Bells Palsey

A couple of my co-workers have had this. It is usually brought on by stress. It is apparently caused by a virus that is commonly around that usually causes cold sores (also stress-related). It's a virus, so it just has to resolve on its own. Corticosteroids can reduce the inflammation that causes the weakening of the muscles that look like stroke symptoms, but it will go probably go away in several weeks if he just relaxes. Good luck to him! It's a pain, but usually not dangerous...!

D. W

My sister work up with it one day and it took a very long time for her to get over it, however she did have a lot of stress in her life. I think the key to getting better is to take the meds, lower the stress level, Walking or doing something that brings joy to him. Today she only shows sign of it when she is stressed out. So if it's a job or someone in his life that is causing this, it's important to decide if the job or person is worth it. Good luck.

My sister and my best friend have both been through this. I won't lie to you. It is not easy at all!!! If he caught it quickly, a lot of times, the steroids really help! It just takes time and A LOT of patience!!! It is scary and we just had to be really supportive. I hope this helps. :)

My name is R.. I'm 26 and was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy past August, just a month after finding out I was pregnant. I was devastated because I looked and felt like a stroke victim. My doctor's also treated me with medication and told me that it would just take time, anywhere from a few weeks to even months.

Basically, they told me that it is believed to be related to the same virus that causes cold sores. There is a small opening on the side of your skull beneath your ear that allows for a facial nerve to pass through. When you have Bells Palsy, that nerve begins to swell, and can become pinched within this opening in your skull.(Mine started with a tingling feeling on the side of my jaw that felt like I had just eaten something sour.)

This "pinched nerve" affects your facial movements on that side. The doctor's said that it will usually only affect one side and only very rarely will it affect both sides, so that's good news.

Your eyebrow may sag, you do not have the control to close, wink, or blink that eye. You may experience either an overproduction of tears, or dry eyes since you cannot blink that eye like normal. It is a good idea to invest in some natural tear eyedrops to use throughout the day. You do not want the affected eye to dry out as this may cause damage to your eye. (I used the eyedrops during the day and at night, I used an eye ointment and then had to tape my eye shut since it would not shut completely when I tried to sleep.)

Your mouth will not form a smile on that side, so that you look like you just have a half smile. Your mouth may be temporarily paralyzed on that one side, or may even droop.(I had trouble rinsing my mouth when I brushed my teeth; I had to pinch my lips together to rinse.) Eating was a very difficult task.(I had an especially hard time eating in front of anybody because I was embarrassed.) It becomes difficult to pronounce certain sounds when talking.(I had trouble with my b's and p's. Not fun when you are trying to tell somebody that you have BBBBBBells PPPPPPalsy!) It is also difficult to drink from soda or water bottles. A straw helped if I used it in the opposite corner of my mouth. Your salivary glands are also affected just like your tears. You may experience either an overproduction of saliva, or dry mouth. If overproduction occurs, then you may experience some drooling. My sense of taste was totally messed up!

It is not contagious and affects men and women equally. My personal case began to clear up quickly, so I was lucky. The doctor said that most people recover fully, but others may have lasting effects. I used to massage that side of my face because I heard that it may help, so I thought it wouldn's hurt to try.

I did lots of research online and found out many interesting things about it. It is definitely more common than I thought. Since I have had it once, there is a chance that I may get it again later in life.

It is a very emotional time and it is hard to understand what all that person goes through unless you have been there. It feels like nobody knows what you are going through. Your brother may need lots of emotional support as he goes through this very difficult time.

It was only made easier for me by doing research to fully understand the many changes that had happened to me almost instantly. I think that doing research also helped my family to understand what was happening with me.

I empathize with your brother and understand the tough road to recovery that he will travel, but with much support and time, he will make it through it.

You're a great sister for trying to understand this and help him. He's lucky to have somebody like you there for him right now.

I encourage you both to do some research because most of what I learned did not come from my doctor's visit, it came from my personal research and I'm glad I did it.

