If it's not one thing it's another. Getting old really sucks.
All of this started yesterday while I was having lunch at the Grand
Victoria Casino. I thought I was having a stroke or something. I waited
until I was ready for bed that night but my right eye didn't close. I
got worried so I got in the car and went to the emergency room. They
told me I have Bell's Palsy. The doctor said that it is a virus. She
gave me some steroids to take for 5 days. "You should not have waited so
long when you first got the symptoms. It could have been a stroke," the
doctor told me. She said that it should go back to normal in 2 weeks. I
sure as hell hope so.
It's the right side of my face that does not work. I was trying to Smile. Went to the Doctor today and more pills.😔 The doctor said that I should be able to close my eyelid in about 2 weeks. I have it taped shut right now so it won't dry out.
It's the right side of my face that does not work. I was trying to Smile. Went to the Doctor today and more pills.😔 The doctor said that I should be able to close my eyelid in about 2 weeks. I have it taped shut right now so it won't dry out.
Day 5 - No
Change at all. Shit !!!
Day 7 – My right
side of my face is still paralyzed. It sags. I can’t move my forehead, or lift
my eyebrow. The worst part is that my right eye doesn’t blink. So I have to
keep putting eye drops in it and tape it shut so it won’t dry out or I will lose
my eye. I tried wiggling my nose back and forth. It will move to the left but
not to the right. The right side of my mouth wouldn’t move so it is hard to
talk and to keep food in it when I eat. I have a pain in the back of my right
ear where the facial nerves come through. I just finished taking 5 days of
Prednisone 40 mg per day. I am still taking my anti-viral pills.
When this
suddenly came on last Saturday I also came down with a sinus infection which
left my nose running and sneezing. They gave me antibiotics for that. Thankfully
that has gone away.
The emergency room doctor said that I should
be able to start blinking again in 2weeks. I sure hope she is right. It is awful
with only one eye. I am going to keep this post up to date as things progress
so others who come down with it will know what to expect.
Day 8 - I went to the VA Hospital today (Saturday) and had an MRI of my Cervical Spine and the nerve that runs from my neck to the back of my ear that is paralyzing the right side of my face. I will have to wait a couple of days for the results.
Lost my sense of taste.
Day 12 - I talked with my VA doctor this evening and she is going to send me to a neurologist, an Eye Doctor and a speech Pathologist. I don’t have the dates yet. They will call me and let me know when.
Day 33 – No change. My right side of my face is still paralyzed. The VA eye doctor is treating me with eye drops and eye paste so my eye won’t dry out. I went to the VA today to get it checked up. They told me I have to keep it taped closed. I still can’t blink.
Last week I got an MRI of my brain to rule out anything else that might be happening.
I am seeing a VA Eye doctor (2x’s), my general practitioner on the outside and at the VA, a Speech Pathologist at the VA (2x’s), had an MRI of the brain on the outside and have been referred to an outside Neurologist. No one can tell me how long this will last. Usually 3 to 6 months is all they can say.
I just want this to go away.
Day 40: An update on how things are going with my Bell's Palsy
Day 80: An update on how things are going with my Bell's Palsy
Day 8 - I went to the VA Hospital today (Saturday) and had an MRI of my Cervical Spine and the nerve that runs from my neck to the back of my ear that is paralyzing the right side of my face. I will have to wait a couple of days for the results.
Lost my sense of taste.
Day 12 - I talked with my VA doctor this evening and she is going to send me to a neurologist, an Eye Doctor and a speech Pathologist. I don’t have the dates yet. They will call me and let me know when.
Day 17 – No Change
Yet. Except I got my sense of taste back
I already had my VA appointment with the Eye
doctor yesterday and my speech pathologist is next Monday but my VA Neurologist
appointment isn’t for another 3 months from now. WTF. I thought President Trump
got the VA to speed things up with seeing doctor appointments? The Neurologist is the one Doctor I really want to see.
Day 33 – No change. My right side of my face is still paralyzed. The VA eye doctor is treating me with eye drops and eye paste so my eye won’t dry out. I went to the VA today to get it checked up. They told me I have to keep it taped closed. I still can’t blink.
Last week I got an MRI of my brain to rule out anything else that might be happening.
I am seeing a VA Eye doctor (2x’s), my general practitioner on the outside and at the VA, a Speech Pathologist at the VA (2x’s), had an MRI of the brain on the outside and have been referred to an outside Neurologist. No one can tell me how long this will last. Usually 3 to 6 months is all they can say.
I just want this to go away.
Day 40: An update on how things are going with my Bell's Palsy
Day 80: An update on how things are going with my Bell's Palsy
