Day 9: Slight Progress

My eye seems slightly less droopy today...maybe. Just pressure in head/lousy feeling with occasional pains but not a headache! Today's probably the best I've felt yet, though still very tired by the end of the day. Others, with probably the same virus, have had it last a while and cause strange headaches off and on, with slow recovery, so I'm pretty sure that's what I got, but the inflammation of it just happened to damage my facial nerve. Hopefully I won't be paranoid in the future every time I get a virus, that this might happen again!
I had thought I was getting some new movement, but I took my weekly mug shots today, and was discouraged to find that, whereas before I could almost force my eye shut, now I can't get it to go down that far. BUT I can drink water almost straight on from a cup without it spilling out the right side...before I was having to tilt to the left, my stronger side, to keep it in! So that's progress!
Nerve regrowth is probably not a linear, logical thing...patience! A little step forward over here, and a little step back over there!

Comments

Days 13-14: DIY Eye Taping

Muscle function continues to improve. I've been able to move my lower lid several more times, and then I can't. It comes in spurts. My face is clearly less droopy, more taut. My upper lid now participates slightly when the other eye is blinking involuntarily. I can slightly tighten my whole cheek, not just the corner of my mouth. Super encouraging and hopeful! I worked a 12 hour day on Saturday...I know I shouldn't have, but we had an exhibition and there was work that had to get done. I was wiped out, and yesterday and today (thankfully days off work, for rest) I've been laying low, not feeling so great... The virus that created the conditions for the suffocated facial nerve is running it's course (just like it has with others around me who had the virus, though not with my same complications). It's moved from bad headaches and fatigue to include head and chest congestion. I slept 13 hrs last night! The spot of nerve damage behind my ear is still painful. M

Day 50 - Prednisone Was The Culprit!

Oh My! What a week! I'm so thankful that none of this has landed me in the hospital here, because I just got to see what those are like, and what they are lacking! One of our artists almost had a heart attack and I had to take her to the emergency clinic and spent the next couple long days with her there, trying to advocate for her. I'm exhausted, needless to say, and thankfully she was stabilized and able to return home to better care. While I was at the hospital, my neurologist came by to check on our artist, and he recognized me and asked how I was doing. When I told him how exhausted I've been, with super low energy, he said that was because I stopped the Prednisone too quickly and so my adrenal glands were struggling to function! But he had specifically told me NOT to taper them, that there was no need, and he didn't prescribe a dose that included tapering! AGH!! Sure enough, I checked my notes here, and the dates (so thankful I had this record!) and right when

Days 15-16: Glorious & Underated...smiling and blinking

Not much to report - still feeling tired, sick and congested (that's the most discouraging part) - still improving in facial muscle strength and obedience to my brain's commands, a tiny bit more each day! Hearing and sight and taste impairment still the same. I can almost make a sort of smile - or at least a pleasant look instead of a grimace - if I don't smile on my good side, except a tiny bit in that eye...that helps it match the weak side and gives me an expression that doesn't shout that something's wrong! Until people realize I'm not blinking! I know that many others with Bell's Palsy have a much slower recovery, and there's no guarantee mine will continue to progress at this pace or fully recover (though from prognosis stats for early progress, I'm hopeful). Hang in there! Rest! Do everything you should, as early as possible, and that should really help! The quote above is from an article by BBC reporter, John Sudworth , who himself had

Rachel's Bell's Palsy Journal

Search This Blog