Bells Palsy 33 weeks pregnant

[Debra12344]

This week I was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, feeling really rubbish about it all, keep searching the net looking for recovery time etc... keep coming across stories where people have never recovered! I wasn’t able to have any treatment with being pregnant, just wondered if there is anyone out there that can give some hope or positive words who has experienced this. I am trying to remain positive but it’s hard!

It's really very rare not to recover fully - it's just that nobody is going to post stories about how they had Bell's palsy and recovered in 3 weeks.

Make sure you take good care of your eye and use drops/ointment to keep it moist to prevent damage to the cornea.

It is awful and you have my sympathy.
I've had bells palsy twice, one time being when I was pregnant.
My first time lasted 3 months but in the last month it slowly got better and the second time I was pregnant and it didn't last long at all - a couple of weeks if my memory serves me right.
My face hasn't gone completely back to normal now but only I notice it, its very very slight. If I am out in the cold when there's a frost in the air I do feel that side go a bit funny but the only positive of mask wearing is the warmth stops that happening.
I don't know the extent of your bells palsy but please try and stay positive, most people recover and quite quickly.
The steroid treatment isn't even guaranteed to help so don't feel like you're massively missing out on treatment or anything.
I hope you're ok, I remember being devastated but it will get better.

@orangenasturtiumb yes you are completely right with that! The hospital gave me eye drops so I have been using them and taping my eye down at night.

@AvoidingRealHumans bless you for having it twice, it’s good to speak to hear from someone who has experienced it to, my midwife and GP didn’t really know much about it when I spoke to them after I got back from the hospital so felt at a loss with it all.

I am only on day 4 and every time I look in the mirror I do feel like it is getting worse each day but i am not sure if that’s just me. I am so relived I don’t have to go into work and when I do go out I have to have a mask on!

I ended up going to a&e in ambulance with it as they first thought it was a stroke so I am trying to remind myself i am lucky it wasn’t a stroke and that the baby is safe. I think it’s the unknown of knowning when it will get better but I just need to take each day as it comes I guess and stop googling!!! , but your messages were just what I needed to hear today so thank you so much. I think eye drops, no googling or looking in the mirror is the way forward for now.

Mine took a couple of weeks (with steroids though) to be pretty much back to normal. Would recommend taping your eye closed at night as well as using the lubricant.

My dsis was marked for life, has a lob sided face and uneven eye brows.
It never did go back.
Please stop googling, hope you are better soon

I have had Bell's Palsy. I recovered completely after about 2 weeks. No long term effect on my face whatsoever. It was the strangest thing to see one side of my face completely smooth - not even the slightest wrinkle. I think I took one photo of me trying to smile.

my mum recovered but it did take a few months. the only permanent effect is she has less forehead wrinkles on on side of her face even 20 yrs later !

Feeling very sorry for you OP, it's a horrible thing to have to deal with.
I had bells palsy at 18, honestly thought it was the end of the world. However if memory serves me correct it took about 3 weeks for my face to even up again. I have a frown line since that is prominent after a day in the sun squinting and my eyebrows aren't totally level but it's only me that would notice.
Try and stay away from Google if you can, sending you lots of love and healing vibes!
As others have said look after your eyes and yourself ☺️

Thank you everyone! I will remain positive and away from google x

@Debra12344 I know this is an old thread, but would you please give some updates? Did you fully recover? May I ask how long it took you? I have been diagnosed with BP too :(

hello, sorry to hear this, well I am nearly 18 months on now and I would say I am about 80% recovered and still recovering, compared to where I was I have recovered a lot but I still have little things that aren’t quite back to normal but my friends and family tell me it’s only noticeable to people if I point it out. Has the doctor given you antibiotics or antivirals? I wasn’t given them as the a&e told me with me being pregnant and it not making any difference to if I recover or not it wasn’t worth the risk but I have not been told by other consultants they should of given them to me! So I am not sure if I would’ve recovered quicker had I had them! xx

*Sorry I ment steroids not antibiotics!