Bells palsy

julie3009

Hi i was just wondering if any one on here has had bells palsy, i have had it for 3 days now. I was just intrested in other people's experience.
Thanks julie

missPinky

Hi

A cousin of mine has had it for over 2 months , his face was swollen, almost turned slightly and similar to a stroke patient as first. However now the swelling is still there and noticeable but this has reduced enabling him to close his eye also he is able to speak more clearly but still not back to his old self.

He tried traditional methods as well as what the doctor gave. Tradition stuff was eating warm foods e.g. nuts, pigeon, coffee and staying off all cold foods. I am not sure how to explain warm foods as i don't mean just heating things up.

maman

I was reluctant to reply as didn't want to worry you but as saimak has told you it can take a while, I'd like to add that it can clear up very quickly too. I haven't had it myself but have known 2/3 people who have. One was hardly noticeable in a couple of weeks the others took some months. All 3 made a complete recovery.

Esoog

One of the presenters on sky sports NFL coverage (Cecil Martin) "got it" when he was on a flight in Jan 2010 (I think), sadly his hasn't got any better I don't think.

I have to say I had never heard of it before he got it.

lostinrates

I had my first incident of Bell's Palsy when I was 21. I had the intravenous steroid treatment, which worked well for me. (many doctor's do not like this it seems) For me it speeds up recovery significantly with this than when I can't get this but AIUI treatment has to commence quite quickly after onset. And obviously going into hospital etc can be awkward and stressful. It might be worth asking about this though?

For many, many people its a one off. Try not to worry Keeping spirits up really does help IMO. They might have given you exercises....they like ''do a bunny face'' a lot;)

Minimise your distress by having good books.films to watch and keeping warm and comfortable when you feel low and distressed: you will feel upset especially if like me you are a bit vain But snappiung out of it is important because it will only make you feel worse. Keep your chin dry...drool can make your skin chap and its not attractive or warm:)

Also try and see if their was a cause. My first was at the end of a cold/flu with ear ache....but actually I had an ear infection, not just earache, and the pressure on the Trigeminal nerve (I know that;s spelled wrong, but the facial nerve across centre of face) was a significant factor/cause....so hopefully you've been checked for simple things like that.:)

I've had recurrent episodes but only the two/three really full blown ones.....and that's because i have a neurological condition. Even with recurrent (and most are very minor) face droop mine always returns to normal:)

A good thing to do if your eye doesn't close is to make sure you give someone a really good scare by sleeping ''bad side up'' so they see the lolling open eye

julie3009

Hi, thankyou for all your replys, mine in the right side on my face and it seems worse than it first was, the dr at hospital has gave me 2 diffrent meds to help. I really feel down at the min, i am hoping it goes as fast as it came although i know it will more than likely take a while. I am findind it very hard to swallow liquids and soft food. I had never heard of bells palsy until now, at first i thought i had had a stroke.

lostinrates

julie3009 wrote: »

Hi, thankyou for all your replys, mine in the right side on my face and it seems worse than it first was, the dr at hospital has gave me 2 diffrent meds to help. I really feel down at the min, i am hoping it goes as fast as it came although i know it will more than likely take a while. I am findind it very hard to swallow liquids and soft food. I had never heard of bells palsy until now, at first i thought i had had a stroke.

I thought so ...about the stroke. Mine came on as I waited to do my Viva exam at uni and I stumbled through it and my mouth turned to jelly :eek: and I didn't eally relise. My examiners faces of horror really unnerved me and I was trying to justify my work when they were really looking at my face melt. When I realised I just thought I'd crumbled under the pressure and was having a stoke. Noone ever mentioned it....weirdly.



Please try not to worry. Drinking/eating talking is hard but not impossible...maybe don't try spaghetti either . A soup spoon towards the back of the mouth with a head tip to drizzle might help for keeping hydrated, otherwise.....towel around yourself for mess and although you won't be able to use a straw properly with lips pursed you might be able to get more that way:) It might clear up quite quickly, so can you take some time out to just be alone and then just try and forget about it. I know its almost impossible to do that, but its a great time for a backlog of books or films, to try and forget about it for stints. Its an experience that while I can't say I'm glad I had, does make one a lot more appreciative....and there are worse things to have. Better than the stroke option!

Take care

IronMaidenFan

Hi Julie 3009

Just read this thread, this can be very distressing and I really feel for you.

I had Bell's Palsy about 6 years ago now. I woke up on a Sunday morning and the right side of my face was numb and like you, I thought I was having a stroke. It took about 2-3 weeks for me to fully recover.

I followed my GP's and ENT specialist's advice to the letter, took my meds at the recommended times (18 tablets a day so I had an alarm clock to remind me when to take the next lot ) and made sure my eye was taped closed when I went to bed to avoid damage to the cornea.

The ENT specialist also advised me to blow up balloons as an exercise to try encourage the nerves back into action. Please ask your GP or ENT specialist (if you have one) if there are any exercises you can do to try and encourage recovery.

Be careful with hot drinks and food, I drank through a straw and let food cool before eating it.

Please try not to worry too much, remain positive and generally look after yourself - best wishes to you!

julie3009

Hi again
I have been to see the ent dr and they have gave me a list of excercises to do, I am feeling a lot less stressed now.

I am aslso just going to have a good few days at home like people have said a chill out and watch dvd's.

It is reasuring to hear that other people have had bells and recovered, i honestly thought the worst on tuesday. My little boy is starting to get used to my face how it is at the min. I am taking 28 tablets a day so i feel like i rattle when i walk.

Ihave also been taking pictures of my face a set times each day to see if i can see any change yet, but there is nothing yet, but i feel these will help when i look back in a few weeks/months and see some change.

Thankyou everyone. x

invisiblecabbage

My son was diagnosed with this the week befor February half term last year. He was 15 at the time and in year 11 at school. He was off school for the week during which it 'appeared' as he and his sister were both full of flu. He then had the weeks holiday and had to go back and face his peers on the Monday morning. At the age of15 it took a lot of courage. He had 'announced' it on facebook to give his mates a chance to check it out so he didn't have to be bombarded with loads of questions that might make him even more self-conscious. The whole of the left side of his face drooped with no control over any movement on left. Eye would not close. He got the all clear in July. I was very proud with how he coped at such an age, his friends and girlfriend of the time were great. Only real issue was his French speaking exam, but he still managed a c-grade.

exup

lots of sympathy - The first time I heard of this was when British Superbike rider Chris Walker was diagnosed with it . Although it didn't affect his career it did affect one side of his face and speech for a short while - Chris always talks at 100mph so he did slur his words a little at first. Even now you can still see a slight effect during interviews (He was racing in last years BSB and I believe he will be racing in 2011).
Although strangely do to his rather grizzelled complexion, the side of his face which was affected appears smooth, unlined and youthful - compared to the other side where his forehead has deep lines across it. Other than the visible effects though - he has been quite open, upfront about it, got loads of support from the biking community (he was and still is a very popular rider) but the other racers still didn't go any easier on him

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Walker_(motorcycle_racer)

what I didn't realise until recently was that Ayrton Senna had it too