Bell's Palsy Support Group

Bell's palsy (facial palsy) is characterised by facial drooping on the affected half, due to malfunction of the facial nerve, which controls the muscles of the face. Bell's palsy is the most common cause of acute facial nerve paralysis and affects about 40,000 people in the United States every year. Additional symptoms that may accompany the condition are pain around the...

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Brain & Nervous System
/ Bell's Palsy Support Group

Bells palsy recovery

deleted_user
deleted_user
My twin sister got Bells Palsy 8 weeks ago. She got it 1 week before her baby was born. It hasn't gone away yet. I feel so bad for her. She can't smile or move the left side of her face. She is at her wits end with it. She is so sad that she has no pictures with her new baby where she is smiling and looking happy. She is putting off getting a family picture taken since she can't smile and she is dreading going back to work in 5 weeks if the Bells Palsy hasn't gone away. She is taking vitamin B12 and doing accupunture once a week. She has done physical therapy for several weeks and was prescribed antibiotics and steroids the day the Bells Palsy started. I hope this will all help with her recovery but I've heard scary stories about Bells Palsy not going away for some people. I pray that she isn't one of them. She is only 26 years old. That's too young to never be able to smile again. I want her baby to see her smile and know that his mom is happy. Right now it isn't obvious when you look at her. Sometimes she says she feels tingling in the left side of her face and she gets a feeling like she should be able to move the muscles but when she looks in a mirror her face isn't moving. Can anyone share what signs you had when you had bells palsy and it was starting to get better? Is tingling a good sign that it is improving? I am desperate to give her some reassurace. I would appreciate anybody's comments. Thank you so much.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I can only say that I pray for her that her BP goes away. If you look at the BP research foundation you will see that many women have been stricken after pregnancy--but with no medical info to back up why. I have taken immune ehancing vitamins, and herbs all my life and I only was stricken once. I don't want to dishearten you or scare you--but I am now 39 yrs old--was stricken at 14 and mine never recovered. I did all the muscle therapies, acupunture, decompression surgery, etc--no recovery. I am now working on a sever self image issue as a result of the bp--be supportive of your sister and tell her not to give up--If you ever need to talk--look me up
My entire right side was paralyzed, I have eye droop, watering, cornea damage, drooling when asleep, no forhead movement, etc etc.--still this day.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I am also 26 years old and I just got it yesterday. I know through positive KNOWING -not positive thinking- will help ! If you need a friend I'll be here.
deleted_user
deleted_user
have faith it does get better. I have had 5 attacks which is very rare. I am suffering my 5th attack now, it started on Friday. Each time I find it has got to about 75% better within 4 weeks. unfortunately after that it is slow and can takes a long time. On average it takes 12- 18 months to be as if it never was, but it does get there. I have found that ignoring it and getting on with my life plus joking about it helps cause believe it or not laughter is the best medicine and although you do not realise it when you try to make the face move by laughing (and sometimes crying) it keeps the muscles in trim and stops them atrophying.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I got my 2nd bout of BP right after my 2nd baby was born. I know how your sister feels. For me, it was worse b/c my mouth never recovered on the R side from when I was 24, so when it came on my L side, I didn't even have a crooked smile...nothing. I hated going through that again...I wanted to just be happy about the birth of my baby, not worry about BP. Send your sister a hug for me.

And I have to say, you are a sweet sister coming on here concerned for her :)
deleted_user
deleted_user
I had BP when I was around 19. It started with my lip twitching when i was putting on my lipstick. It came on within the evening. I was very scared and felt like I would never recover. I didn't want to work or for people to see me.

It lasted for about two months. Eventually i noticed a little more twitching on my lip and eye, and it very slolwy. It came back fully.. no signs, really. However, I notice that in photos one of my eyes looks smaller then the other.

You will get through this. "
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