Bells Palsy FAQ
For those looking for Purchasing eBook FAQsFirst things first…..
If you are guessing that you have Bell’s Palsy, GO TO THE DOCTOR’S RIGHT NOW and let them diagnose you. Then, come back and buy the best Bell’s Palsy help guide available. Then we can get on with your recovery…..
| All Bells and No Whistle By Robert Wilkinson Price: £12.99
Purchasing eBook FAQ |
|
| Immediate Download Worldwide | |
Frequently Asked Questions About Bells Palsy
further information references denote the relevant chapter in the bookComprehensive set of quick answers and calming of fears
When I first knew that I had Bell's Palsy, the first thing I wanted was more information. Here are the first quick answers to the most important initial worries. Most answers have the section of the book where you can get more information on that subject. These are just quick to access, calming nuggets of information.
"I am always an optimist; quite honestly I cannot see the point of being anything else"
Sir Winston Churchill
What has happened to me?
You have Bell's Palsy, you are not alone as it is a very common condition and the first thing you must know and must continue to believe is that it IS temporary and it IS (in well over 99% of cases) going to go.
Ok, but what exactly is Bell's Palsy?
It is temporary weakening or paralysis of the facial muscles due to trauma to the 7th cranial nerve. This cranial nerve runs from the nape of your neck through a sheath underneath your ear (and elsewhere in your ear) and then spreads out over that half of your face to activate your expressions. Usually it is the sheath that has become inflamed and due to this extra pressure upon it, the electrical pulses that run through it are not presently getting through and thus, you have reduced or no expression. Your body will now begin healing this problem.
For more detailed information on the 7th Cranial nerve please see the chapter - Medical Stuff in the eBook All Bells and No Whistle
You have not had a stroke. This is the most common assumption (the one I jumped to) and the one with which most doctors are approached.
What is going to happen?
How far will it spread?
When it will stop getting worse?
It probably already has stopped.
The onset of Bell's Palsy happens very quickly. Usually people wake up one morning and they have it. Sometimes a slight symptom may be noticed the night before or within the same 24 hours and within those 24 hours all the symptoms have been manifested.
It can, however, take longer. From a couple of days up to around 72 hours, as did my bilateral experience. This then is very worrying because one wonders, or more accurately, panics, about what is going to happen next.
The main thing to remember is that this will only affect your face as that is the only purpose of the 7th cranial nerve and that is the only thing that has been affected.
It IS going to stop, which was my major worry especially as it started to go down the other side of my face (see above - a very rare occurrence).
Remember - it is the 7th cranial nerve that is struggling, not anything else. This point is well worth reminding yourself very often at first.
For further information on all the various symptoms please see Symptoms and progression For further information on the stages of recovery please see Stages of recovery
What is NOT going to happen?
You are NOT going to:
Lose your sense of smell or all of your taste (1st cranial nerve)
Lose your eyesight or conscious awareness (2nd cranial nerve)
Lose your ability to move your eyes (3rd, 4th, 6th Cranial nerves)
Lose the power to open and close your jaw (5th Cranial nerve)
Lose your hearing (8th cranial nerve)
Lose all of your taste (if any) (9th Cranial nerve)
Lose the power to swallow (10th cranial nerve)
Lose the power to turn your head or move your neck (11th Cranial nerve)
Lose the use of your tongue or swallow your tongue (12th Cranial nerve)
Will I get it on both sides of my face?
It is certainly possible to get Bilateral Bell’s Palsy, as I myself experienced, however it is extremely rare and occurs only in about 1% or less of cases.
If this happens gradually (with myself it was over 3 or 4 days after experiencing the normal Unilateral Bell’s Palsy) it is very important to go back to your doctor and inform them.
The reason for this is that there are various other conditions that can cause Bilateral Bell’s Palsy and the doctor AND YOU will want to make sure that you are being treated for the correct condition.
It is likely if you do experience Bilateral Bell’s Palsy that you will be admitted to a hospital where they can do more extensive tests upon you to rule out other conditions and confirm that it is Bell’s Palsy that you have.
For further information on testing and diagnosis please see Medical Stuff
Am I going to become completely paralysed?
No, absolutely not!!!
