Seems like it's been a long time since Gracie was posing under the clematis vine and my face was full of palsy. But the months ticked by and the curse was still upon me.
Exactly nine months ago, I woke up one morning with a face full of Bell's Palsy.
Horrified to see my face twisted and contorted into an unrecognizable sneer, I headed to the doctor who told me not to worry. It's a fairly harmless inflammation of the facial nerves, driven by exposure to some sort of viral infection, and with an early intervention of steroids and anti-virals, the whole mess should clear up in a week or two.
And you know, I am all for positive thinking.
But that is not even close to what happened.
The first month was rough. I not only looked bad but I felt bad. My face ached, my brain was loopy, and I was continually sleep starved.
Around six weeks, I started to improve and felt much more myself.
Right around two months, my recovery stalled out. My face looked normal, my mind and spirit were feeling better, but I still had some weird, mostly invisible symptoms. Though no one could see this phenomenon, not even me, I could feel my facial nerves twisting and rippling under the surface of my skin. These sensations didn't hurt but they were strange and disconcerting. A friend noticed that I had developed the habit of laying my hand over the left side of my face as I talked. Yes. I was trying to calm whatever was happening inside.
My doc told me to contact her if I still had symptoms at six months, so on Halloween, I gave her a call.
"Make an appointment and come on in," she phoned me to say. "We may be able to do something to get you healed up."
So in I went and long story short, she gave me a prescription for an anti-depressant.
Now I understand that drugs can be used for more than one purpose, but as I read over the literature that came with the medication, and contemplated the long line of possible side effects, I wondered if there might not be a better way.
I decided to put the meds on hold, and focus all my efforts into taking the best care of myself possible. For the next three months, I cut out all processed sugars and carbs, drank more water, and slept eight hours every night.
And guess what. My symptoms have almost completely disappeared. I still get an occasional sensation of mild puffiness under my eye. But mostly, I feel strong and healthy, and finally I feel done with Bell's Palsy.
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Here are all the stories about my Bell's Palsy, in order from start to, hopefully, finish:
Bell's Palsy
Self-Care
Six Weeks In
Done With Bell's Palsy
