Bell's Palsy

[islandgirl]

I am a 31 year old female and I was diagnosed with Bells Palsy 33 days ago. Reading everyone's posts has given more information than Ive found anywhere including from my medical practitioners. It's comforting to know that I am not alone. I'm sorry for anyone else who is going through this, because only someone who has it can understand and empathize with how emotionally traumatic this condition can be. I was also put on a steriod/anti-viral cocktail for 7 days at the onset and at day 16 I finally saw some improvement. Slowly, there has been a little more each day, which is very encouraging. There are very dark days when you wonder if it will ever get better. Staying positive and being patient are important, although there have been days where I wasn't either. The most frustrating part is not having an "end" date so to speak. If someone said "in exactly 6 weeks you'll be back to your old self", I could have handled it so much better. Surround yourself with people who love you and support you, rest as much as you can, and as someone put in an earlier post, don't panic. I did, I made myself physically ill with worry in the first week, and stress does not help you recover so I learned. It's a daily challenge, this disease shakes your confidence to the core, I went from being very active and social, to being very self-conscious and not wanting to leave the house. I finally did this week, I said to myself "I'm not letting this control my life anymore", I joined a running clinic, met new people (who didn't treat me like the outcast I'd led myself to believe I was), and it was the best thing I could have done for my emotional well being. I'm going to look more into the B12 and facial massage treatments that others have mentioned this week, I'm really willing to try anything at this point! Anyone reading this, I hope you know what I didn't when this hit, and that is that you are not alone.
Take care all.

[Halfthebattle]

Islandgirl, Thank you for that wonderful posting. It wasn't easy when i first contracted BP back in the winter of 06. The left side of my face was tight, and my lip turned up so my speach was labored, and my left eye didn't close. I had to wear a patch at night to keep it from drying out. Talking about scary times. It's been almost 3 years, and i still have some slight tingling in my lip, facial twitching, and some ear pain. But things are better, and i'am very hopeful that things will improve over time. Thanks again for lifting my spirits.

[islandgirl]

You're welcome Halfthebattle, I've just passed the 2 month marker and I would say I'm around 90% recovered. Visibly, the effects are not very noticeable anymore, people I've met said they wouldn't have known unless I'd told them. I still feel a little self-conscious, because I can FEEL that it's not back to the way it was, still a little stiff around my upper lip and my eye doesn't completely close as well as it should, but emotionally I think I've rounded the corner. It's just something I've had to accept, and be grateful that it's not something worse. I started acupuncture treatments about 3 weeks ago and it does seem to be helping stimulate the nerves and muscles, I've also been getting B12 injections which have really boosted my overall health. I would recommend both to anyone dealing with this condition, they may not help everyone, but they certainly can't hurt. And it made me feel proactive in battling BP. I've accepted that this may be as good as it gets, and I've just had to learn to love myself enough to move on and not dwell on the negative.

[blink]

Please read my post! I have been living with this condition for 48 years (born with it), and it can be a valuable way to find out who are your real friends, and who are not..Bell's Palsy has NOT prevented me from having a life, so take heart!!

Love,
"Blink"
(posted in Forum)