Hello - i really feel for you! i too got Bells 30wks pregnant - its awful when people tell you to cheer up - its not permanant! its hard to put on a smile when your face wont work properly! sending you a huge hug! :) mine was noticably improved after 3 weeks - my naturopath helped - but also i looked at anger i was facing in my life at the time (a horrid MIL) so i told her how i felt about some issues i was havign with her at the time - i woke the next morning and my face started to show improvement) and well i started to feel alot better too... im a happy upbeat person - but during my bout of Bells - it gave me an insight to maybe how others feel depressed - an awful feeling really.. my nuro surgeon (who my gyno) refferred me to also expained at similar to carpal tunnel in pregnacy as the 7th nerve in the face gets squashed... look up louise hay book - heal yourself - and it talks about bells and unreloved anger - thats why other comments are talking about anger long term it has truly taken over 12months and a good weeks holiday for "my face" to actually feel better- i can feel twinges if im over tired though.... use eye drops - use a patch to protect your eye... try and go for a massage too - everyone at work was really nice to me - even though i felt terrible and looked a sight - so try and surround yourself with posiitve helpful people - in the meantime be kind to your body i hope you recover quickly - its not a nice thing to go thru
Update, Day 17: Receiving IM injections of vitamin B 12, 3 x per week, also staying with the vitamin B regimen. Follow up appointment yesterday, great improvement! I have full up and down movement of the eyebrow and can wrinkle my forehead; I can fully blink/close my eye; I can somewhat furrow my eyebrows.
My smile is about 70% recovered, as is my speech.
I am thrilled with my progress and prognosis!
Multi-B vitamin's are best for nerve growth (Take a Multi-B Complex which includes all the B's, B-6, B-12, etc...) - Also highlt recommended for this condition is Lysine (500mg to 1000mg per day) - You should drink the Lysine tab with a glass of orange juice as the Lysine needs the asorbic acid (Vitamin C) to help it properly absorb into the body.
I'm with you. I developed Bells 4 days ago after having a wisdom tooth extracted. I cant move my entire left side of my face. (This feels like the worst feeling in the world being so helpless without control of half your face) - I'm 48, a working professional with a family and 3 kids. I cant think of a worse thing that could happen to anyone.
In just 4 days though I already notice some very slight improvements.
I that the Prednisone (20mg 3x a day, and I take the anti-viral pills 3x a day) - My nurologist told me that B vitamins help promote nearve growth and nerve repair so he put me on high potency "B-Complex" vitamins (The full group of B vitamins inside, the B6's, B12's, etc...) You need them all. Max out the B vitamins for the first 2 weeks of Bells and the recovery will speed up as the nerve regenerates itself.
Also recommended for Bells is Lysine (500mg to 1000mg per day) as it supports immune system function. (Note: Take the Lysine with a glass of orange juice or a C-vitamin as the Lysine needs asorbic acid (C vitamin) to help it properly absorb into the body.
I think everybody with Bells needs to find what feels right and works for them to be comfortable. All the reading I've seen on Bells says you need to relax your muscels and stay free from stress for a quicker recovery.
I've taken off from my work as I cant conduct meetings in this condition, and I'm concentrating on relaxing for another week and help myself get better.
The good news is that about 95% make a full recovery, the bad news is that it takes thime.
Most reports say the first ten days have minimal recovery as the nerve needs to regenerate itself. The nerve regenerates at about 1mm to 2mm a day so in the first 10 days there is still only minimal regeneration of the 7th cranial nerve. Then after about day 10 the nerve starts to reach a point that some facial functions will start to be noticed, Cheak movement, better sensatin in the lips and slightly better control of functions. Noticable improvements are said to be more noticed in weeks 2 and 3 when some mild cases make big strides. More severe cases will take longer of course. 80% to 90% recovery can come in months 2 to 3 in most cases.
Hope everyone a fast recovery, get your full B-Complex vitamins and lets all hurry up and get better.
Thanks for this blog to let us all vent our own stories, It makes me feel better by reading how others are getting through it.
My best to all! Stay possitive, as aweful as it is the power of positive thinking is the cure!
Bells (BP) is when the 7th cranial nerve is tramatized and gets inflamed inside its small skelital cavity and causes paralysis to a side of the face (it seems about 50% - 50% get left or right side)
Highly recommended as soon as possible is high potency B-Complex vitamins (all the B's, B-6, B-12, etc...) as B vitamins are the ones that support nerve growth. When the 7th cranial nerve is damaged in trama it needs to regenerate to get your facial functions back. (When a road is damaged, you need to build a new road. The same with a damaged nerve) - Your nerves can regenerate about 1mm to 2mm per day, so taking the Multi-B vitamins can get you the 2mm max growth days which are better than the slower 1mm days = 2x faster recovery time mith the multi-B's.
