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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/ Bell's Palsy Support Group

tell me about your symptoms

deleted_user
deleted_user
what kind of symptoms do you all have? mine seem pretty mild compared to some-affected only on my left side, my eye will twitch wildly, sometimes almost closing. i have numbness around my mouth, i feel like i'm drooling altho i'm not really (thank heavens!) and my lips tingle and burn. that side of my face feels like its "melting" but can only been seen when I'm very tired. i've been fortunate not to have paralysis. also, the symptoms flare up when i'm very stressed or tired, never going away completely but sometimes not very noticable. i refuse to take steroids which is the only thing my doc will offer so i no longer even bring this up. does this sound familiar to anyone? this is annoying but not unmanagable by any means.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Hi Hope. My symptoms are alot like yours.. No drooping or anything, just numbness feeling like I have had a novacaine shot on my left side. No burning, just some tingling off and on, mostly numb and it gets better, then worse, then moves up to my lower eye, then back down to my lips and cheek area.
Sounds like we both have a mild case, thank goodness! Im sure it will all go away with time... just waiting is the hard part. Best wishes for you and you arent alone in this!
(((((((Hope))))
Sho
deleted_user
deleted_user
geeze you guys sound a little different to how it was for me. mine felt like something snapped in my head i was awake when it happened. it was like an imaginary line down the face. Could not close my eye or lift my lip, when i smiled my right side face would almost go to the left. lol. It felt like the side that had the paralysis was frozen solid like an icycle. I had pain just above my right ear and now even though it only was there for 3 days 72 hrs. i get all self concious about it, like am i smiling normal, or is my eye open or can i move both nostrils or will my eye brow lift up and down and can i lift my ear, But i dont think that i had bells palsy as it only lasted 3 days and well 3 yrs later i was diagnosed with epilepsy after having a huge seizure. although i do have a dimple in my chin on the right side that is just weird it wasnt there before the paralysis. And if i put my tongue to the right side of my lip i can feel a tight nerve. But i personally feel like i had some type of seizure, it was not a stroke as i have normal ct scan
deleted_user
deleted_user
i guess mine are rather mild also. i was beginning to wander if doctors were right. the feeliing of a huge shot of novacaine sp? however my numbness runs from my jaw to the crown of my head. all on the left side. was told to do the steroid thing for 7 days. havent started yet. i see that u must be against it. i have concerns as well. although they say rather harmless since i would be taking them for such a short time. what do u think?
deleted_user
deleted_user
These are pretty mild symptoms. How long have you had the symptoms? I did the steroids for a week immediately after I got the BP. Mine started in the middle of the day. I don't see any harm in the steroids, except the rediculous hunger. I don't know if the steroids helped me...today is the beginning of my fifth week. I don't know what has been the biggest help, the B12, the face exercises, the steroids, the Prednisone...it's really hard telling.
deleted_user
deleted_user
WELL SHOW, I HAVE A QUESTION. IF U R IN YOUR 5TH WEEK, WHAT SYMPTOMS IF ANY HAVE U LOST. DO U NOTICE A SLIGHT DIFFERENCE DAILY OR DO U BASICALLY STILL HAVE ALL THE SAME SYMPTOMS? THANKS FOR UR IMPUT.JUST CURIOUS IF I CAN SET SOME SORT OF TIMEFRAME AS TO HOW IM DOIN
deleted_user
deleted_user
I have had progressing improvements since the onset of my BP. The first week and a half, I could barely move the left side of my face. I was doing face exercises until I got a pain so bad in the affected side of my face, it felt like I had been slapped fifty times in a row. My doctor put on Lyrica to control the pain, which has helped a lot. After about 2 1/2 weeks, I noticed a small amount of movement around my mouth, a slight smile line. During the third week, I started regaining some muscle control in my cheek. The fourth week, I regained more control in my mouth, cheek and eyebrow, and my eye has been closing more when I blink. I can actually squint a little. So, that's about where I'm at. Patience is key! Love, Sho
deleted_user
deleted_user
My case is somewhat mild. It all started with a bad headache and the next day the left side of my face was paralyzed. My left eyebrow was considerably lower than my right and I had no movement what so ever on the left side of my face. My lips on the left hand side just sit there on a downward angle. My left eye still does not close all the way. I also found my hearing on the left was extra sensative.

I took 20 days of steroids and 10 days of valtrex, and have gone for 4 acupunture sessions. I have had it for just over 3 weeks and am starting to see slight improvments. I have a laugh line and when I smile I have a dimple now. I feel like I am on the upward swing of things.

All I can say to everyone is be patient and I hope you all have a full recovery.
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