Diagnosed with Bells Palsy :,(

It happened to my sister when she was 14 or 15... Hilarious to us... Not too much for her though. It went back to normal after a couple weeks. Don't worry :)

I had that when I was about 15 years old, it was weird! For me it was also accompanied by a lot of emotional stess, but then again I was a teenager so I was emotional about everything anyway! When I got it the doctor at the Army hospital did absolutly nothing, he just said to give it a few weeks and it would go away on its own, and it did. The good news is that there appears to be no long term effects, and I amused myself by lookng in a mirror and blinking as fast as I could and watching my "good" eye blink really fast and my "bad" eye blink super slowly!

well, in my need to be honest, I did "cancel" my 1st response....it was too much "doomsday prophecy".

had it about 8 years ago. I did the meds, I did the exercises. I used eye drops to keep the eye moist. I used tape to keep the eye closed while sleeping.

My case lasted longer than the dr anticipated, & I do have residual paralysis.

I had it my freshman year of high school. You will survive. You can also be happy but that is going to take a new attitude. Focus on your family and friends. Do the things that you enjoy. It can take weeks to months to go away. Stress makes it worse. My episode started to go away after a few weeks but took a full 3months to completely go away. I wasn't given any meds at that time and it still went away. I lost all sense of taste along with having half my face paralyzed. Once you have it you are more likely to get it again but after nearly 15 years I haven't had it again.

Massage and acupuncture can really help because of the stimulation to your muscles in the next couple of weeks. Doing this now can help with residual effects later. Best of luck to you!

I have 2 close friends who have had this. One when she was about 50, and she recovered fully, no lingering signs at all. The other, had it when he was about 30, and he is left with an ever so slight drooping of one eye, something that has to be pointed out for someone to notice. I would follow the advice of your physician, you may need some eye drops for the eye that remains open to keep it moist or a patch at night, as well as something for your skin if you drool where your mouth cannot close. This is a horrible virus, but however bad you feel right now, I believe most people recover if not 100% then 99%.

My husband had this as a child. Of course, I didn't know him at the time, but it is gone. When he is extremely tired, he has a slight lazy eye and his mouth will react with a lack of muscle/numbness. His eye and lip are so slight only I know about it and it took me a long time to realize it and he had told me.

My cousin recently had it as well. I hear he is not following the doctors orders so he is having complications. He has refused to go to the follow up and doesn't take the medication.

Hang in there.

A longtime friend of mine had Bell's Palsy last year. It was a nuisance, she said, but but it didn't hurt her permanently. She did have to be careful about her eye not drying out, since she couldn't blink. And she was careful to follow her doctor's instructions.

Emotionally, she handled it by posting a picture of herself on her FB page, so that her friends and relatives could enjoy her temporary weirdness. That's the kind of person she is. :^)

My son-in-law also had it last year. It isn't contagious or anything, but I think it's strange that I knew two people with it in such a short time. Even though his face looked funny, his little son adored him just the same.

Yes, it is you, but it isn't a permanent you. You can write a great children's story about it later. Look at it as an Enriching Educational Experience. Just take care of your eyes. There are lots worse things to come down with than Bell's!

Here is a link about this from Mayo Clinic web site.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bells-palsy/DS00168

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bells-palsy/DS00168/DSEC...
Basically a virus causes it.
There are cases unlike yours from accidents or trauma and my brother had that and still has it. His wreck caused damage to his ear and that caused the nerves to swell, etc. and he still has it and that was almost a year ago. That is different than when caused by the virus. I know a man who had it from the virus and he is still showing some signs years later but not bad. You'll have to wait and see if it clears up completely. I'm sorry this happened but just be patient if you can.

It is common. My brother had it, and it went away quickly.
I also knew someone else who had it briefly and it went away.
That was years ago, and I am sure that the meds now are even
better. Try relaxing and look online for solutions and stuff.
I pray that you get better quickly.

HI there! My husbands cousin had this she was 16 at the time. Poor dear, had to go to high school during this time. Like your doc said it lasted a couple of weeks and it was a bummer for her while she had it but, she went back to COMPLETELY normal! I am sorry this has happened to you but I really think you will have a complete recovery! Good luck!

My fil had it twice, it did effect his smile and eye permanently, but only very close family members can even tell when he eats, smiles or laughs, so it isn't that huge of a permanent change.

My other friend had it during her pregnancy, her face returned to normal quickly.

Hi K.,

Hang in there!!! I had a friend who's father got that and it lasted about 6 weeks or so. He had it very bad--but it slowly returned to mostly normal at about 6 months. I am not sure how severe yours is, but his was super bad and he still is not 100%. I am wishing you peace around this and I pray the meds work so you can be back to your normal self asap! Hang in there and take care.

M

Bells Palsy is related to the endocrine system. It falls on the side of high cortisol/low potassium.

