Tuesday, July 8, 2014

My first 2 weeks with Bells Palsy

Hello and I would like to welcome you to my bells palsy blog.  If you are reading this is because you too are probably scared and worried about not being able to use half your face. Well my story begins on November 18th, 2013. Nine days earlier I was ecstatic with a new baby boy. Recovering well from the birth of my baby. 

On Tuesday, November 18th, I woke up just like any other day.  My baby had come down with a case of neonatal conjunctivis. I sat down on the the couch and my eye began to feel funny. I thought "Oh great, I better go put some eyedrops in my eye to get better."  I got up went to go drink some water, then I felt water pouring all over myself.  I thought something was wrong with the bottle. I tried again putting the bottle in a different position, same thing happened.  I felt so strange and ran to the mirror. UGGHHH!! I could not beleive what I was seeing. My mouth was lopsided and went sideways when I was trying to talk. My eye was dry because I could not close it right! I freaked out, thinking the worst, that my face was ruined forever! Well I went to search google to see if this what this was and came across Bells Palsy. I called the nurse line just to be sure that I was not having a stroke and then decided going to the ER. I was prescribed a steroid and anti-viral treatment and sent on my way to wait it out. I was told to tape my eye shut at night to prevent my eye from drying out. The only thing western medicine can do for me.  Well, things got worse as days went by. Full paralysis set in on the right side of my face.

Eating and drinking was a mess. Sleeping, at best, was a chore. Brushing my teeth was difficult. The tiredeness was like never I have experienced.  The pain that ran up and down my neck was excrutiating, like knives stabbing me on and off.  Although bizarre, the pain began with the onset of the night and subsided with daybreak. Then of course, the look on people's faces when they looked at my face when I tried to talk. Embarrasing, I felt so embarrased and all I wanted was to lock myself up in my house until this awful condition went away. Crying was impossible because my tear gland was paralyzed. The vertigo was unbearable. I was even afraid to drive.