Bell's Palsy, not a stroke

[question everything]

Last week, while at a restaurant eating my salad with a liquid dressing I started drooling from the side of my mouth.

In the evening, while brushing my teeth I was drooling while trying to move the water in my mouth.

The next day, when I was having hard time keeping my coffee from spilling and noting that I could not close my my right eye I concluded that I had a stroke and off the ER. Blood pressure was high, of course, but arms and legs were OK. While waiting to see the doctor the technicians went out to see me ans asked me to wrinkle my forehead and noticed that only one side was.

The conclusion was that it was not a stroke - a relief - but Bell's Palsy where one side of the face is paralyzed. The symptoms fit me but not as severe. No pain

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bells-palsy/symptoms-causes/syc-20370028

I was given Prednisone and and anti virus Valacyclovir HCL. Was told to lubricate my eye on a regular basis - I have plenty of these solutions - and to close the eye with a tape for the night.

On the way home we stopped at the grocery store to get a box of flexible straws. The only way I can drink and take my medications.

So far so good. I can close the eye while taking a afternoon nap and the drooling is not so bad.

Sigh..

[XanaDUer2]

1. I'm so sorry

Get better soon

[dweller]

2. My dad had it

Was thought he had it from spraying pesticides in his woods .
Had it for a little over a week with no long term adverse conditions

Personally I’d get an eye patch for that eye … Arrgh


✌🏻

[1WorldHope]

3. What a relief!

I hope the paralysis is short lived. 🤞🏼

[pandr32]

4. I' sure sorry to hear that.

Heading towards the end-zone is a gauntlet of ills. I hope the prednisone will help.

[points]

5. I had Bells Palsy for over a month

One important thing I was told at the time: Try not to smile or use your face. Try consciously to keep your face relaxed and neutral. The reason given by my doctor was because your muscles will "learn" a new asymmetrical pattern if you try to use them too much.

Decades later, I can still notice some asymmetry in my smile. And it's not because of continued bell's palsy, it's because of whatever I did while I had it that trained the face muscles still remains.

It is a frustrating thing! Hope it only affects your mouth, mine affected my eyelid also.

[question everything]

8. Thanks will try to remember. I also notice that I slur a bit while talking

[sinkingfeeling]

6. Hoping you a speedy recovery. Most cases clear within several months.

[bucolic_frolic]

7. questioning everything worked well! Great news!

Did you always question everything, or is it a learned skill? Asking in case the rest of us need to install the upgrade capacity. Some people ignore everything. I'm one of those. It's denial, but with excuses. I recognize there are risks involved. I don't procrastinate as badly as I once did only because the overload became unbearable.

[Mosby]

9. Hope you get better.

The steroids should help a lot. They think you might have Herpes. Either way it can't hurt to take acyclovir or the time release one.

[dweller]

10. Valacyclovir HCL.

Is also prescribed for shingles … was given a script for it and an antibiotic script for an eye infection that went septic ( very quickly over a 24 hr period)
I was told initially it was septic and antibiotics would clear it . Another dr looked at it too and said ‘might be shingles’ and prescribed the above antiviral.
Antibiotic was $9 … antiviral was $80. 😖
I took antibiotic for 24 hours (of 7 day script) and it started healing immediately, so never took antiviral , wished I hadn’t bought it now .

So it’s for more than herpes , probably broad spectrum antiviral


✌🏻

[Mosby]

12. Chicken pox, shingles, hsv1, hsv2 are all the same virus.

Valcyclovir is a time release version of acyclovir. I've been taking it since it came out, used to use the cream.

Those little fuckers have been living in my csf for decades.

[Sibelius Fan]

11. I had it over 5 years ago. You're fortunate to have gotten the meds within three days.

Helps with recovery.

I recovered probably 98% - I still can get a bit of muscular tension on the left side of my face when I’m shaving, but anyone looking at me wouldn’t see a thing wrong.

[Hokie]

13. You have a good doctor

My wife had two bouts with it in her 40s. The first time she saw an MD and he prescribed the same drugs, prednisone and anti-inflammatory medications. She recovered fully. The second time a few years later she was going to a DO. The DO was reluctant to prescribe steroids. She had terrible pain and never completely recovered. Needless to say DO's are a last resort for us.