Also a Multi vitamin every day (like a Centrum) to help your imune system and give your body everything it needs to repair itself. Also helpful is Lysine (taken with a C vitamin to help it absorb into the body properly)
Hope this helps, heal and get well.
PS - Low stress, lots of sleep (without a pillow) lay on your back and leave your head flat on the mattres to allow best flow to the head and neck without restricting circulation. -If your eye wont close use a PM eye lube and tape the eye closed with paper tape. During the day keep using eye drops to save your eye. (Remember - if your eye does not close and you cant feel it during the day, it can dry out and cause eye problems down the road. Keep it wet and use the drops, once you can blink well again in time you can stop the drops)
For the Acupuncture would you suggest just regular acupuncture or where they add the small electrodes to them??
liz, i have all the symptoms you have but have never connected them with brlls palsy which i had 4yrs ago the worst problem i have is the blinking eye mostly wen i eat, if i could get rid of that i could cope with the rest thoughthe tiredness even after a small task is just awful. i saw a specialist who said botox can be given but he did'nt think it work on me, they did'nt want the cost more like, good look for the future
I've had this for 10 months as well. I had the most improvements from 2 months to 4 months, but I have been pretty stagnent since then. My nerves are still sentive to the touch on my left side and I can only raise one side of my mouth and eyebrow. When I'm tired my wife says she can tell because my face will droop. The funny thing for me is that whenever I eat my left eye watters and my left nostril drains. I was pretty frustrated in the begining, but over time it has certainly made me appreciate and not take for granted simple things as whistling, smiling and speaking etc. If this is permenant, then I will accept and move on and not be defined because my smile is crooked, or only one of my eyebrows lift. It could have been something more serious such as a tumor, stroke etc. Life is good, don't take anything for granted, even this day.
I got BP on Sep 4 last year and last posted here on Oct 17 (been a while).
I got my MRI results and it was the worst case the neurologist and the radiographer have ever seen. The nerve is, to use the medical term, completely stuffed along it’s entire length. Bummer.
I also had a nerve conduction test and the short version of the outcome was that it may not recover completely, and if it does, it will take a long time.
I was recommended to try acupuncture, but all that really achieved, after about 14 sessions, was one very frustrated acupuncturist who at the end was treating me for free, such was his frustration. We ended by mutual consent. Don’t take that as a recommendation against acupuncture, it just did nothing (or at least nothing noticeable) for me, probably due to the severity of my BP.
The discussions here re vitamin B are interesting. A friend emailed me with a recommendation from a homeopath friend of hers to hit the vitamin B, but some reading I did suggested that if you take too much, it can have detrimental effects on the nerves. So I have been hesitant, but after reading what I have read here I think I’ll give a it a (cautious) crack. I’m a little surprised neither neurologist nor GP made any mention of it.
I think there has been marginal improvement (other people say so, and I think I notice it), but it is hard to say for sure, as I think people (myself included) become used to it. I appreciate others posting their experiences, and I will pop back here with my own updates from time to time. Stay positive is all I can say!
I have had Bell's Palsy now for exactly 6 months. My eye closes and my brow lifts just a little. My mouth doesn't open completely on my left side so no big smile but I am at least showing teeth and grateful for that.... I did take prednisone and acyclovir when this all happened. I also tried acupuncture for 3 months, have been taking vitamin b12 sublingual, going through galvanic stimulation and doing facial exercises. This has been a long road for me. I own my business and work for myself. Unfortunately I am in sales and due to this condition, I have not felt comfortable meeting with clients as my speech is still a bit impaired and my smile is crooked. Hang in there. Keep doing everything you can- don't give up. Prayer has also helped me get through some diffiicult days. Take care and be strong.
