Bells Palsy, anyone?

[Debbi801]

I've had an ear infection and sinus infection since before the New Year. I actually went to the ENT yesterday, to see if I was getting any better--I still was having a lot of sinus pain and pressure. Anyway, around noon yesterday, I started having difficulty with my eye. As the day progressed, I could no longer blink on that side and my mouth started drooping. We went to the ER to rule out something more serious and that was the final diagnosis. My taste buds are totally out of wack and eating or drinking is next to impossible. But, the eye issues are the worst--had to tape my eye closed last night so that I could sleep.

Has anyone experienced this? How long did it take for you to recover? Were you able to make a complete recovery?

Thanks,
Debbi

[davidinalameda]

1. it took my little sister about a full year

not sure if she had a full recovery though

[Debbi801]

10. Thanks for the info.

[jus_the_facts]

2. Yep....when I was 13yrs. old....

..lasted for about a week and a half...doc gave me a B12 shot and sent me home to wait it out....scared the shit outta me but went away and haven't ever had it again since...attributed it to sleepin' with my window open and my mattress was on the floor with a cold wind blowin' across that side of my face...bizarro affliction!! :)

[Debbi801]

9. Thanks for the info...

They gave me steroids via IV in the hospital and sent me home with steroid pills. The doctors didn't say anything about B12. I'll have to look into that.

Thanks,
Debbi

P.S. That had to be frightening as a kid. It was frightening enough for me at 39.

edit for fix spelling.

[Hokie]

3. My wife had it twice

The first time the doctor prescribed steroids right away and it still took a month or so to clear it up. The second time occurred several years later and a different doctor did not treat it with steroids. She had some permanent effects from it similar to what a mild stroke might do.

Make sure the doctor treats the inflammation with steroids as soon as possible.

[Debbi801]

6. They gave me steroids via IV in the hospital and sent me home with....

prednisone pills, which I started taking today.

Wow, I cannot image getting in twice. Although, I never would ahve imagined getting it once, either. :-)

Thanks for the info.
Debbi

[Hokie]

15. Prednisone is what helped my wife

You have a good doctor. Prednisone is what helped my wife the first time. The second dotor was a D. O. We learned a hard lesson, go to a good MD and not a quack.

[purji]

4. My daughter had it last year

It took about 3 months for her nerves to start growing back.Once she started physical therapy things really started moving along.She did make a full recovery in 6 months.

(btw) She was 12 at the time,so I dont know if the fast recovery was age related or not.The Doctor said they dont see too many kids with it.

[Debbi801]

8. Hmm. They didn't mention anything about PT. I'l have to ask my DR.

[purji]

12. She hated therapy

They sent little shocks into the muscles of her face to stimulate growth.She didn't like it but it worked.

[clintonlover]

5. Yes I had Bell's Palsy about

10 years ago on the left side of my face. I never recovered 100%. I would say I recovered about 85-90%. I had to tape my eye close as well. My doctor told me that it's never a 100% recovery rate..but he could be wrong..I've known at least 2 other people who had it. To this day when I chew my left eye tears up and at first it was impossible to wear contacts because they dried out in 5 minutes..But i'm ok now

[Debbi801]

7. How long before you could wear your contacts again?

I just don't see as well with glasses.

It is my left side, too. I was worried about frightening my kids, but they don't seem to really be noticing it unless I smile.

Thanks,
Debbi

[clintonlover]

11. i would say about 8 months to a year...even now

I have to continously apply rewetting drops..

[RagingInMiami]

13. I was one of the lucky ones

I had BP last year and I was able to recover in less than a month because I was very aggressive in treating it.
In addition to the prednisone and acyclovir the doctor prescribed me, I took b-12 methylcobalamin supplements (which can only be bought in specialty stores), proteolytic enzymes (which help repair the damaged nerve) and licorice capsules. All are suppose to help in the healing process.

Check out www.bellspalsy.ws as well. Good luck and keep us posted. I know it's a very traumatic experience when you wake up with half your face paralyzed.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

14. As another poster indicated, often antiviral meds are prescribed

along with the steroids. Acyclovir or famcyclovir. Those are the drugs that are effective against herpesviruses, and Bell's is often presumptively thought to represent a reactivation of an HSV-1 infection along the facial nerve. HSV-1 = herpes simplex virus 1, the one that typically infects the face and causes cold sores when it reactivates.

The herpesviruses live and multiply in nerve tissue.

Most people, around 75 percent, have been infected with HSV-1 at some point but the infection typically is dormant and causes no symptoms. When it reactivates, symptoms vary widely, ranging from mild flu symptoms, cold sores if the nerves to the mouth/lips are involved, and can include Bell's Palsy if the facial nerve is involved. It can be as serious as meningitis/encephalitis.

The idea of the steroids is to reduce the inflammation of the facial nerve. The idea of treatment with antivirals is to squash viral activity as quickly as possible.

Recovery of damage to nerves can take a long time, sometimes months, and requires a lot of patience...

[SmileyBoy]

16. It took my father over a year to get over it.

My suggestion is to take the meds for it on a daily basis and wait for the days, weeks and months to pass.

It's one of the worst illnesses to afect a person, and I sympathize. I felt really bad when my father got it.

[CO Liberal]

17. I Got Bell's Palsy After a Sinus Infection in 1987

The entire left side of my face was paralyzed for a few months. I thought I had suffered a stroke at 34.