bell's palsy

On Thursday, I got a weird feeling in the left side of my tongue, sort of like I had been to the dentist and the novicaine was wearing off.I thought I was having some mild allergic reaction to a food, so I didn't think much of it. This morning, I was sitting in a meeting, and realized my face started to feel funny as I was talking. I went to the bathroom and smiled in the mirror, and realized that only half of my face was smiling back at me. The left side of my face was trying to smile, but wasn't having much luck at all. I tried squishing up my face and squinting my eyes...my eyes closed, but only the right side of my face squished up. Perks of working at a health clinic...I went straight downstairs to my primary doctor's office and asked if I could be seen today. I explained what was going on, and even though it was lunch time, the doctor saw me right away. She ordered a bunch of tests, ruled out a stroke, and sent me on my way.

After talking to my mom, I decided to call my neurologist (whom I see for migraines), and ask his opinion. He saw me right away, too. He determined that I am in the beginning stages of a Bell's Palsy episode. Basically, the craniofacial nerve in the left side of my face is inflamed, causing paralysis of parts of my face. He said that it's relatively common, and it goes completely away for most people. Some have constant residual paralysis, but most people get over it completely. There is no known cause currently, though some researchers believe it's caused by the same virus that causes herpes (cold sores). This would make sense, because today a cold-sore looking bump showed up on my lip, though I've never had them before.

My doctor prescribed me some heavy-duty steroids, and an anti-viral medication that should at least help the symptoms diminish. I'm hoping and praying that it goes away completely. Unfortunately, he told me that it's going to get worse before it gets better. I could wake up tomorrow and not be able to close my eye.

If you're reading this, would you please pray for a speedy and full recovery? Thank you!