Bells Palsy

[lilyflower1803]

Those of you who have had Bell's palsy, how did you symptoms progress? I think I have it, but it's very mild at the moment.

Left side of the face cannot smile, I can just about force the muscles into a smile if I try really hard. I can move my eyebrows and can shut my eye, it's just my lower face.

Began last night, no other symptoms but have just recovered from a nasty viral infection I had for almost a month (throat infection, ear infections)

Had it years ago and it was horrible it really was. The pain, the extra sensory issues, not being able to smile, the pain behind the ear. All absolutely haunts me still. That said I made a full recovery and wish you the best with recovery too.

I hope you recover quickly, it’s very variable, I still have it after 7 months- haven’t closed my eye since it started!

There’s a face book support group Bells Palsy support group UK

Thank you so much to everyone who has commented on this thread. It’s good to hear other people’s experiences and advice and to know I’m not alone. I am really lucky that it is quite mild still, it is only affecting my lower left side of the face, so I can still shut my eye. However I am day 4 now and it is slowly getting worse. I have less control over my left hand side but can still move some muscles in my cheek, I can’t shut my eye tightly and squeeze, I also cannot open my jaw far at all.

I remain optimistic as since it is on the milder side that it should resolve soon, but am feeling sad that everyday I am waking up and noticing worsening symptoms @thenewaveragebear1983, seems to be following the same trajectory!

I feel exhausted despite the steroids!! But luckily have no pain.

Just be careful @lilyflower1803 and rest even if you feel like you don’t need to. And don’t force the movement. I did a quick check every morning to see where things were but otherwise the advice is not to squeeze or try to force the movement. It won’t make any difference and it can actually cause longer term issues like sinkinesis (where the nerve misfires, eg you try to blink but the corner of your mouth twitches etc). Mine definitely peaked at around day 10 (which was my last day of steroids). Are you feeling any tingling in your lips like after you’ve been to the dentist? This is apparently a good sign, if you are feeling this within 2-3 weeks you are on the road to recovery. I also had the most awful pains in the bones of my face, like I was bruised, this was around day 10 onwards.

Even if your eye is only slightly affected, lubricate and tape it shut at night. Will stop it drying out and scratching cornea etc. Found the best way to be a night ointment, sliver of tape under bottom lid, pull up and to the outside, then inch wide micropore tape from nose to temple.

Really attractive look 😆😆but better than this one 🤪🤪which seems to describe it well!

Oh no! I don’t want that, deffo not going to force any movement.

I spoke too soon about the pain, oddly enough I am getting a tingly sensation in my lips, but I still have all feeling in my face, they feel swollen?. I have a very achey jaw though and my face feels swollen too like I’ve been punched in the face! I’ve just been out the house and I wonder if I was holding my face to try look a bit ‘normal’ and being self conscious of it. Had a very stressful morning too so not sure that would have helped 😢

🤪 is the best emoji for how I’m looking right now 😆!!
I will head to boots to see if I can get some drops and some tape, my eyes are sensitive anyway and prone to conjunctivitis/dryness so don’t want to be causing anymore problems!

The eye consultant told me to keep my eye taped 24/7. Nexcare Sensitive Tape is the best for taping eyes. Use eye drops 8 times a day (yes lots of retaping the eye all day) and then use eye gel at night. Put an eye patch over the taped eye as well.

Do not force any movements or you may get synkinesis. You may get it anyway as some suffered do, my nose drips when I eat from BP. Not terrible but like I have a very mild cold.

The most important thing is rest and painkillers. Rest, rest, rest and also healing nerves really hurt so get good, strong painkillers. I was on cocodamol and tramadol for about 5 weeks.

I was fully better after 9 weeks. They say 3-9 months is the normal healing time, and after 9 months it is unlikely you will get the movement back.

Hello,

me again! I have one more day left of steroids (currently tapering), I feel awful! Extremely tired, weak in arms and legs, heavy to move my body with a banging headache. Has anyone experienced the same?

Yep. Didn't taper though as it was only 10 days of steroids when I had it. I felt exhaustion to the depths of my bones. Just rested for about 4 more days and it eased off for me. But that is what I was advised by the doctor at the start. He said "it'll feel like you are wading through treacle sometimes - those are the times you must rest".

Thank you, I had 5 days of 60mg of prednisone and then 5 days reducing by 10mg each. Feels rotten! I’ll make sure to rest. I suppose tryout symptoms were caused by the steroid and not the BP?

thank you so much for reply

That was meant to say ‘your’ not tryout!

I had the same @lilyflower1803, 5 days 60mg and then 5 days tapering. Yes to the pain, yes to the exhaustion. I took ibuprofen regularly which eases the inflammation round the nerve, my whole face felt bruised and battered. Just go easy on yourself. Have you been signed off work?

