New to this - need some reassurance

[princessfreakout]

Hi. I just found this website and am really impressed. I would not have considered myself a panic sufferer - until about two weeks ago. To begin - I had the flu about six weeks ago and did not see the doctor (that's just me) until the left side of my face started to droop. The Dr. told me it was Bells Palsey, which I accepted with no problem. However, after taking the medication and the symptoms "going away" (for about a week) I was starting to feel ok again. Then, I started freaking out for no reason. I could no longer sleep in my very large and comfortable bedroom with my husband without being up several times a night feeling like I couldn't breathe and having to pace. I finally decided to sleep in the guest room, which seemed to work, for a while. I was trying to "organize" my very hectic and stressful life when the left side of my face (the one with the Bell's Palsey) suddenly went totally numb. I can't even fully describe the feeling. The left side of my face is just numb/tingly all the time. The doctor wanted to do an MRI (even scheduled an Open MRI) but I couldn't do it. I freaked out (even though the people there were really understanding). The sensation (or lack there of) on the left side of my face has affected my speech. I am hoping that these are all common things, that I am just over stressed and that there will soon be some kind of relief. I have stopped seeing my regular Dr. and have started seeing a Chiropractor. I am having a massage tomorrow to help ease some of my tension but I am still freaking straight out. Is this normal for panic attacks/anxiety disorders? What is the best way to overcome these feelings? This really all seemed to come on at once - like my body had enough trying to cope with my stress in normal ways and decided to shut down and start acting crazy. I just need to know that I am not experiencing anything different, that there are people out there who are in the same boat and that I am not some kind of lunatic going completely insane. Also, what can I do to relieve some of the symptoms? Are there some methods or techniques or drugs even that are better than others? I am not sure how much longer I can deal with the numbness. It is almost more than I can bear...plus it makes me feel like I am just going to go crazy, climb the walls, or something worse. Am I alone in this or is this kind of thing normal and treatable? Any advice/response would be appreciated.

[milly jones]

i had bells palsy as a teenager.

really horrible hun i know

but it went away and my face is fine now

just be careful with ur eye if u cant blink easily.

the sadest part for me was not being able to smile.

i dont know what meds i was given hun, sorry, but as i said mine went completely.

as its a form of herpes virus, if i remember correctly, u may be run down too. i had shingles in the same part of my face too hun. i also get frequent cold sores.

for me all symptoms of being stressed and run down.

ur not insane hunny, ur clearly distressed by this horrible illness. praps there is some sort physio they can do with u? i cant remember im 43 now, lol.

try and relax and wait it out. worrying will only aggrevate any illness.

hugs

milly xxxx

[nikita]

Hi, I had bells palsy once also. I realised first something was up first when i was on a bt bus heading to work and noticed that my eyeballs did not seem to move from left to right. That freaked me out a bit and when i got into work and was sitting at my desk my left side of my face started to feel wierd. Numb and like it was drooping. I looked in a mirror and it definitely looked drooped and my eyes couldnt move left and right. Its hard to explain it. I started to completely freak out and panic. I rang my mum who took me to the doctor and he confirmed bells palsy. I cant remember now exactly all he said, but i do remember that the fact i was sleeping in a freezing room (I lived "in" in a hotel where i was a receptionist) and the pillows were actually damp from the cold was probably what caused it. At the time I had no medical card and was waiting for pay day to get the tablets. That night my face felt really strange and i got really scared. My neck was also numb and tingly and because i panicked i started getting palpitations also. I borrowed the money of a friend and went to the chemist to get the tablets and the pharmacist there said that i needed to take the medication immediately. So i did and felt better more or less straight away but it scared the living daylights out of me. I felt tired for a good while afterwards and kept getting the feeling of numbness in my face, but i think that was anxiety and fear of it coming back. Its horrible, but it does go away. That was almost 20yrs ago and ive never got it again. Take care :)

[JillyT]

I haven't had Ball's palsy, but have a couple of friends who have, and they did make complete recoveries. But your story went to my heart as I have been in a panic, can't cope, total freakout, after trapping a nerve in my neck. Never realised that I had been anxious and stressed before it happened, but the symptoms triggered a full state of anxiety and a visit to A&E with breathing difficulties - I have never seen my GP so many times in a fortnight. Just hang on in there, that is what I'm doing, one day at a time - old cliches I know, but so true - warm wishes, Jill

[princessfreakout]

I appreciate the kind words. I feel pretty confident that, when I can control my panic, I will be able to fell normal again. I am just so glad to know that I am not the only one going through all this garbage and that I might not ever recover fully from whatever panic disorder this is, but I will at least be able to cope and function.

Thanks All!!!

[Albert Couture]

A co-worker of mine had Bell's palsy, he wore an eye patch for a while, but he made a full recovery. I think it's good that you've made the connection between your health problems and the anxiety symptoms. Now you can work on treating your anxiety and enjoy better health all round.

I had a major health crisis a while ago, and my anxiety spiked up. At the time I didn't know I had anxiety, so it was very disturbing! Like you, I had a lot of fear, and it just fed itself until I could barely handle it. One thing that helped me was getting tests done (like an MRI) to rule out any other health issues. Once I realized that my high stress was causing the boat load of other symptoms (the anxiety), I worked on coping and accepting instead of fearing everything that came up. It's made a major difference, both physically and mentally.

There's a wealth of information on this site, and you can meet a lot of people with very similar symptoms in these forums, as you've started to already. You appear to have a good attitude, and that's where it all begins!