Bell's Palsy

Do u know what Bell's Palsy is?

It's a condition where one half of your face muscles are weak or paralysed. It's sudden and caused by trauma to the 7th cranial nerve. The cause is unknown although it may be due to a viral infection or stress. The face will have a similar resemblance to the face of a stroke patient.

Do u know why i'm suddenly talking about it?

Because currently i'm having it! It started on Wednesday when i felt bitter taste in the mouth. I thought that i burned my tongue after drinking hot milo in the morning so i ignored it. That night i felt the right side of my mouth twitch uncontrollably for about 15-20 min. Still i ignored it. After waking up from sleep on Thursday morning, i noticed that water came out from my right nose while brushing my teeth. Then, i also noticed that my right eye closes slower than my left eye.

Did i panic?

Yes, i did! Although as u know, i should know what i was having at that moment, but i also knew that it could have been something even worse. So i went to see the necessary specialists (neurologist & ENT) and they confirmed my condition. I am now on Prednisolone (steroids) & Acyclovir (anti-viral).

So, how bad is it?

My right eye can't close properly unless i do it manually. So everytime i wash my face, it hurts. Thank God i don't have corneal damage.. I lost my sense of taste on the right side. So food don't taste so good. But maybe this way i can lose some weight..Sometimes i can't eat or drink properly. Saliva just dribbles out of the corner of my right mouth especially when i sleep. I am also very hypersensitive to loud sounds. When somebody laughs or when Rayyan cries, i'll get a sharp pain in my right ear and headache. And i'm starting to have neck and back pain. This may be because i overstress my right facial muscles.

How do i feel?

Initially, shocked, sad and depressed. But now, i'm starting to accept it. I'm trying to adapt to it. Maybe it's God's way of punishing me. Maybe it's also His way of reminding me not to forget about him and to be thankful of everything that i have. One of my friends told me that may be it's also His way of telling me that i need to get some rest. I have been overstressed lately. Stressed up to the point where i can't control myself and broke down in tears in front of my friend.

What do i wish?

I hope and pray that i could recover completely. Most patients do recover completely and i hope i am one of them although some may have residual symptoms. I know that God is forgiving and merciful. I also wish that nobody out there suffers from this condition. The psychological stress might not be well coped by some people. But do not worry about me. I'll be fine, insyaallah. Thank God the condition is not that obvious. My face still looks normal. You can only see it when i blink or smile. Apart from everything that has happened, I still thank God that it's just a mild disorder and not something worse..

Famous people affected by Bell's Palsy..

George Clooney...

Katie Holmes..

Pierce Brosnan...