Facial nerve inflammation / Bell's Palsy help?

Karen Peterson said:Has anyone else dealt with this?
I guess my mind just jumps to all these wild possibilities.🙄

I've got all my prescriptions ready and I start physical therapy tomorrow, but now I'm wondering if I should also look into acupuncture or maybe seeing a holistic healer? 😕

Michael Williams70 said:It sounds like you guys caught a break. I definitely got the short end of the stick. Usually, the younger you are, the faster you bounce back—if I caught this again at my age, it would be a much tougher climb. About twelve years ago, an older gentleman I knew started therapy, and after a month, he barely saw any improvement. It really just comes down to how lucky you get.
The second time it hit me, it was just bad timing. I had the flu, a 102 fever, freezing weather, a cold car, the AC blowing... I was sweating through it all. It struck me mid-day, and since I couldn't just walk away from work, I pushed through. It hit me right in the neck, and honestly, I can still feel the aches there today.

Michael Williams70 said:Still dealing with it. Just like Francis

Michael Williams70 said:I’ve been through this twice myself—once back when I was just a kid, and again about 12 years ago. Honestly, if I were you, I’d be hitting the B vitamins via IV, staying on top of physical therapy like it's your full-time job, and keeping that side of your face warm. Do facial exercises, practice blowing air, and for heaven's sake, stay out of the wind. It really sucks that you're dealing with this, man.
I was out on medical leave for 75 days straight. Getting started on these treatments ASAP is absolutely critical, and I wasn't allowed to step foot back on the job because the risks were too high—if I had worked, I could have ended up permanently paralyzed.
All I’ve got to show for it is messed up vision in my left eye—the stroke hit my left side hard. My eyes tear up constantly now, and my face is totally asymmetrical. Breathing through my left nostril is a total struggle, and since the left side of my lip is weak, I end up being a messy eater. It’s embarrassing; I can’t even handle something simple like spaghetti because the left side of my mouth just won't hold it together.
Honestly, reading all that sounds pretty grim, but it’s really not as bad as it looks on paper. I just tend to notice things that everyone else misses. Still, I’ve gotta be careful not to catch it again—recovery would be a total nightmare this time around.
Back when I was just a kid in fifth grade, I spent an entire month stuck in a hospital bed over on Vineyard. They had me on these B vitamin shots—injected straight into my butt—and let me tell you, it was absolutely brutal. My ass would be sore and bruised, making it impossible to sit, lie down, or even walk properly after the shot. They always made sure to hit me with them right before lunch, too. And the stinging? Pure hell. Just imagine being an eleven-year-old kid having to deal with that kind of pain.
It was actually way easier this time around. They did an IV combo with Vitamin C, which made a huge difference. B vitamins aren't even covered by insurance anymore—I don't know what the deal is with that lately—even though they're standard treatment for this condition. Luckily, I managed to score some through a friend who works at the hospital.
All I can say at this point is good luck with the recovery. Hopefully you dodge as many side effects as possible, but honestly, it’s going to take some serious discipline and actual effort with the therapy to see real results.
Yeah, seriously. And another thing—because of this whole illness situation, I had to deal with the most uncomfortable medical exam of my entire life. An electromyography. Gross. It’s basically checking nerve conduction. Totally necessary, but man, it was unpleasant.
Hope that helped you out at least a little bit. Hang in there. 😉

Ethan Garcia8 said:I went through this twice myself—once five years ago and again last year. First it was one side, then the other. I don't have any lasting issues, and they didn't go overboard with the treatment like they did for the guy mentioned above. I hit up the ER neurology department both times; they checked me out and confirmed there were no neurological issues. Then I got a referral to an ENT, who also gave me the all-clear. They just handed me some B-complex vitamins and some exercises to do, and that was it. It cleared up in about 3 or 4 days. The first time I went to physical therapy, but the second time I didn't bother.

I know another guy who dealt with this twice too. Clearly, some people are just prone to it, even if the odds are slim. 😁

Ethan Garcia8 said:That sucks.

The worst part is you can't even laugh at it because you just end up looking like a total idiot to yourself. 🙂

Michael Williams70 said:So, last night I used this antibiotic ointment—can't even remember which one—and I basically smashed it into my eye and squeezed it shut so it wouldn't leak out while I was sleeping. During the day, I just stuck to artificial tears. I wasn't messing with the ointment during daylight hours because it blurs your vision like crazy, and I needed to be able to see clearly since I had to drive myself to my appointments.
You probably aren't going to bother with the EMG. I had such a nasty shock that I actually had to go in for it. It reminded me that my hearing has been acting up too. My ear was ringing like crazy. As soon as the noise hit a certain volume, I felt like my eyes were literally going to pop out of my head. Even taking a shower was a struggle because if the water hit my ear too hard, the sound would have absolutely wrecked me.😲
That wasn't exactly a walk in the park. I really hope things are feeling way less intense for you now that your doctor actually gave you the green light to get back to work.
Do you sit in front of a mirror making faces while you're on your meds? While I was waiting around for the power to come back on, I ended up just cracking jokes to myself. People were staring at me like I’d completely lost my mind. Honestly, even I thought I was being ridiculous.😂

Keith Martinez said:Laser therapy is actually great for knocking out symptoms. It works wonders for trigeminal neuralgia.

Karen Peterson said:😲So, I just finished my first therapy session, heading back tomorrow for the second one, and I guess it’ll just keep going like this until things improve🙄 Nobody really wants to give me a straight answer on how long this whole thing takes—and look, I totally get it, I know you can't predict it because everyone heals differently—but man, I would still love to have some kind of ballpark figure to prepare myself for...🙂
I mean, there was actually another girl at the physical therapy clinic where I go who just wrapped up her treatment... but nope, I couldn't manage to squeeze out any info about how long she was stuck in the cycle...🤷
So, Anthony, you're saying maybe a month? Like, roughly?🙄 Well, okay, that's about what I was thinking... and now... well, God willing, hopefully even sooner than that!👍 Seriously, I am trying so hard, doing my exercises day and night, at home, staring at myself in the mirror, without a mirror, even while walking down the street or sitting at work...😛
Today, I could actually move one side of my mouth a tiny bit... it's nothing major, but I don't think I could do that just the other day... or maybe I'm just losing my mind?

The actual therapy feels pretty nice during the massage part,😁 but that electrical stimulation part is kind of intense and uncomfortable (especially if you haven't managed to eat anything substantial, which was me yesterday, for example!😲)