Finally been diagnosed

[anx mum]

:weep: Seen neuro today hes finally diagnosed me ive got Bells Palsy never heard of this before but know i feel really s***. My face feels all numb. So fed up of being ill. Anyone else had this?

[nomorepanic]

I am pleased you have a diagnosis at last!!!

What is it - I have never heard of it and what is the treatment?

Found this other post for you as well ..

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=40453&highlight=Bells+Palsy

[Maj]

My mum-in-law had this. She got better though. We think it was brought on by the stress of losing my father-in-law. I hope it sorts itself out for you soon. I'm glad at last that you know what's wrong. Sometimes this in itself brings some relief. Take care.
Myra:hugs:

[melvin]

hi there my son had this when he was 18 all one side of his face dropped and went numb they gave him steroids for a couple of months and it cleared up OK

[mark1980]

pleased to hear you have a diagnosis and that it isn't anything too awful :flowers:

[Cell block H fan]

:weep: Seen neuro today hes finally diagnosed me ive got Bells Palsy never heard of this before but know i feel really s***. My face feels all numb. So fed up of being ill. Anyone else had this?

Good to get some answers eventually. Is that what caused your headaches anx mum? xxxxx

[agent orange]

great that you know what it is, hope you start to feel better soon.

[amandaj]

glad you at last know bev, hope it gets better soon, ive heard of it but not sure how its treated
amandaxx

[sarah jayne]

Im really pleased that youve finally found out what you have. I hope you have a speedy recovery.
Sarah xxx

[Humly]

Hi. I had Bells Palsy about 12 years ago although I didnt get headaches with it. I couldnt move one side of my face, as if I'd had a stroke and one side of my tongue was numb. Its caused by a virus that attacks the nerve in front of the ear and it usually comes on very suddenly and can cause awful headaches. The usual treatment for this is steroids but as I was pregnant at the time I couldnt have them so I had some physio. I started improving after about 2 weeks. It is really quite a common illness although I hadnt heard about it until I had it. I know how horrible it is and you just have to have patience and wait it out. Good luck. I hope you start to feel better soon.

[Desprate Dan]

Yes i too had Bell's Palsy i was 18 at the time i remeber someone started laughing at me and said why you pulling that face i went to the toilets had a look in the mirror and found that when i smiled only one side of my mouth went up.....:scared15: OMG i thought i had some kind of stroke, then it started to spread one side of my face was numb and i couldnt control the muscles i could only close on eye even when i slept weird, i was in a terrible state and went straight to the doctors.. He straight away said Bells Palsy and explained and put my mind at ease he gave me steroids and after about 2 weeks i was fine.....:yesyes: He did say its fairly common and can possibly leave you with some muscle damage like a slightly droopy eye or a crocked smile but fortunately for me i got my good looks back ....lol, :roflmao: and every thing turned out okay, he said if you look closely to TV presenters or newsreaders you might notice that some might have a slight crocked smile or droopy eye he said thats probably been down to Bell's Palsy but most recover without any lasting damage..

Dan

[peach]

hello,

my good friend got this years ago from working in a call centre. she shared a headset with someone and somehow contracted it.

i remember half her face sagged, and she felt terrible. it did go away after a few weeks, but i remember they put her on steriods to help get rid of it.

its not a very bad thing, but not nice to have.

good luck and sorry to hear you have this.

[laladienea1969]

you cant catch bells palsy its a neurological disorder.

[anx mum]

did u av bells?

[Going home]

The condition is neurological in as much as its the cranial nerve that's affected, but its actually a virus that causes inflamation of the nerve in the first place, and apparently it can be a virus that has lain dormant from a previous infection such as cold sores (herpes virus) and a dormant virus can be triggered by stress. Bell's palsy gets its name from the chap who first described the condition. Otherwise its known as facial palsy.

It must be a relief, even though its a painful one, to know what you're suffering from and that its nothing to worry about. Hope you start to feel better soon.

Going home xx

[moore]

Hello!

I had bells palsy myself just 2 years ago. I sympathise with you totally, I remember the amount of stress it caused me, and not wanting to be seen out in public, etc.

I had a *lot* of headaches and some dizziness with it all. I suspect quite a bit of this was due to stress, but apparently also the headaches can be caused by the nerves rewiring, and your brain getting used to it. I remember the headaches were really bad.

Basically it works like this. The palsy itself is caused by nerve damage in your ear area. It is totally limited to that area. It can't move around, and it isn't a nerve disorder. It is quite literally the equivalent of a "dead arm" only on your facial nerve.

How long it takes to recover depends on how much damage was caused. But, don't let that get you down. Full recovery is the norm. Anything else is an exception, and even a drawn out recovery will usually result in a recovery in the end.

I remember as I was starting to recover, the first signs were tingling and twitches around the area, so watch out for that. I was told that I wouldnt expect recovery for at least 4 weeks, but I defied that, I started to recover after just about a week and a half I think.

Nowadays I am about 98% back to normal. The only thing I've been left with is a funny twitch when I'm tired and I close my eye, and sometimes my eye gets a bit dry and waters randomly. Really, it's nothing.

And of course, I will also mention that recurrence is very unlikely. About 10% of people ever get another occurence of bells palsy after having one. So chances are this will be your first and last.

Eat well, rest well, and take it a day at a time. Do anything that will help your body heal. Get plenty of oily fish because it has the vitamins in that are required for nerve regeneration. It might have helped me, or it might have been a placebo that helped me recover quickly.

Oh, and keep the eye moist. Tape it down at night with micropore tape.