4 ms·

I had Bell's Palsy back in August. Even though most people fully recover, it's very difficult to feel any optimism when you're looking in the mirror and your fa

by wycy 4y ago

I had Bell's Palsy back in August. Even though most people fully recover, it's very difficult to feel any optimism when you're looking in the mirror and your face can't move at all. Thankfully, I do now seem to have just about fully recovered. I started getting tiny movements back around 3 weeks and by 6 weeks it was substantially improved. By day 33 I regained the ability to fully close my affected eye, and some time thereafter normal blinking resumed. Today, only yawning continues to feel like I have weird asymmetric facial pressures. It is emotionally scarring though. I'm still less socially outgoing than I was before, and I now live in the constant fear that it could happen again. The slightest tingle in my ear has me racing to take anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

jenscow 4y ago
Same here, with roughly the same timescales as you. Hasn't returned after about 12 years, and can laugh/joke about it now.
- supersparrow 4y ago
  Same for me. I had it back in early 2018 also with similar time scales. It was a horrible time, but have fully recovered now and not had any issues since. Luckily it's (apparently) not one of those things that recurs once you've had it. That's not to say we won't get it again for some reason, but it's nice to know it isn't an ongoing condition. I am glad I (and you guys) got off relatively lightly with it. It can affect people for a lot, lot longer.
  - wycy 4y ago
    > Luckily it's (apparently) not one of those things that recurs once you've had it. Reading on /r/bellspalsy gave me the impression that people seem to frequently get it multiple times, but the place I went for facial rehabilitation told me in their experience it's very rare to get it a second time (but it can happen).
cgsmith 4y ago
I had it this year as well. Acupuncture helped with the nerve pain and the doctor diagnosed it as bells due to Lyme disease. Acupuncturist said when he was in China they'd diagnose bells palsy as lyme if it presents I'm fall.

by wycy 4y ago

jenscow 4y ago

Same here, with roughly the same timescales as you. Hasn't returned after about 12 years, and can laugh/joke about it now.

supersparrow 4y ago
Same for me. I had it back in early 2018 also with similar time scales. It was a horrible time, but have fully recovered now and not had any issues since. Luckily it's (apparently) not one of those things that recurs once you've had it. That's not to say we won't get it again for some reason, but it's nice to know it isn't an ongoing condition. I am glad I (and you guys) got off relatively lightly with it. It can affect people for a lot, lot longer.
- wycy 4y ago
  > Luckily it's (apparently) not one of those things that recurs once you've had it. Reading on /r/bellspalsy gave me the impression that people seem to frequently get it multiple times, but the place I went for facial rehabilitation told me in their experience it's very rare to get it a second time (but it can happen).

cgsmith 4y ago

I had it this year as well. Acupuncture helped with the nerve pain and the doctor diagnosed it as bells due to Lyme disease. Acupuncturist said when he was in China they'd diagnose bells palsy as lyme if it presents I'm fall.