I remember hearing once that George Clooney had it when he was younger...he didn't turn out that bad!
http://www.bellspalsy.org.uk/famous.htm
Good luck to your brother - I'm sure he will be fine.

Lori, since 85% of cases resolve on their own, the treatment is usually conservative. There should be improvement within 2-3 days. Some cases take longer to completely resolve. The causes vary but usually it is a flareup of herpes simplex virus which causes the facial nerve to swell. Tumors, Lyme disease etc are much rarer. An episode can be brought on by stress, depressed immunity, etc and 75% of all cases are preceeded by an upper respiratory infection. Light facial massage, which he can do himself, will help move things along.
C. Ratliff LMT

My husband got that about 6 mos. after we were married. I think it lasted about a week. Once it was over, that was it. He ended up getting diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis shorty after that, no one has told has that the two were linked...but who knows.
I do have a friend that got it when she was a young child (2) and she now has a lazy eye from it. I think it just depends on how bad it is. I know my husband was very freaked out by it at first, but once we went to the dr. we found how common it was.
Tell him not to worry, evidently there are a lot of people out there that get it.

Hi Lori,
I don't know much about Bells Palsey but me and my father have had it before. It usually does go away in about a week and in some instances others have had it for up to a year. The only discomfort we suffered was more cosmetic/social. But half a smile is better than no smile!

I knew of a friend in the Army that got it out of the blue, it went away, and there is no evidence now of it, & he was young, then I had a cousin that had it, and it seems to be lingering longer but is going away. no one seems to know what causes it. This doesn't probably help except for your brother to know he isn't alone, and he will get over it.

My brother has it and has had it for about 6 yrs and he gets it once every 2 yrs give or take. It usually occurs when he is under a lot of stress. He actually has it again, it occurred on his way home from vacation w/my sister in law. He starts a new job on Friday and has been out of wk for a few months.
I would suggest to relax and get plenty of rest and try to minimize talking cause that really wears my brother out when he talks on the phone and try to illiminate stress.
Good Luck and I hope this helps.
M.

Lori, I myself have had Bells Palsey. I woke up with it 3 days after the birth of my first son! While it was very scary it did resolve itself in a couple of weeks. My Dr. had put me on meds for it( I don't recall what)and I also went to physical therapy where the used those little electrodes to stimulate the muscles. That was 14 years ago and I have never had another episode. I hope this helps a little bit. God bless!

My husband had Bells Palsy and it did only last about 3 weeks. But I have heard of it lasting several months. It is not dangerous, it is a virus, and will go away eventually. M. G

Hi Lori-
My DH had it about 7 years ago. It also came out of nowhere and was very stressful for him, and he is totally not one bit vain. He was just concerned that a.) He'd had a stroke and B.) His face would stay that way. Good news is that it cleared itself up in about 3 weeks. If I recall the Dr. did prescribe something, not sure if it did anything. Seems like it runs it's course on it's own.
I hope your brother is better soon.

Lori,

I had it once during a stressful time in my life. I was sent to a neurologist-to make sure I had not had a stroke. I was given a steroid and in under a month, you could not tell that I had even be affected by it. Hope this helps.

My best friend got it about 2 years ago (at age 30) and it came out of nowhere. It was down by her mouth on the bottom of her cheek. It lasted about a week or so, then went away. Never happened again--so far. I don't know any more about it than that. Sorry!

My dad had bells palsey when I was in junior high. They gave him ointment for his eye and he had to wear a patch. It went away in about six weeks and he is fine now. He had trouble drinking and had to use a straw in the working part of his mouth. Hope that helps!!

my dad had it..he went temp. paralysed on one side of his face. they said it was caused by a vitamin deficiency caused by his alcoholism...it did go away in a few weeks...blessings,

____@____.com

My husband and my best friend and even our doctor has had this. It is really weird how it happens but it does seem to go away quickly with no lasting effects. It might stay droopy on one side for a while but usually goes away pretty quick.

