Rachel's Bell's Palsy Journal

I woke up with burning eyes and my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. It felt like I had burned it. I asked a coworker that day if he'd ever burned his tongue with curry - because that's what I'd eaten for dinner the night before and I'd gone to bed without brushing my teeth. It hurt, and I couldn't taste...or things tasted strange and bland and metallic-like. I had a bad headache all day, particularly on the right upper side, behind my right ear, below my right jaw, and the back right of my neck. I found it difficult to eat, but wasn't quite sure why, so I just gave up and didn't finish my dinner. Things tasted strange/bad and my mouth just seemed too tired to keep eating, even though I was hungry. As the day progressed, I felt more rotten and achy. I assumed I must be getting the virus that had been going around and I went to bed early.

This is me...and my smile...before Bell's Palsy struck. Thank you Lauren di Matteo for amazingly capturing my smile in that photo! It means even more to me now that I'm faced with the slight possibility that I might not get it back again...or that it could take a long while, or never be the same! Monday was a normal day...nothing happened out of the ordinary that could have brought on Bell's Palsy. Several people at work had been sick with a virus - bad headaches and upset stomachs. It was a rest day for me.  I went for a walk through the old medina (the ancient quarter of my city in Morocco), shopping for second hand items, etc. I stayed up late cooking. And I was tired and went to bed without brushing my teeth. That's all I can think of that was different about the day.