Hi cortisol can happen if you:
eat alot of grains(corn/soy/wheat) and sugars
take birth control
steroids (even eye drops and inhalers)
take estrogen
have a endocrine tumor

You should:
reduce grains and sugars. Take in LOTS of potassium and magnesium rich foods. K-dur is a slow release potassium. magnesium citrate ###-###-####mg daily is good . b vitamins support the nerves. I would do a daily b liquid complex, under the tounge- hold it there for 1 minute before swallowing.
reduce salt and frozen/canned foods which are high in salt.
Lugols liquid iodine supports the thyroid, which is intertwined with a healthy endocrine system.

My hubby had this in his early 20s he was also given anti virals & an anti inflammatory he recovered after about 6 wks or so & the only lingering side effect he has from it is his left eye waters when he eats almost as if he's crying. I would suggest you use eye drops & also chew gum it's suppose to help w/regaining the muscle control on your left side kind of a physical therapy for your face. Hope that helps. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Yes, I worked with a gentleman that got this a couple of times.

Once you have it, it is possible for it to come back. His came on when he was under tremendous stress.

He would take a few weeks off to rest and would come back looking and feeling just fine.

Just follow all of the doctors instructions and try to rest and not to take on more than you can handle..

My neighbor had this a couple years ago... I think it lasted for about 4,5,6 weeks... I'm sorry :( It WILL come back though, just remember that!!!!

I developed Bell's Palsy this past Thanksgiving, started the antiviral and steroid meds the following day, and returned to normal by New Year's Day. It WAS a fast recovery, praise God, and I suffered no permanent effects.

I, too, was scared and sad when diagnosed, and could not smile or blink my left eye (keeping it moist was a problem and artificial tears solved that) but it was not anywhere near as devastating as I thought it would be. I found out that many people i know have had it or know someone who has, my own son had been diagnosed with it about 5 weeks before me and my mother has had it. One of the nurses in the ER told me she had it when she was 7 years old, and had no lingering effects. Everyone was very understanding, and most people didn't notice anything different with my face at all, and when I brought it up said that "thought" something may have been amiss, but weren't certain. It took about 2.5 weeks before I noticed improvement, but once I did it went very fast.

You should be fine, K., God bless, {{HUGS}}

Happened to my cousin. She was about 19. It went away in a few weeks.

Our pastor's daughter had it 2 summers ago. It happened when they were on vacation. She was about 10 at the time. It was pretty uncomfortable for her, but she got used to it, and had drops for her eye and such. It did take several weeks (maybe even a few months) for her entire face to completely return to normal... it was a slow process. After the first few weeks, though, it was hardly noticeable. Eventually she did return fully to normal. :)

My friend's good friend had it while pregnant. She was scared and stressed, they told her it might be permanent as well, but it went away and last time I saw her there was not sign she had ever had it. Hang in there!!!

This has happened to me 3 times. The first time I was terrified. It did go away and I feel that I have made a mostly complete recovery each time. On occasion, I think that my left eye is not as open as the right but it is only noticible when I am tired and may have nothing to do with the palsy. It did take several weeks for the nerves to start working again. For me it appears after a sinus infection, the dr says that swelling triggers the nerve in my face. So, I am extra cautious if I feel a sinus infection comming on. I did find that it was difficult to sleep as I couldnt close my eye all the way and I did wear a patch at night to keep the eye protected and I used gel eye drops to keep it moist just before bed. I hope your palsy passes quickly and that you only get it once.

Hi K.,

This is definitely viral and most doctors think it just needs to run its course. You can speed the process along by taking digestive enzymes and a good ABSORBABLE multivitamin/mineral complex. The absorption is essential. Digestive enzymes actually break down the viral cell wall so your immune system can actually fight the virus. Make sure these are pharmaceutical grade.

If you want specifics or recommendations, PM me. Hope this helps.

M.

I know three people who had it -- and all three made a complete recovery within several weeks, so I would be very optimistic that this just needs to run it's course and it will fully resolve.

As I recall -- there is some data that suggests taking steroids is beneficial but I'm not sure if that is only within the first 24 to 48 hours-- check with your doctor (and do a little online research about people's recoveries and what they suggest).

Tape the eye closed and wear a patch -- keep it moist with drops.
Most importantly -- know that this too shall pass -- take care and all the best to you.

I had it happen about 4 years ago. My face returned to 'normal' for everyone else who looks at me. I can still tell to this day, that when I'm sick, or sleep deprived or tired, my left side doesn't smile as big, and seems to sag, and that side of my face feels off.

I have a SIL who had a very severe case as a child, and her face is very weak and uneven (asymmetrical) to this day. She is quite self-conscious about it.

And I have another good girlfriend who had a pretty severe case, whom my husband treated with the same treatment regime you are taking. I convinced her to go get Accupuncture and to improve her diet, as she ate a lot of white bread and not enough immune boosting fresh fruits and veggies. She had a full recovery, but like me, I can tell when she is tired and her face starts to droop on that side.

Having a Bells Palsy attack is linked to a poor immune system. Have you recently been extremely stressed, not eating well, not sleeping well, not taking care of yourself??? If yes to any of this, you must clear your plate and focus on your health.