These are my Short Notes on daily symptoms...sometimes it's helpful to have a simple overview (like at doctors visits) and not have all the story and details around them. I'll be adding to this list regularly.
Day 1: Taste not working on right side of tongue. Bad headache all day, stronger on right side. Coworker later noted that right eye was not blinking. No fever but felt achy like virus. Went to bed early.
Day 2: Woke with right side of face mostly paralyzed. Only very slight twitch at corner of mouth and slight movement in eye...can only close partially with much effort and focus. Headache, with regulars flares on right side. Burning dry eyes. Doctor diagnosed Bell's Palsy. Began taking 40mg Prednisolone a day.
Day 3: No change. Still paralyzed. Slight headache still. Started taking Acetaminophen for headache.
Day 4: Woke up with a bad headache, and throbbing on the right side and behind my ear. Felt pretty miserable. A few hours after the steroids and Acetaminophen it finally eased up and was just a slight headache. Paralysis is no better, but no worse. Exhausted after only a few hours at work. Slept all afternoon.
Day 5: Had throbbing pain in right eye, top right of head, behind ear and jaw most the day. Dizzy. Foggy hearing on right. Right eye is definitely blurry. Pain was so bad at night it was hard to fall asleep.
Day 6: Woke with terrible headache that throbbed, and throbbed worse if I moved at all, and was stronger on the right side. Very similar to the severity of a spinal tap headache. Nerve spot behind ear/jaw hurt badly. 100.2 F fever. In bed all day.
Day 7: Woke with no headache, but low grade headache returned upon moving. No fever. Saw dr. because of yesterday's symptoms, which he said weren't normal but could just be the infection. Fixed error in Prednisolone prescription - increased to 60mg/day. Had CT scan to rule out any other cause of the severe pain. Paralysis is no better, no worse.
Day 8: Felt kind of lousy most of the day - mild headache, tired, eyelid twitching annoyingly - with rest of face not moving, random throbs of pain on right side of head. Feeling way better than I was two days ago! I think I can now do slight pumping open movements with eyelid that I couldn't do before, and twitching corner of mouth is a bit stronger! Negative CT Scan!!
Day 9: Eye seems slightly less droopy today...maybe. Feel pressure in head/lousy feeling with occasional pains but not a headache! Probably best I've felt yet, though still very tired by end of the day. Step backward in ability to close eye shut, but forward in lip strength and drinking straight on without much dribbling.
Days 10 & 11: The last two days I've been very tired but feeling pretty good most of the day. It's worse at night and I go to bed and wake up with a headache, and I wake super early (not normal for me!) and have crazy dreams. Pretty sure that's from the steroids I'm taking for the inflammation.
Day 12: Significant movement is returning, was able to move lower eyelid four times, and then it stopped, exhausted. Corner-of-mouth movement is noticeable stronger. Eating and talking wipes me out, but is good excercise. Worked too long today. Need to rest!
Days 13-14: Muscle function continues to improve in eye, cheek and mouth.Virus running its course - now have head and chest congestion in addition to fatigue and low-grade headache. Vision and hearing still impaired. Good to have two days off and lots of rest.
Days 15-16: Still feeling tired, sick and congested - still improving in facial muscle strength and obedience, a tiny bit more each day! Hearing, sight, and taste impairment still the same.
Day 17: Still sick, but my facial control is stronger today than it was yesterday. Finished my Prednisolone. Lots of eye twitching tonight, so we'll see what new abilities lie in store for tomorrow.
Days 18-21: Face continues to thaw. Virus still running its slow course. Sick in bed past three days: aching, burning eyes, low-grade headache, fatigue, sinus and bronchial congestion, wheezing, sore throat, earache, coughing, tinnitus, and dizziness.
Day 35: Mostly recovered from virus symptoms and aftermath. Still low energy from resources being allocated to nerve recovery instead of to regular energy. Tire easily. Daily improvement in facial movement. Can smile now, though not fully, and close eye if I focus on it, but still no involuntary blinking.
Day 43: Almost a full smile and involuntary blinking have returned.
Day 50: Paralysis not noticeable to those who don't know I've had it. Slight improvements.
Day 73: Only slight improvements after 23 days. Still low energy.
Day 119: No real changes for the past month. Mouth drooping slightly on right, tongue still slightly numb, muscles still tighter on the right, occasional random head pains on right, still feels bruised along the underside of my cheekbone, edge of nose and behind ear. Involuntary squinting and eye expressions haven't fully recovered. Still fatigued easily, but increasing in energy each day. May have plateaued and this is the new normal.
Day 8: Felt kind of lousy most of the day - mild headache, tired, eyelid twitching annoyingly - with rest of face not moving, random throbs of pain on right side of head. Feeling way better than I was two days ago! I think I can now do slight pumping open movements with eyelid that I couldn't do before, and twitching corner of mouth is a bit stronger! Negative CT Scan!!
Day 9: Eye seems slightly less droopy today...maybe. Feel pressure in head/lousy feeling with occasional pains but not a headache! Probably best I've felt yet, though still very tired by end of the day. Step backward in ability to close eye shut, but forward in lip strength and drinking straight on without much dribbling.
Days 10 & 11: The last two days I've been very tired but feeling pretty good most of the day. It's worse at night and I go to bed and wake up with a headache, and I wake super early (not normal for me!) and have crazy dreams. Pretty sure that's from the steroids I'm taking for the inflammation.
Day 12: Significant movement is returning, was able to move lower eyelid four times, and then it stopped, exhausted. Corner-of-mouth movement is noticeable stronger. Eating and talking wipes me out, but is good excercise. Worked too long today. Need to rest!
Days 13-14: Muscle function continues to improve in eye, cheek and mouth.Virus running its course - now have head and chest congestion in addition to fatigue and low-grade headache. Vision and hearing still impaired. Good to have two days off and lots of rest.
Days 15-16: Still feeling tired, sick and congested - still improving in facial muscle strength and obedience, a tiny bit more each day! Hearing, sight, and taste impairment still the same.
Day 17: Still sick, but my facial control is stronger today than it was yesterday. Finished my Prednisolone. Lots of eye twitching tonight, so we'll see what new abilities lie in store for tomorrow.
Days 18-21: Face continues to thaw. Virus still running its slow course. Sick in bed past three days: aching, burning eyes, low-grade headache, fatigue, sinus and bronchial congestion, wheezing, sore throat, earache, coughing, tinnitus, and dizziness.
Day 35: Mostly recovered from virus symptoms and aftermath. Still low energy from resources being allocated to nerve recovery instead of to regular energy. Tire easily. Daily improvement in facial movement. Can smile now, though not fully, and close eye if I focus on it, but still no involuntary blinking.
Day 43: Almost a full smile and involuntary blinking have returned.
Day 50: Paralysis not noticeable to those who don't know I've had it. Slight improvements.
Day 73: Only slight improvements after 23 days. Still low energy.
Day 119: No real changes for the past month. Mouth drooping slightly on right, tongue still slightly numb, muscles still tighter on the right, occasional random head pains on right, still feels bruised along the underside of my cheekbone, edge of nose and behind ear. Involuntary squinting and eye expressions haven't fully recovered. Still fatigued easily, but increasing in energy each day. May have plateaued and this is the new normal.
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