more. Please take care and let us know how you're doing. with gentle hugs

allaries · ‎03-10-2010

It can also come on with extreme stress. That is how it happened to my family member. He looked more like a stroke victim than his dad did who had a stroke. Between his dad and a divorce he ended up with this condition. It took a long time for his face and eye to get back to normal. I still think his eye is affected and that was a few years ago.

MalteseMomma · ‎03-09-2010

I had it 50 plus yrs ago,when I was pregnant with my first baby. No meds ,nothing for it .It goes away by itself after a long time.... 6 weeks or few months. Sometimes never ,sadly. My Dr thought it came from a draft from the open window of my hubbys car. I think I was about 18 yrs old then.

Keep your eye comfortable and clean.

BUT, I now have developed a nerve condition on the side of my face that twitches and keeps my eye blinking ,it is called " Hemifacial Spasam " and can be caused by previously having Bells Palsy.My doctor figures that's how I have it over 50 yrs later. I am 77 now

I must say this new thing took yrs to develop into what it is today.It began as a mild eye twich,everyone thought was stress.It is extremely annoying .There are meds and surgery for it .I do not want surgery ,because I have seen a few failures and it wasn't good. Maybe I will take some meds someday for it..

I also had shingles about 20 yrs ago

Take Care