My brother and dad both had it. The Dr. said it was probably caused by either trauma or a virus. Both went away within a month!

HI Lori: I suffered from Bells Palsey last spring. It came on one evening out of the blue while watching tv. It took about a month for my symptoms to go away. I still see it a little when I smile in my eyes. They gave me valtrix because they said it is linked to chicken pox/herpes which is all the same virus. Which I hated it because it is the drug for herpes, which I don't have. I didn't do anything special, except take the med they gave me. My aunt said she knew someone who had it too and it took a year for it to go away completely. I suffered on the right side of my face. My eye and the one side of my mouth couldn't close. So, my eye would dry out (used eye drops) and it was hard to eat and drink.

I don't know if this helps any or just give comfort that it will go away with time. It is just embarassing for awhile.

I am familiar with Bells Palsey. My mother had it when I was in the 6th grad over 25 years ago. There were little or no treatments at that time. However she did go to a chiropractor and it helped her tremendously. She also was prescribed meds and I massaged her face daily as did my sis and brother. She was under a lot of stress at that time and it was during the cold season. I recommend that you seek the assistance of a neurologist and physical/speech thearpist. I pray for healling.

Hi Lori....My husband had Bell's Palsey in his late 20's, before I met him. He said it lasted a few weeks and then disappeared. The doctor's told him they did not always know why it strikes as he had no other health problems, and didn't drink or use drugs. The two side effects he was left with was a tendency to tear from the outer corner of his left eye when he eats and he his smile is slightly crooked on this left side...but, not even enough to really notice it. He had it that one time and has never had the full blown condition return. When you consider, in the grand picture of life, all of the diseases and conditions that a human body can develope, this one is relatively benign....it isn't cancer, it isn't ALS, it isn't liver disease, it isn't diabetes....see where I am going with this?.....thank God he has a condition that will be gone before long and will leave him basically as it found him and he can get on with living a normal productive life.
N. C.
East Texas

So sorry this has happened to your brother! At the age of 20, I came down with a slight case of Bells Palsey due to a severe inner ear infection that swelled so much my cranial nerves were temporarily effected causing slight paralysis on the right side of my face. I was hospitalized, put on steroids, and a month after the ear infection healed, the bells palsey slowly faded. It was very scary though!! I have heard that many times it can come from stress....maybe there are things going on in your brother's life that are unusually stressful? I hope things heal for you and him soon!

Hi Lori,

I suffered from bells for about a month when I was in the fith grade (age 10). They believed it to be caused from the trama of a recent horse back riding fall I had taken. It was over a holiday and I remember waking up on Monday to return to school and eating breakfast with my sister. She began laughing and, proclaiming "half of your face doesn't work". We went to the emergency room and later to my Pediatrician. I don't remember medication, but I had to go into the office daily for them to stimulate the muscles (kinda like shock treatment). This was 25 years ago (probably illegal now) Ha!! After about 2 weeks my face began to twitch with the shock device and we were back to normal about two weeks later. No residule effects and no reoccurences ect.
It seems to me that it is all guess work. My onset occured almost two months after my fall. It was just the most recent event they could tie it to.
That being said, I am sure he is scared.
Just try and encourage him, support him, and pray for him. Cook him a meal, rent a great movie and spend a little time laughing together. He will be fine and he will appreciate the company!!
Prayfully,
W.

My brother had a attack of bells palsey when he was 32, he ended up having to have surgery. A nerve behind his ear was responsible for his attack. Apparently the nerve wound itsself up into a tight ball. Most people that I know who have had this are told the same as your brother. My brother is the only one I know who has ever had surgery. I am sure there are other. Your brother should visit with his doctor, he may need a second opinion. Hope this helps.

