Bell's Palsy. OR, My Friday in the ER. OR I'm a pirate! yarrr
I woke up on Thursday and my lips were acting strange, then my eye started acting strange. When I woke up friday, there was no movement in the entire left side of my face. It's called bell's palsy, and it's a problem with the nerves in my face.
80% of the time, it gets better within six weeks. So I'm almost feeling ok about it.
But it really sucks for right now.
One of the problems is my left eye won't blink. So I risk cornea damage from wind, dust, debris, or the sun. That's usually one of the worst long-term damages done to people who have bell's palsy.
As far as everyday stuff goes, I look really stupid. The left side of my mouth is drooped down, so when I smile it's super lopsided, And I'm having trouble eating and drinking, especially drinking, because my lips wont hold the liquid in and it dribbles out the side of my mouth. As far as eating, i have to tilt my head back and to the side to make sure the food stays in. I'm talking funny too. B's and P's are the worst (much like the word lisp and impediment, this is one of those 'if you have it, you can't say it' things i've always laughed about.)
And I was trying to wear glasses everywhere, to protect my eye from wind, dust, flying debris, and the sun. But in the middle of the night, inside a restaurant, the sunglasses look kinda silly.
Plus, it didn't work. I still got wind and other stuff constantly hitting my eye... especially when driving. So now i'm wearing an eye-patch pretty much wherever i go. That looks sexy, i'll tell you what. All i need is a peg leg and a hook.
I'm ok, I'll live. And there's a good chance this will go away.
That doesn't stop me from hating it, though
80% of the time, it gets better within six weeks. So I'm almost feeling ok about it.
But it really sucks for right now.
One of the problems is my left eye won't blink. So I risk cornea damage from wind, dust, debris, or the sun. That's usually one of the worst long-term damages done to people who have bell's palsy.
As far as everyday stuff goes, I look really stupid. The left side of my mouth is drooped down, so when I smile it's super lopsided, And I'm having trouble eating and drinking, especially drinking, because my lips wont hold the liquid in and it dribbles out the side of my mouth. As far as eating, i have to tilt my head back and to the side to make sure the food stays in. I'm talking funny too. B's and P's are the worst (much like the word lisp and impediment, this is one of those 'if you have it, you can't say it' things i've always laughed about.)
And I was trying to wear glasses everywhere, to protect my eye from wind, dust, flying debris, and the sun. But in the middle of the night, inside a restaurant, the sunglasses look kinda silly.
Plus, it didn't work. I still got wind and other stuff constantly hitting my eye... especially when driving. So now i'm wearing an eye-patch pretty much wherever i go. That looks sexy, i'll tell you what. All i need is a peg leg and a hook.
I'm ok, I'll live. And there's a good chance this will go away.
That doesn't stop me from hating it, though