I would like to share with you a recent medical episode I had of Bell's Palsy and the impact it had on me both during and after the event.
It started one Sunday morning when I awoke with a sharp, nearly unbearable pain in my left ear.
Though there were no other signs of being sick; I made an appointment with my ENT the following day.
Upon examining me, he diagnosed me with an ear infection in my left ear and prescribed Amoxicillin, a drug commonly used to treat sinus and ear infections, to reduce the risk of furthering a problem since I would be flying out for vacation in a few days.
As the week went on, the ear pain did go away, but strange physical reactions started happening that I attributed to the Amoxicillin.
For example, one day I suffered with a severe headache or the next day waking up with a strange tongue tingling sensation (also known as hairy tongue - l learned that a swollen tongue was a side-effect of Amoxicillin).
Thinking these symptoms were "normal side-effects" I chose to ignore the signs, and continue with plans to attend a friend's wedding the following night.
While having a professional make-up session the afternoon of the wedding, I noticed my left eye was extremely dry and beginning to water uncontrollably.
Still, not thinking too much of it, attended the wedding, and while taking a picture, I found it very difficult to smile.
At the very instant I realized I was literally forcing myself to smile, and saw the photographer with a strange look on his face.
Taking a second picture, I tried to smile again, and again felt myself "forcing" a smile.
Freaking out a little, I grabbed the camera and was blown away by what I saw! My smile on the left side was frozen, and it appeared to droop on the right side.
Even at this point I figured it was an allergic reaction to the Amoxicillin, but decided to get checked out immediately.
We headed to the emergency room, and as a precaution to rule out a stroke was seen right away.
After performing several simple motor function tests, the diagnosis was Bell's Palsy.
He prescribed a 7-day therapy of steroids, anti-viral medication, and the use of natural tears eye lubricant throughout the day because I could not blink.
I also had to tape my eye shut to sleep because the eye could not stay closed on its own.
Coming home in complete shock, I needed to learn more about Bells Palsy.
According to WebMD, Bell's Palsy is a paralysis of the muscles on one side of your face.
The muscles which control the side of your face with the paralysis can cause the face to droop from damage to the facial nerves.
This nerve damage can affect your sense of taste and how you produce tears.
The exact cause of Bell's Palsy is not clear; however it is the same virus that causes shingles and cold sores.
The symptoms of Bell's Palsy include: paralysis to one side of the face, pain in the ear, excessive tearing or dryness of the eye, loss of taste, drooling, and numbness to one side of the face.
Some people even reported a severe headache before the paralysis happened.
To my amazement, I had experienced all of the signs and symptoms for Bell's Palsy and was totally unaware of it! At this point, my ENT was doing everything he could to treat it, and that the paralysis would eventually go away on its own.
He did prescribe Vitamin B-12 injections, which would help the nerves and surrounding tissues to produce energy, help reduce inflammation, and hopefully shorten the duration of the paralysis.
Sometimes it could take as little as a few weeks or months, and some people could live with it forever.
Once this virus is inside of you, it remains dormant, and you can have episodes of Bell's Palsy, it may not be for many years, but there is a risk of having it again and again.
For me the paralysis caused all of the muscles around my mouth to shift to the right side, even the little crease above my top lip was completely on the right side of my face.
I even had to hold my lips open to eat! I noticed it was difficult to say certain words, or talk for long periods of time because I was not producing enough saliva.
At first glance, no one could see anything was wrong, until I smiled, although I was extremely embarrassed and conscious of it.
I am truly thankful it lasted only 4 weeks, but I have to say they were the longest 4 weeks of my life! All I could do was laugh when I looked at myself in the mirror, and I tried to keep a positive attitude about this because I knew I was doing everything I could do to help it go away.
Bell's Palsy can also be caused by stress, so I took this literally as an "eye-opener" to re-evaluate my priorities and attempt to reduce some stress in my life.
How am I learning to deal with the stress in my life? I admit at times it is hard to not stress, but at any moment when I feel anxious and begin to stress about what is going to happen next, I simply remind myself of the Bell's Palsy.
I never know when an episode of Bell's Palsy could possibly strike again, so often I have to ask myself, "Is this decision, or action, really worth stressing out over and possibly trigger Bell's Palsy again?" Ask anyone and they will tell you I am a people pleaser, and I find it hard to say the word "no.
" I am still struggling with it, but I am finding it easier to say the word "no" these days.
I am learning to take time for myself, even if it is only for a few minutes every day to sit, reflect, and be thankful for all of the blessings in my life.