Pre Bell's Palsy Range of Expression
Ok, so the one in the middle just makes me look good (and slim)…
My personal recoverystages so far
9 days before onset – On the coldest day of the year, decided to move 2 tonnes of iced earth. Ridiculously exhausted. Beginning of lower back pain.
7 days before onset – Noticed one of my pupils was smaller than the other. This rectified itself but happened on 3 occasions over the next week. Firstly, twice with my right eye and then lastly, once with my left eye.
Day 1 – First sign at 8.30am, unable to spit toothpaste properly. By 10.30am definite signs of paralysis of right side of face. All teeth aching as if in one “numbed” block (now for 2 days). Lower back very painful (presumably from moving 2 tonnes of iced earth – see story). Offered Acyclovir tablets (7 days anti – viral treatment) and Prednisolone tablets (Steroid treatment). I took the anti – viral treatment but I did not take the steroid treatment.
Day 2 – Paralysis worsening on right side of face. All of Day 1 other symptoms still apparent.
Day 3 – Back resolved totally by osteopath. Teeth had been checked and no problems found but still aching. Right side of face now at full paralysis. Left hand side showing mild signs of deterioration of expression. Freezing or extra hot hands and feet (This could have been stress or another nerve being affected as the illness took hold)
Days 4/5 – Left side of face increasingly becoming paralysed. Toothache subsided. Sensitive hands and feet healed.
Day 6 – Total facial paralysis. No facial expression possible whatsoever.
Day 7 – With great effort and concentration a tiny movement of about 1mm in a tiny part of my forehead (approx 1mm x 1mm) noticeable to me and my wife but nobody else. This disappeared the next day.
Day 13 –
Happy Embarrassed Inquisitive
Day 14 – Very slight “twitch” appeared at the top of the left side of my forehead. Elating to both me and my wife, these kept happening in other places around that same area. Some disappeared again, some remained. The ones that disappeared almost always came back stronger.
Day 20 – Still nothing captureable on a photograph
Day 46 – Able to raise eyebrow and “squeeze” a smile out of the left side of my face. Still unable to properly close my eye. No movement on the right side. My face is very swollen and has a yellowish “ill” palour.
Month 6 – I have felt that my left side has been fully recovered for a while now, but then, it improves. It is easy to forget just how wonderfully handsome one used to be (even with one’s tongue in one’s cheek)
Month 9 – I would just like to publicly apologise for the beard. I just thought I would give it a go. You will be glad to hear that after it developed briefly into a “goaty”, it has now gone.
The swollen appearance has now nearly gone and although around my right eye (above and below), the right side of my nose and the right side of my lip (above and below) is still affected, I can seem to smile with my eyes a lot better.
Month 12 – Although all friends and relatives would say that I was pretty much better by this time, in my mind, I had reached a plateau and had stayed there for around 3 months. When looking normal without trying to form any expression, my face looked totally well. However upon smiling, talking and eating, it was as contorted as it had been at month 9.
12 months exactly – I had my final meeting with the Neurological Consultant, Doctor Hope (made up name). He proceeded to tell me that the healing had probably come to an end now and that this is how I would remain.
I showed him a bottle of Vitamin B12 Methylcobalamin that I had recently bought and was about to start using, asking him if he thought it would be a good idea. To this he replied….
“It will do you as much good as drinking a bottle of whisky a day – nothing”.
Well, I think that this says it all really. My wife was devastated. I was laughing too much at his negativity to feel anything but flabbergasted.
I really felt this was going to be a turning point and since feeling a bit sorry for myself and just accepting my face as it was had done absolutely nothing to improve it between months 9 – 12, I became determined that I would visit him again in 4 months. The sole intention being, to instil some hope in him for other patients, by being totally recovered.
Since that appointment – as I write this, the 3rd edition of this book, it has been 3 weeks since that appointment.
With a strong will and a daily prayer, my face has improved a great deal and people are noticing positive changes in my looks every single day. It is absolutely amazing.
I have still not tried the Vitamin B12 yet (but the more I read about it, the more I see amazing results in all manner of illnesses) this may well be something that I do soon. I have started to use the hot rice bag now and then before doing a few facial exercises. I have also started to do some body exercises at home with a small set of barbells that I found when cleaning around. I think we all probably have some good intentioned purchases around somewhere.
I think that the best thing I can say here, is to reiterate what I said at the end of the chapter entitled “Quick answers and calming of fears” with a couple of slight changes.
Everything anybody tells you that sounds great, hopeful and positive is ABSOLUTELY TRUE
Conversely, everything anybody tells you that sounds bad, worrying or negative is TOTALLY UNTRUE and should be completely discounted, ignored and forgotten.