Now for those that does not know what is Bell's palsy is; here I put the info and my experience below.
What is Bell's palsy?
Bell's palsy is a paralysis or weakness of the muscles on one side of your face. Damage to the facial nerve that controls muscles on one side of the face causes that side of your face to droop camera.gif. The nerve damagemay also affect your sense of taste and how you make tears and saliva. This condition comes on suddenly, often overnight, and usually gets better on its own within a few weeks.
Bell's palsy is not the result of a stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA). While stroke and TIA can cause facial paralysis, there is no link between Bell's palsy and either of these conditions. But sudden weakness that occurs on one side of your face should be checked by a doctor right away to rule out these more serious causes.
What causes Bell's palsy?
The cause of Bell's palsy is not clear. Most cases are thought to be caused by the herpes virus that causes cold sores.
In most cases of Bell's palsy, the nerve that controls muscles on one side of the face is damaged by inflammation.
Many health problems can cause weakness or paralysis of the face. If a specific reason cannot be found for the weakness, the condition is called Bell's palsy.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of Bell's palsy include:
Sudden weakness or paralysis on one side of your face that causes it to droop. This is the main symptom. It may make it hard for you to close your eye on that side of your face.
Drooling.
Eye problems, such as excessive tearing or a dry eye.
Loss of ability to taste.
Pain in or behind your ear.
Numbness in the affected side of your face.
Increased sensitivity to sound.
How is Bell's palsy diagnosed?
Your doctor may diagnose Bell's palsy by asking you questions, such as about how your symptoms developed. He or she will also give you a physical and neurological exam to check facial nerve function.
If the cause of your symptoms is not clear, you may need other tests, such as blood tests, an MRI, or a CT scan.
How is it treated?
Most people who have Bell's palsy recover completely, without treatment, in 1 to 2 months.1 This is especially true for people who can still partly move their facial muscles. But a small number of people may have permanent muscle weakness or other problems on the affected side of the face.
Treatment with corticosteroid medicines (such as prednisone) can make it more likely that you will regain all facial movement. They work best if they are taken soon after symptoms start (within 3 days). Sometimes antiviral medicines (such as acyclovir) may be added to corticosteroid medicines to treat Bell's palsy. But evidence for using antiviral medicines is weak. They may help in some cases, but in general they do not affect recovery.
Some people may not be able to take corticosteroid medicines because of other health problems. It's important to remember that most people with Bell's palsy recover completely without any treatment.
If I smile this is how my face look likeI started feeling symptoms on Dec 31st and on Jan 1st I felt my right side of my face numb so Andy took me to the ER at the Shawnee Mission Hospital and they did CT scan, blood test, urine test and everything was normal. The doctor rule out stroke or tumor and that was good news. After that day I started getting worse and when I read about Bell's palsy I noticed that I have all the symptoms. I went to my OB and she confirmed it. She prescribed me prednisone and Acyclovir. Also referred me to a Neurologist for follow up. I went on Jan 7th and he told me that I will be fine and I will start getting better and that in a month I will be back to normal and that was nice to hear.
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