Bell’s Palsy

I was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy three days ago. It can occur when the nerve that controls your facial muscles becomes inflamed, swollen, or compressed (I was told it was nerve attacking the muscles in my cheek, that was scary). The condition causes one side of your face to droop or become stiff.

The symptoms of Bell’s palsy can develop one to two weeks after you have a cold, ear infection, or eye infection. They usually appear abruptly, and you may notice them when you wake up in the morning or when you try to eat or drink.

Bell’s palsy is marked by a droopy appearance on one side of the face and the inability to open or close your eye on the affected side. In rare cases, Bell’s palsy may affect both sides of your face.

Other signs and symptoms of Bell’s palsy include:

• drooling
• difficulty eating and drinking
• an inability to make facial expressions, such as smiling or frowning
• facial weakness
• muscle twitches in the face
• dry eye and mouth
• headache
• sensitivity to sound
• irritation of the eye on the involved side

I noticed it on Friday afternoon. I was queuing up to meet Gok Wan and realised I couldn’t move the left side of my face. I ignored it and put it down to an allergic reaction or some sort. On Saturday I was still none the wiser with moving my face, so rang out of hours. They originally had me on a waiting list for an ambulance. This changed as I had a doctor ring me and tell me it would be quicker to go to out of hours. I was diagnosed with so much medication, I was rattling.

Bell’s palsy is one of the scariest things to ever happen to me. It affects so much of my daily life. I’m unable to drink and eat without dribbling, I can’t brush my teeth properly as I lose half the toothpaste, I’m soooo self conscious as I feel like everybody is going to stare at me if I smile so I’ve been trying to be as expressionless as I can.

I’ve had so many supportive people telling me that it will get better, but honestly, I’m scared that it won’t. I’m scared that my face isn’t going to go back to the way it was or that it will but I’m at greater risk of it happening again.

For me, my life ended on Friday, 18th May, as I lost half of my face and my ability to express emotions. I don’t know when I will regain feeling and movement back in my face, which means I also don’t know when I will truly feel myself again. I’m so scared that this will never go away. I’m trying my hardest to be positive for the people around me, but it’s so hard.

If you show any signs of Bell’s palsy, please go straight to the hospital, as it could be a stroke as the signs are very similar! Please DO NOT self diagnose this condition as it could be something more serious!

If anybody knows of a way to cope with this condition, your advice will be hugely helpful. I have so many great people around me and would love to have some sufferers around me as well so we can go through this together.