Life of Phanessa: Bell's Palsy

I was brushing my teeth and started to rinse. Water just shot out of the side of my mouth! I stopped and looked in the mirror and rinsed again. The same thing happened. What the heck is going on? I smiled. Both corners of my lips went up. Okay, i'm okay. But soon I found out I was not okay and that the symptoms would get worse and I was on the way to the hospital because I think i'm having a stroke & all I can think about is my baby. I'm 17 weeks pregnant. If I die now, my baby won't survive outside the womb. My boys won't have a mother. My husband will be alone...Then I hear my husband's voice saying "you'll be fine honey" and I snap back to reality. My thoughts have taken me to a dark place. Here's my story:

Monday: It started on a Monday and I was at work. Right around midday, I started feeling some tension on my neck and shoulders. I think I've worked through my lunch. I ate lunch and noticed the pain worsened. I took a couple of Tylenol's that I had to dig for in boxes because I was on the verge of relocating to a different office (who am I kidding? it's a cubicle lol). The Tylenol didn't help. 6 hours later, I took another dose. That night, it hurt so bad I couldn't sleep. No matter what I did to try and relieve it, it just kept hurting. It was unlike any other headache I've had. I posted what i'm feeling on Facebook. Why not? I got responses from friends who thought maybe it's a sinus infection or ear infection (sometimes the pain felt like it was inside my ears).

Tuesday: I get up to brush my teeth and my tongue feels numb. I would describe it as having dental work and after the numbness goes away, you can start feeling your mouth again but it still feels tingly. I thought, hmm.. that's strange. It was very subtle. I made an appointment to see my doctor. She examined me and said my ears look good and that aside from the inflammation in my nose from allergies, there's no signs of a sinus infection. She suggested using hot/cold compress, massage, nasal rinse and continue the Tylenol. And so I did all these things.

Wednesday: I brushed my teeth before going to get an hour massage (I haven't had a professional massage in over 10 years). While brushing, I noticed my tongue felt more numb. This was when I first noticed I was having trouble rinsing. At this point I had already discontinued the Tylenol (it really did nothing for relief) since taking my 3am dose. The massage didn't help. I called the doctor again. They wanted me to come in so I left work but they decided, I should just go in to labor and deliver after trying Tylenol with Codeine. I picked up the Tylenol/Codeine and took a dose. After a short nap, I still felt the pain. It was not as intense but still almost unbearable. In fact, everything was so loud all of a sudden. The kids crying or screaming would echo and bounce around in my head. This is something I have gotten used to but is now driving me insane because it feels like someone turned the volume all the way up in my head!

While brushing my teeth at night, water started to squirt out the left side of my mouth. I smiled and both corners of my mouth went up. I did this because I thought I was having a stroke. I then puckered my lips and my left side wouldn't pucker. I ran to my husband and showed it to him and he said that it was strange too and that i'm not crazy because all I can say was "Am I crazy? Is something wrong with my lips?" He also mentioned that I was slurring a little. I called labor and delivery to let them know I was coming in. I helped put the kids to bed first and left for the hospital at 10pm.

The doctor listened to my story and asked a few questions and in the end gave me Tylenol with caffeine (Fioricet). The doctor said they think i'm experiencing some type of migraine and the slight numbness can happen with migraines but it shouldn't get worse and will go away soon. Amazingly for the first time, the meds started to relieve my head pain. I figured they were right. It's just a bad migraine and went home anticipating picking up prescriptions the next morning.

Thursday: I woke up and planned to pick up the Fioricet when the pharmacy opens. When I brushed my teeth, more water started to come out the left side of my mouth and now my smile... it definitely was not normal. My left lip didn't move. Suddenly I felt more numb on the left side of my face (same side as the head pain). I kept staring at myself thinking that i'm having a stroke. I noticed when I blinked, my left eye didn't always blink all the way or blinked a little slower. I winked at myself. First my right eye which was normal and then my left eye. The left eye wouldn't close all the way. It only went down half way. I called my husband and told him he needed to drive me to the hospital. I didn't think it was safe for me to drive myself.

After being evaluated by a doctor and a neurologist, I was told that I had Bell's Palsy. What the heck is that? I had questions. Lots of questions. How did this happen? How long will it last? Will it get worse? I had a chance to browse around online for some answers (we were in the hospital for 8 hours). All I could find was the same thing the doctors told me. No one knows how it happens. They think it's a result from a viral cold or something that I may already have in the past such as chicken pox or herpes. They asked about colds and colds sores (bumps on my lips) and I don't have those things nor have I been sick. They asked about my vertigo that happened a few weeks ago and my vacation to Doran Beach right before the vertigo. They also said that it's not uncommon for pregnant women to develop Bell's Palsy at this stage of pregnancy.

For one thing, I was glad it wasn't a stroke but I was still concerned. During my stay, my eyes got worse. The left side won't blink at all. I tried to eat lunch and food kept falling out and drinking water meant I have to pinch the left sides of the lips so I can suck on a straw.

Friday: I started medication but doctors say I won't see results right away as they don't know how long it takes to "get back to normal". All they know is the combination of Prednisone and Acyclovir seems to help Bell's Palsy patients.

At the hospital:

My eyes droop. My lips and mouth doesn't move (all in the left side). There are certain letters I can't say correctly so my speech is slurred. My eyes are irritated. Really irritated. I need artificial tears every 1-2 hours and an overnight ointment to protect my cornea. My ear must be out of whack too because noises are louder on that side. Every time I laugh I look like Two Face in Batman (The Dark Knight 2008).

So now everything is just unknown. Friends who've had it said theirs lasted a couple of months. I read blogs where women had it for longer. Some still see some of the effects long after it's gone such as drooping of the eyes and slurred speech. Most women say extreme stress is what they think lead to their Bell's Palsy.

Since I've returned to work full time in August, I've felt more stressed in my career than I have in the past (it was already quite stressful). I came back from my last maternity leave in a new office (cubicle), in a new environment and what seems like more and more work.

Overall, I'm grateful I'm alive. I tend to think the worst (and I wonder why I'm so stressed). I'm hopeful it will pass (sooner than later) and I need to focused on the my 3rd baby boy due to arrive in September. Right now, the important thing is I stay stress free and healthy for my kids, my family, & my unborn baby...

I smile and laugh a lot but if I don't now, I look mean.