bells' palsy - Bell's Palsy Message Board

mo mccaa · 09-03-2002, 11:04 PM

I was recently told that my sister might possible have bells'palsy, what is this? I have read a couple of messages and those people had it for a couple of months, is this standard? Please tell me how I can help my sister if at all possible? Have a Blessed Day, Mo

lil princess · 09-04-2002, 10:39 AM

I had Bell's Palsy when I was about 15 or 16 years old. I am now 21. My brother also had it 2 or 3 years before me. When MY brother had it they said I would eventually get it. And I did. Its in the genes the doctor said. Some people say you can get it from ear aches or sinsus. All the junk from a sinus infection lays on your nerve in your face causing it to be paralyzed. Mine started out twitching. Everything started twiching on the right side of my face. I think it started with eye twitches. The next day I could feel my eye wasnt blinking and it wasnt. I didnt have to go to the doctors because I knew exactally what it was and my best friends mom was a doctor. All they give you for it is steriods. My eye wouldnt close and I couldn't blink so I had to wear an eye patch and use eye drops. It was hard to laugh and talk because the right side of my mouth didn't move. I was in school at the time so I took off 2 weeks because I felt really embarrassed. It will go completely away in about a month or so. There is a like 30% chance that it will never go away but that is usually in older people. And there is a high percent that it will come back. As you start to have movement in you face you should do exersices with you mouth and eyes and nose forehead beacuse when you can move you face again you have to form the laugh lines again and like the wrinkles in your forehead to match the other side. I still till this don't have the same wrinkles on the right side as I do on the left in my face. It really isnt anything to be scared over. Its just having to go through it for a while. It will go away it just might take some time. But don't worry she will be fine. When I had it I told my mom it was the worst thing I had ever been through but now its from it. I was young. If you have anymore questions please ask. Hope this helps!!!

Jay Tor · 09-04-2002, 12:44 PM

Here's some additional information on Bell's Palsy.

MEDLINEplus Bell's Palsy [url="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bellspalsy.html"]http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bellspalsy.html[/url]

The Medlineplus site also has prescription drug information.

mo mccaa · 09-06-2002, 07:09 AM

Thank you so much for your response, it is enlightening. I have been reading other posts and mostly all say that it is temporary. Thank God of that. Did you do anything special diet/meds/therapy-other than you described, for this while you had it? Mo

lil princess · 09-06-2002, 10:39 AM

No I just had to take steriods and do exersices with my eyes mouth and forehead. Also it has to get worse before it gets better. Some people don't take anything for it, but it would take longer to go away. But the important thing is to do the facial exercises when you start to be able to move everything. If you do not do those the wrinckles and facial expressions won't look normal like they were before. Usually the eye will be the first thing you notice at least it was for me and the eye will be last thing to get better. Tell her to be patient and its more common than a lot of people think. And she will get better it just takes time.