I was prescribed 50mg for 10 days. Worked a charm. No lasting effects.
The exhaustion is a common side effect of coming off steroids

Would be wary of taking ibuprofen with steroids, can mess with your stomach/gut... ulcers etc.

Yes I’ve been signed off work, I work in education and was initially signed off due to the infection which caused the BP and stress, midway through my note the BP started and I’ve just been signed off another week as I’m still struggling.

the GP is also sending me for an urgent MRI as I have odd symptoms!

You need steroids within 72 hours of symptoms starting ideally. I ended up in A and E on Saturday as it was a Thursday and got urgent attention initially I think because they thought it was a stroke. I couldn’t blink or close my eyes and my mouth was drooping. A friend recognised what I had as Bells Palsy and said don’t delay as getting high dose steroids gave best chance of things going back to normal so I got the steroids within 48 hours of symptoms starting. The doctors said I was right to seek urgent treatment to avoid permanent damage. I recovered fully but I know some don’t. It was very scary and I had to tape my eyes shut at night.

I have just read the rest of the thread and good you have the prednisalone. I had a very high dose for 5 days then it tapered. It was very weird and I had chronic insomnia although I was tired. Exhaustion, headaches etc as well as the lack of muscles working in the face. I got mine after a cold virus almost 10 years ago. My granddaughter was a baby and I remember not being able to smile at her and scared I would frighten her with my lopsided face. It took about 3 weeks for the symptoms to subside. I did facial exercises I found on a FB page.

How are you doing @lilyflower1803?

i’m 3 months down the line now. I still get a strange tight feeling in my bad side, and I was saying today at work that my blink reflex is really slow- I do blink, but it’s not quick enough to actually stop things getting in my eye! I keep getting splashes of water in my eye. I had a virus last week and I felt it was a bit worse. This week I have a strange tender bruised feeling in the bones of my face, when I touch it. However, all in all, I think I’ve been very lucky.

Hi, sorry I know this is a bit late!

im glad to hear that you are recovering slowly. I am doing much better than I was and think I was a lucky one too. Although today I have had a ‘relapse’ of sorts. I would say my face was 90% recovered, I was just dealing with fatigue and exhaustion. However I had a cold starting 2 weeks ago and only have just got over it, today I have had really bad headache and ear pain with (bad) tinnitus (although I get that all the time since having a double ear infection in feb), fatigue and my face has gone back to almost how it was at its worse point though not quite as bad, I would say about 30% recovered?

im due back at work on Wednesday on a part time timetable for 3 days a week, but occupational health have suggested a much more reduced timetable. Unfortunately I won’t find out if work can accommodate that until Wednesday morning, by which point I’m already there and dealing with the stress of work!

stress seems to be a big factor to making my BP worse but I can’t seem to avoid it at the moment.

I also totally get what you mean about the blinking, I had that too as my eye was never fully affected but one eye was much slower than the other!

im thinking if it doesn’t get better over Easter weekend I might try see the GP on Tuesday. Work was really a contributing factor my BP so seems ironic that as soon as I’m due to go back it comes back 😭😭

Yes to the bruised feeling in the face! It was awful the first few weeks, like I had been punched and I still get it now along my cheekbones. Very weird feeling!

I got diagnosed last night. Here for the tips. Currently at the stage where it's getting worse before better.

Hi, sorry to hear you have been diagnosed- welcome to the gang!
the stage you’re at now is the worst in my opinion, I found, like others it got worse for ten days with around day 10 being its peak.

my biggest tip would be, if you’re on facebook to get in some BP support groups, everyone’s experience of the condition is different and the people in their give great advice and support.

my other tip would be to rest as much as possible!! I was diagnosed in March, 5 weeks later, after I had been recovered a week, when I was due to go back to work, it came back as I had a mild cold with the stress of going back to work! So it makes you very susceptible so just ensure you rest as much as you possibly can, and if you can take some time off work, even if it is for a couple weeks. I’ve been lucky and my paralysis usually eases by week 4, but I’m still wonky and my eyebrows started going the other day when I was super tired!!

be prepared for some pain though, headaches, ear pain and your face may feel swollen and bruised for a week or so. I’m still dealing with headaches and fatigue

I never had issues with my eye so can’t offer any advice there, the main thing is to look after yourself x

https://crystal-touch.nl/

https://www.facialpalsy.org.uk/causesanddiagnoses/bells-palsy/

these are websites I found useful.

Thank you. I went to GP this morning and they are questioning whether BP or Ramsay Hunt and also think I need a head scan so I'm back at the hospital now.

I had an MRI too, just showed inflammation thankfully- glad they are being thorough for you. Do you have any shingles-esque symptoms with it?