I'm on day 10 of BP. Wish it had hit during October because I would make a good Quasimodo (Hunchback of Notre Dame) or Renfield since my speech is so slurred. Started with a numb side of tongue driving to work, then breakfast biscuit falling out the side of my mouth once I got there. Got steroid injection withing 2 hours of that. So far, my cornea is doing well. I found a "Palsy Patch" online that my Op thought looked good to him ($30). I've had it for 4 days now and it does make sleeping easier. Except with the mega steroids I've only been able to catch 1-2 naps every now and then. Biggest issue for me are the 'dry eye' attacks. I've been a contact lens wearer for 37 years (I'm 55) but now they won't let me and it seems everything irritates my eye. I have adapted a pair of Speedo goggles for daytime which works well for comfort but not my vision. Really, really would like to go to work, but Dr. & Opthomologist don't think I should try driving 45 miles each way as when the eye issue starts it is extremely painful and I'd have to pull of the road. Hopefully, we'll come up with something soon.
The cornea can dry out and become infected. You need to put eye drops in constantly in the beginning. I used Systane. They worked the best for me. Before bed I used the Systane Gel Drops and taped my eye shut. Ask your local pharmacist which tape to use. I also still shower with goggles when I wash my hair. There are eye masks that you can use that will help. I bought one on Amazon that allows you to microwave it and then releases moisture. That felt wonderful. I could hardly drive at all in the beginning but it gets better. Hopefully you will heal a lot quicker than I did. I jut hit six months and can close my eye now but my mouth is still not opening all the way on one side. Good luck with your recovery!
Day 16 - No sign of any improvement. Still on Steroids & Anti-Viral meds. With all the reading I've done, I'm afraid with no changes yet, this may last longer than the 3-4 weeks the Dr. originally said it would take to get back to work. I see him and the ophthalmologist again tomorrow. The affected side is my dominant eye and I still haven't figured out how to adjust. If I cover it and try to use just the good eye it seems to throw my depth perception way off. Still can't sleep for diddly and could probably get 8 hours of 'work' in a day IF I could work from home. However, Satellite internet access seems to be an issue for VPN access. My bigger half is still driving me anywhere/everywhere I have to go, which means other that Dr appts, I'm homebound.
I've had bells palsy for 31 days now. Here's a quick run down of what I've been through and the improvements over the first month.
One day 1 thru day 7: full left side of face has no movements at all, could not close eyelid, no movement on forehead or mouth on left side. Eye felt very out of sync with my good side, just very bad on entire left side of face, tape eye closed at night with gel, and liquid drops during the day to prevent drying. Took Prednisone and anti-viral tabs for 10 days as per doctor and the neurologist. On day 8 &day 9 at night when it was time to go to sleep I felf pain and burning on the left side of my face and strong pain behind my ear, Pain killers and asprin did not help much, could not sleep for those 2 days. It felt like the nerves were in pain very bad for 2 nights.
Then the 3rd week my left eye started to blink better, getting more in sync with my good eye. still wont close all the way but at least it can blink about 75% the way down, after 30 days still no movement to my forehead or my smile, only my blinking has improved and I notice that it's getting easier to dring from bottles of water and tea from cups. It feels like even though I cant smile on the left side or move my lips on the left side that the pulling of my face over to the right is slowly coming back more to the center. I don't know if thats because over the 30 days I've grown more used to it and can deal with it better or if it is truely pulling back to the left side gradually without me knowing it, (I hope so) - I recall the first week it was near impossible to eat well or to drink, I didn't want anyone to see me this way, not friends, not family, etc... - Now after 1 month although I still cant move my forehead or smile on the left, my face looks more normal as my blinking has improved much better than in week 1 and 2.
I can see this in no 3 week process, this is looking like slow gradual improvements day by day.
It's an aweful thing to get, take a good mulit-vitamin each day and a high potancy B-Complex vitamin each day (as B-vitamins are proven to promote nearve growth)
One important note, if your a smoker, don't smoke!!!
Smoking makes your nearves and the nerve endings swell up. This is exactly what you don't want. It stays in your system and swells your nearves for up to 8 hours. You want your nerves to relax and not to swell as the swelling is what caused the nerve damage to the 7th cranial nerve in the first place. If you smoke just 3 cigs a day you can loose up to a whole days nearve regeneration repair, don't do it. - I like to smoke on occasion as much as anyone else but with this aweful bells palsy, I want to recover as fast as possible. - So if one good thing comes out of it it's that I'll give up smoking for as long as it takes. - If you smoke, don't do it!!! (you just delay your healing or cause more long term damage) - eat well, keep stress to a minimum, take vitamins, and keep your head up and think possitive.
Message your face but don't over-do it. You don't want to damage the new nearve growth taking place. Light gental messaging to keep the muscle tissue moving. - Hope everyone see's some improvement week by week. I'll write again in 2 weeks with any new progress.