Although I've never heard of anyone quite that young suffering Bells palsey, my husband, at the age of 50 did. Maybe the scariest part I remember was the Dr. telling us that it is a diagnosis of elimination which means there is no specific cause that can be pin pointed and this causes uncertainty into treatment options. A significant number of cases are actually miss-diagnosed. So he warned us that if after 10 days or so there wasn't significant improvement, we were to schedule an appoitment with a neurologist. My husband did not see a neurologist but still, 8 yrs later, has a problem with his eye watering all the time. The droopiness on the one side of his face finally went back to normal but for weeks, his mouth would not close correctly and he would drool. His eye on that side would not close all the way for months. I sometimes wonder if we should have gone to a specialist just to make sure it was not another form of paralysis. My advise is to watch it very closely, but maybe at his age, he will heal more quickly. Good Luck!

My hubby had it a couple of years ago. Scared the you know what out of me because I thought he'd had a stroke (he was only 27). Doctor said viruses can sometimes cause it, which is what we think happened with him, as he'd been sick shortly before it happened. The biggest thing with him was that he couldn't close one of his eyes. If your brother can't close his eye, make sure he uses rewetting drops or gel to keep it moist. My hubby's cleared up in a couple weeks and he's had no residual effects.

Current medical thinking is that it is a virus that hits a very weak immune system. Thus, not everyone gets it. The immune system can be weakened by alot of things, including excess stress. The only thing you can really do is wait it out and try to rebuild the immune system. It really sucks. It's a little rare in someone that age. Remember that his ego will take a hit. At that age, it is all about fitting in. Now one side of his face is paralyzed and he will be outcast by all but the truely understanding. I wish there was more you could do, but just treating him like he is a "normal" person is the best thing you can do for him.

Hi Lori,
I was diagnosed with Bells Palsy almost 20 years ago. Back then there where no medications to help reduce the swelling. I had been exercising, I took a shower and then sat down under a ceiling fan. It happens mostly to truck drivers that drive with their windows down in cold weather. The hardest thing is that you have to wait it out. There is no quick fix for it. I think it took almost a month before mine reversed itself. I did not want to do anything outside my house, however, I had a wonderful husband at the time that continually told me that I was beautiful in spite of the disease. I am very aware of cold wintery weather and wear a scarf around my neck and face.......I don't want it to come back. I feel twinges every so often, I just pray and ask God to not let "my face fall again". To this day (and I know well into the future) He has been faithful to answer my prayers. I know I didn't give you a quick fix, however, I hope maybe a little relief knowing that their are others out there with the same struggle. I will be praying for your brother. One more thing, the hearing on the side of the palsy is amplified, meaning if someone speaks loudly or yells it almost kills me. And I can hear the smallest noises from other rooms. It can be very irritating at times. However, I can also hear people's conversations, which it cool at times. :-)
A.

Lori -

My mom's best friend has Bells Palsey. She was told a long time ago that it is treatable but she did seek the treatment. Now she has facial distortions, her eyes constantly tear, and she has to continue wiping her mouth because of drool. Please, please, please continue to encourage your brother to seek treatment!

A little about me:
I've been married for 16 years to a wonderful guy. We have two kids: Our daughter is fourteen, and our son is 11.

My uncle had the same thing happen. He is in his 30's. He's been dealing with it for about 3 months. He's been taking the medication and the doctors just told him to be patient. It will run its course, but it's not a guarantee that it will go away or that it won't come back. It's a strange thing and he's very frustrated with it.

Hi Lori, I've had it twice in my life. On my left side when I was 14 and then on my right side when I was 23. I just took steroids each time and it was fine after a couple weeks. I do still have issues with the left side of my face (uneven smile, can't wink my eye, etc) and that was 25 years ago. There is no definitive answer as to what causes it.

Lori about 8 years ago I got Bells Palsey. No one could really explain anything about it. I went to my family doctor immediatley and they put me on a steriod and valtrex(that is used to treat herpes). He set me up an appt the very next morning with Neuro doctor. He said he would not change any of the medication. Mine went away exactly 4 weeks from onset, and has not returned!!! It was very frustrating, especially wearing the eye patch at night. I hope everything goes well and I wish your brother the best--It is extremely a trying time!!!