I cannot stress this enough. If, as I hope we eventually discover, stress is a cause or even a contributory factor, in the development of Bell’s Palsy or in the prolonging of its healing time, the very last thing we want to do is to increase our stress levels with thoughts such as these.
As I have said above, this will only affect your face as that is the only purpose of the 7th cranial nerve and that is the only thing that has been affected.
If you have ANY other symptoms that worry you anywhere else then go and tell your doctor about them.
If you have any other areas of the body that become weak or numb then it may be that you are not experiencing Bell’s Palsy at all and further testing should be done so that you can be treated properly.
Bell’s Palsy should not affect any other part of the body.
For further information on testing please see the chapter – Medical stuff
Is that my good looks over with or will it completely go?
In most cases it will completely go. However, in a small amount of cases it can leave a very small remnant, for instance a slight smile when you blink that really only you will notice and will probably forget about anyway.
For further information on getting your looks back please see Stages and progression
What on earth will I get next?
In a word – Nothing.
Just because you have this and will feel very vulnerable in different situations and start to think that all sorts of things may suddenly start to happen, they won’t.
This is an illness that has manifested itself for one reason or another and you are going to get through this and come out the other side a better and stronger person.
For further information on hypochondria please see – My Personal Experience
How long will it take to get completely better?
The fastest I have ever heard of to date is around 2 weeks, however, it can and often does take longer than this.
Around 50% of sufferers will experience a complete recovery in less than 30 days, 20% will take 1 – 3 months and a further 10% up to 6 months.
So 80% of sufferers will recover within 6 months and most of the rest within 12 months.
A small percentage may experience a longer recovery time and a very small percentage (less than 1%) may not recover at all. But that is NOT presently YOU and there is no point, especially at this stage, thinking that it is or that it will be.
For further information on this data please see Charles Bell, Facts and Figures
Why me?
This is impossible for me to answer.
Depending on your personal philosophy you may put it down to “one of those things” or may take a more philosophical approach that this event (or any event for that matter) is here to nudge you in the right direction or teach you something good for now and the future.
Whatever you decide, I hope that we can all try to make this, in some way, a positive experience.
Ok, so what has caused this?
There are over 50 ways for the face to become paralysed but once a doctor has diagnosed Bell’s Palsy then the causes become open to debate.
The most prevalent two reasons at present seem to be:
1. A viral infection of the Simplex Herpes Virus (Don’t worry – this is not the sexual Herpes infection this is the cold sore on your lip version).
2. An inflammation of the facial nerve sheath that houses the facial nerve on its route to the facial muscles
For further information on the possible causes of Bell’s Palsy please see Medical stuff
What will the doctor give me?
Why these pills?
Because of the debate over what causes Bell’s Palsy the doctor will most probably prescribe the following two treatments:
To cover the possibility of it being a viral infection, a course of Antiviral tablets will be prescribed – usually Acyclovir, Famcyclovir or valacyclovir.
To cover the possibility of it being an inflammatory problem a course of steroids to reduce the inflammation will be prescribed – usually Prednisone
Do not worry (as I did) that they are Steroids – all the bad press about steroids is only for their very prolonged use – Your treatment will be for a matter of 7 – 14 days.
What ever you do you MUST GO to the doctors. The Steroid treatment’s window of opportunity is within the first 72 hours (some even say the first 48 hours).
For further information on treatments for Bell’s Palsy please see Other treatments
Will the antiviral and steroid treatments cure it?
Well, some studies show that they will improve the chances and the timescale of recovery and others show that it makes no difference to these things.
Wise words given to me were that even if they don’t do anything, you will kick yourself, if the condition does not heal as well as you had hoped and you had missed the window of opportunity of taking whatever treatment was on offer that might have made a difference.
By taking both treatments you are giving yourself the best shot at a full and quick recovery.
For further information on treatments for Bell’s Palsy please see Other treatments
Will alternative or complementary medicine help it?
Firstly go to the doctors for the correct diagnosis and the conventional medicine and then read the chapter on other treatments and therapies.
Any alternative or complimentary treatment that interests you may be beneficial to your recovery.
