Friday, May 4, 2018

Bell's Palsy

Happily, in spite of Bell's palsy, spring goes rolling along and so do I.


Woke up Monday morning drooling on my pillow.
Never a good start to a day.

Brushed my teeth and drooled some more.
Something is definitely wrong.

Looked in the mirror.
My face was, for lack of a better word, crooked.

Unsymmetrical, puffy and misshapen
Eyes twitching, mouth carved into a sneer.

What in the heck is going on?

Twenty-four hours later, I had some answers.

Bell's palsy
Temporary paralysis on one side of my face.
Facial nerves from chin to forehead are inflamed and irritated, and completely shut down.
Caused by close association with invasive viruses, such as chicken pox, shingles or herpes.
But I have had none of that.

A disease that is not common but not terribly rare.
Taking steroids to heal the nerves and wipe out any intrusive virus.
Biggest risk is to my eye that cannot close - call in the artificial tears and eye patches
This should all be over in a week to ten days.
Bell's palsy.

Well. Isn't life full of interesting little surprises.

* * * * *

Here are all the stories about my Bell's Palsy, in order from start to, hopefully, finish:

2 comments:

  1. The primary disease of Herpes (cold sores) can go unnoticed in a child, or written off as something else, and not everyone gets cold sores later. Unfortunately, whether you get cold sores or not, the virus still hides in the facial nerves, waiting to strike at an inopportune moment. Cold sores are a major problem in dentists and dental hygienists who haven't contracted the disease before adulthood. Getting cold sores on your fingers can be career ender.

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  2. Get better soon. Anti-virals and steroids help, but self-care is the only real treatment so get some rest, eat right, and enjoy Gracie.

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