Well, half of my face is pretty much paralysed. It started on Friday, with my lip feeling funny. At least, I thought it felt funny. It was hard to describe.
On Saturday, I couldn't drink through a straw or whistle.
By Sunday night, I couldn't raise my eyebrow on the right side of my face, and it required effort to blink my right eye. Usually, blinking isn't a strenuous activity.
Sooo I went to a clinic yesterday at like 10, waited around for about 2 hours, and a nurse told me I probably had Bell's Palsy. Without much explanation, she sent me off to the regional hospital, where I waited 8 hours in the ER to be seen by a neurologist. Not my neurologist, but a gorgeous intern and a different neuro.
They did different tests (mostly making sure I had no numbness, weakness, or paralysis anywhere else), and told me, "Yup, Bell's Palsy. It could last a week, or it could last 6 months. Oh, and it'll probably come back randomly throughout the rest of your life."
I was extremely cranky by the time I got home last night (hadn't slept much Sunday night, didn't eat at all Monday, and had a massive headache for most of the time I was in the waiting room full of screaming kids), but...meh. I'm trying to look on the bright side.
Cons:
-It's a bit harder to speak clearly
-It's very difficult to eat noodles or drink through a straw
-I can't whistle
-If the past three days are any indication, the muscles that DO work are going to be strained from all the extra effort required, namely whatever controls my eye.
-Dry eyes and headaches
-I have to tape my eye closed when I sleep because it won't stay closed if I'm not conscious. Try peeling any sort of tape off your eyelid. It's not fun.
Pros:
-I could be Jean Chretien for Halloween. (Or, if anyone asks what's wrong with my face, I could tell them I'm preparing for a role as Jean Chretien in a play.)
-Alternatively, I could be Two-Face from Batman. It's pretty cool to be able to smile and frown at the same time.
-I could wear an eyepatch over my taped-down eye and sleep like a pirate.
-As far as random, possibly permanent, neurological conditions go, it's pretty harmless. This falls more into the "pain in the a**" category than anything else.
Wikipedia says I have a good prognosis:
"In a 1982 study, when no treatment was available, of 1,011 patients, 85% showed first signs of recovery within 3 weeks after onset. For the other 15%, recovery occurred 3–6 months later."
I like them odds.
Discuss:
-
The War of 1812 Bell's Palsy
-Annoying medical problems
-Neurological problems
-How much it sucks to be stuck in the ER
-How much is must suck to
work in the ER.
-Other "pro" things I can add to my list.
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