The first (and hardest initially) advice that I was given was to rest and relax. This is another reason for this book; to calm your fears, answer your questions and allow you to rest and relax whilst your body and mind concentrate on the healing process.
For further information on treatments for Bell’s Palsy please see Other treatments
Why is it called a Palsy and who is Bell?
Although the word "palsy" frightened the life out of me when it was first mentioned, it purely means "a paralysis", and we knew we had that anyway.
Bell is Sir Charles Bell, a Scottish surgeon, anatomist, physiologist and artist. He was born in 1774, served as a surgeon at the battle of Waterloo in 1815 and found this condition through his extensive surgical and anatomical research - apparently with a donkey !!!
For further information on Sir Charles Bell please see Charles Bell, Facts and Figures
What others will say?
How will I cope in public?
How can I eat and drink?
You will be amazed at how easily and well you will cope with everything. At this point just trust me and, when you have finished this section of acute worries, then please see the later chapter on how to cope (annotated below).
For coping in different situations please see - How to live a normal life with Bell’s Palsy
How common is it?
Although I had never heard of it, as you mention it to people, everyone seems to know of someone who has had it (Please see “And Finally” below).
1 in 60 people will get it in their lifetime, the occurrence of Bell’s Palsy being 25:100,000 people per year
For further information on these figures please see Charles Bell, Facts and Figures
Do certain types of people get it more than others?
Whether male or female and irrelevant of race, all rank equally in the occurrence of Bell’s Palsy.
Although older people are perhaps more susceptible, it also occurs in children. The average age seems always to come out at between 37 and 41.
Certain other conditions may make it more likely to get the condition but for this information please see the relevant chapter (annotated below)
For further information on these figures please Charles Bell, Facts and Figures
Will I get Bell’s Palsy again?
Fewer than 10% of Bell’s Palsy sufferers will get the condition again.
The average space of time between any recurrence is about 10 years.
For further information on these figures please Charles Bell, Facts and Figures
Does it always occur on the same side of the face?
No. The amount of people who get it on the left or the right is about equal
If it did recur it could be on either side or even both in much rarer cases
For further information on these figures please Charles Bell, Facts and Figures
Is Bell's palsy contagious?No, it is not. You can return to your work place and social environment as soon as you feel ready.
Am I handicapped?No, you are not.
However, as I experienced (described later) beware what cloak you wear. I mean that if you start thinking of yourself as disabled, it is very easy to start acting as if you have more wrong with you than you actually have.
I started to use a walking stick at one point to give me more confidence when around lots of people. I soon realised what this was doing to my mental attitude towards the problem and promptly stopped.
You have Bell’s Palsy. That is all you have.
For further information on my own experiences please see – My Personal Experience
Is there something wrong with my brain?
No, there is not.
If you have been diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy then there is nothing wrong with your brain.
The problem is that your healthy brain cannot get messages through to your healthy facial muscles because of an inflammation of (or in) the fallopian canal. This is a bony tube around the ear region through which your facial nerve travels and through which it transmits information.
It is the inflammation that is stopping the information getting through.
Should Bell’s Palsy sufferers be concerned about muscle atrophy?
Not really and certainly not yet. You will most likely heal before muscle atrophy would be likely to take place. If you have not recovered within 12 months then by all means bring the subject up with your doctor but it is increasingly being shown that it will actually take years (with the facial muscles) before this would be of any concern.
For further information on these issues please see Medical stuff
AND FINALLY..
...and trust me on this!
Everything else anybody non-medical tells you that sounds great, hopeful and positive is ABSOLUTELY TRUE
Conversely, everything anybody non-medical tells you that sounds bad, worrying or negative is TOTALLY UNTRUE and should be completely discounted, ignored and forgotten.
A positive mental attitude is one of the best friends you can have!!!
Robert Wilkinson
Testimonials
"I cant' tell you how much your book meant to me reading it really helped me to understand what was going on."
"I want to thank you again soooo much for sending me your book. I gave it to my brother who was diagnosed with Bells Palsy the day I wrote you on November 25. Your book answered so many questions for him that the doctor never touched on. You gave him hope and encouragement. He went also went for acupuncture and I am happy to say that on Christmas eve there was barely a trace of it. "
"Absolutely superb and worth every penny, thank you."