- Joined
- May 11, 2006
- Messages
- 8,028
- Purraise
- 22
I don't know if any of you are familiar with it, but I came down with it in December of 2001. I initially thought I was having a stroke, but soon discovered that it was, in fact, Bell's Palsy, and I had complete paralysis of the right side of my face.
With acupuncture treatments, a low dosage of prednisone and a lot of positive thinking, I was able to recover almost completely from it.
Well, it is happening again, this time to the opposite side of my face. My smile has changed since this morning, and the paralysis is slowly settling in. It is scary, but since I've been through it already, it is just a little LESS scary.
No one knows for sure what causes it, but it has to do with inflammation of the cranial nerve. Some think it is a virus, so antivirals are given along with steroids.
I've just left a message for the acupuncturist that cured me 5 years ago, and I hope to see her as early as tomorrow. I'll also be calling my doctor, but it is too late in the day today to get ahold of him, and there is nothing he could do for me in the onset of the symptoms anyway.
I'm so upset right now - I did NOT want facial paralysis for Christmas.
Nor the $700+ acupuncture bill to cure it.
I'd really appreciate it if you guys could add "quick and full recovery for Betsy" to your list of prayers and wishes. Within a few days, I won't be able to smile without facial distortion, I won't be able to close my left eye at all, everything I eat will taste like metal, my speech will be affected by the lack of motor control on one side of my mouth - it is so emotionally debilitating to go through this just once, never mind again. And there is a possibility that I will never regain my facial movement.
Please God let that not be the case.
With acupuncture treatments, a low dosage of prednisone and a lot of positive thinking, I was able to recover almost completely from it.
Well, it is happening again, this time to the opposite side of my face. My smile has changed since this morning, and the paralysis is slowly settling in. It is scary, but since I've been through it already, it is just a little LESS scary.
No one knows for sure what causes it, but it has to do with inflammation of the cranial nerve. Some think it is a virus, so antivirals are given along with steroids.
I've just left a message for the acupuncturist that cured me 5 years ago, and I hope to see her as early as tomorrow. I'll also be calling my doctor, but it is too late in the day today to get ahold of him, and there is nothing he could do for me in the onset of the symptoms anyway.
I'm so upset right now - I did NOT want facial paralysis for Christmas.
I'd really appreciate it if you guys could add "quick and full recovery for Betsy" to your list of prayers and wishes. Within a few days, I won't be able to smile without facial distortion, I won't be able to close my left eye at all, everything I eat will taste like metal, my speech will be affected by the lack of motor control on one side of my mouth - it is so emotionally debilitating to go through this just once, never mind again. And there is a possibility that I will never regain my facial movement.
Please God let that not be the case.