Bells Palsy

I had this several years ago, a kind of freezing of muscles in the face. I believe the doctor prescribed antibiotics and steroids. I think it only took 3 weeks or so to subside. I believe it depends on how long you we're suffering before you started the meds. So, the sooner you get meds the faster it goes away.

my mother in law had to about 2 years agao and I believe it affected her for several months- I can ask her if you would like.

Hi L.,
As a nurse practitoner, I highly recommend seeing a neurologist as soon as possible. There are medications you can take that will help to decrease the possibility of having residual effects of bells palsy. You can call your ob/gyne or primary care physician for a referral. You can also call physician referral at a hospital for a neurologist referral.

I got Bell's on one side of my face during my last trimester. The only medical intervention I received was B12 shots. For the most part, I did facial exercises every so often. It is not uncommon for pregnant women to develop Bell's, especially in the last 1/2 of pregnancy. Cases differ in severity: I had to wear an eye patch (I felt like the pregnant pirate) and had no residual issues; a friend developed a twitch that is still there even though her daughter is now 3! In either case, the baby is not at risk!

Good luck with everything!

http://nervous-system.emedtv.com/bell%27s-palsy/bell%27s-...

I'm a physical therapist and have treated many cases of this. Get a prescription for physical therapy and they can treat it quite easily. The people we treated had it fully resolve, a friend who never went for therapy still has a mild droop on that side of her face. Let me know if you need help finding a therapist in your area. In the mean time, keep your face covered with a scarf from the cold weather and any drafts in your room when you sleep. Usually less than a month to resolve, and there are exercises that you can do and the therapist will use some electrical stimulation [nothing to worry about, a bit prickly, but nothing like Frankenstein movies show. :)]

As far as the cause that some have listed, the root of the problem is the swelling of the trigeminal nerve in your face. It can be cause by a virus, we saw a lot of cases of it this time of year that seemed to come on after the face was exposed to the cold.

N.

In the Northwest Herald in the daily column by Dr. Peter Gott (syndicated) someone wrote in saying they were presecribed a series of vitamin B12 shots to help the process of recovery. It was just in the last week or two. They were in Germany at the time, but Dr. Gott seemed to be positive about it. Maybe go on the internet and look for input. Stress can trigger it so make sure you take care of yourself.

Oh, you poor thing. I had it when I was in my 20s and have not had it again (I'm 41.) I had a job at the time where I had to give presentations in front of groups, so I asked my doctor for an aggressive treatment and she gave me oral steroids followed by physical therapy. I also took an antiviral although I don't remember any details about what it was. I was completely back to normal within about a month. The only lingering effect was that if I'm very tired or drinking one eyelid droops very slightly - I don't think anyone would notice it who wasn't looking for it, though.

It was a very shocking thing at the time, though - I had never heard of bells palsy. I hope you also have a complete recovery. It's a bit of a mystery ailment. No one seems to know what causes it.

ETA - one more thing no one else has mentioned. During the first couple of weeks, when the symptoms were the worst, my doctor had me sleep with (gentle) tape holding my eyelid shut so that the affected eye wouldn't get scratched overnight. Definitely if your doctor just told you "it will go away" with no other advice, get a second opinion just to make sure you aren't missing something you need to know.

Medications are usually prescribed early on, also a physical therapist can teach you exercises to perform. You would need a prescription from your doctor for this treatment. Good luck.

A friend of mine experienced this and my advise for you is to sit in front of a mirror and practice using your facial muscles. Try to do things, like smile, open and close your eyes and mouth, this will help in retraing your muscles. Good Luck and I hope you get better soon!!

Hi L.,
My best friend had this and it took her about 3 months for her to totally get back to normal. She had it really bad where the whole left side of her face was frozen.
You poor baby,
L.

I got it when I was about 36-37 weeks pregnant. I was prescribed meds for it. I believe Prednisone and Valtrex. I had been seeing a Peri at the time and he and my OB both agreed it was totally safe for the baby. Once I went on the meds, it probably took about 2 weeks for mine to be gone. After seeing what some people go through w/it, I was lucky and had a very mild case. Good luck!

Hi L.....

I developed Bell's Palsy right after giving birth to my daughter in March. My face is back to looking normal, but I still have some residuals. There are lots of variables with Bell's...... I'd be glad to talk to you more about it offline if you want to send me a message.

It is usually cause by a virus. ( sometimes the herpes virus) It can take up to 3 months to go away. L-Lysine is suppose to be useful, however I worked with someone that since it is nerves that are effected and B complex and Calcuim moved the process along. Keep your eye moist if it is unable to blink.

Are you pregnant? It is really common in pregnancy. If it is caught right when it starts you can take steroids to help shorten the duration. Its hard to say how long it will last - every body is different. If you are pregnant, it will probably stick around for 6 weeks or so -though it's possible it will last through delivery. If you are not pregnant, it may go away sooner. Don't worry, though, it does go away!!
Good luck!
T.

Hi L.,
Are you on any medication for it? I had it about 3 years ago. They gave me Valtrex (antiviral) for it. I believe it took about 3 weeks for it to clear up. I think I heard something about exercises you can do to help clear it up faster? Maybe I am wrong. It sucks, and it's such a strange thing! I kept telling my husband that I thought I had Bell's Palsy, and he said, "No, no way". We ended up going to the ER that night, and guess what? Bell's Palsy! I still tease him about that. Good luck. I hope it clears up fast.
One thing I will add is that I had a rough spell where I had BP, and also had a bad case of warts on my hands. Someting was off with my immune system, but when I started working out and taking better care of myself, the warts went away and I stopped getting sick. You might try it.

T.
www.ReadandGrow.com

Hi there, my brother is just recovering from a very bad case of bells. Other than the medication I would suggest you go for acupuncture treatments to help stimulate the nerves. My brother had all the steroids and B12 treatments but only the acupuncture has really helped with his facial expressions. I hope this helps.

I had it when I was 18 years old. It came on suddenly and for no apparent reason. Usually, they prescribe steroids for it. However, with my case, I didn't go to the doctor right away, so it was diagnosed a little later (about 2 weeks). It had started to improve on it's on, so my doctor didn't prescribe anything and let it run it's course. It was a little over a month before I was completely back to normal.

Hi L.:

I had bells palsy the first time when I was 21. I saw a doctor right away and he prescribed steroids (decreasing dosage over 10 days) and facial exercises. My case was pretty extreme - lasted about 4 months. I almost recuperated fully. The only lasting effect is my eye gets a bit droppy when I am tired (something only my husband and I notice). The second time I had it was at 38 years old during pregnancy. Although both of my docs told me I was fine to go on steroids again, I chose not to. Having experienced this once before it was clear that my pregnancy bells was very minor as compared to my first bout. I did do my facial exercises multiple times each day. I had no lasting effects the second time. I am once again pregnant and wondering will it come again - no one can predict. It is a disorder that is still not fully understood. Best of luck to you! If you would like to chat about it at all, feel free to email me.