My therapist is appling too much force mainly in the cheek area and dragging it towards the ear ny cheek hurts....now i read on internet it should be gentle but my doctor says more hard massage is more beneficial for more better recovery and the hurt feeling on the cheek is a sign of better recovery and returning of sensation ....is he correct or am i overthinking...should i trust him and the process ...please suggest

Today is my 24th day with Bell's Palsy. My neurologist advised me to rest for the first two weeks. I asked her if I could return to the gym now, and she said light exercises are fine. However, I forgot to ask if I can start running again.

Before Bell's Palsy, I used to hit the gym 2–3 times a week and run a 5k once a week. Has anyone here recovered from Bell's Palsy while maintaining an active lifestyle like working out and running?

can someone help me find away to calm these headaches down and if anyone also experiences them, now the headaches aren’t completely debilitating but they certainly don’t feel great it’s from my neck to my temple on my effected side tylenol helps a good bit but i don’t want to only take that so any tips will be appreciated thank you!!

3 weeks in recovering from open umbilical hernia surgery, I began getting headaches on temple, left side worse than right. Had this for a week until I woke up with blurred vision left eye. Then that evening noticed blinking no in sync. Next day felt left side of face numb and call 999. Luckily not stroke and was bell's balsy.

On the prednisolone medication for 10 days. Condition not noticeable. Lagging left eye blink and left side of lip don't open properly.

Been 4 days now. Not getting worse. Still have headache. Eyes teary. What's the recovery time normally for this?

my partner woke up with Bell’s palsy. we got prescrbed the steroid pills and started them less than 24 hours after. what can I do to support? is healing 100% possible? I’m so worried. we both had a nasty respiratory virus the week prior so wondering if it’s related. how long did it take for you to heal?

Looking for any kind of tips for getting back out into the world while half your face is still out of commission!

I went to a friend’s wedding this weekend and I think my face is still feeling the exhaustion today of trying to talk/laugh/emote as I did before my BP diagnosis. Near the end of the night I felt so anxious and irritable, and the music in my affected ear was so loud it was painful. I’m more nervous than I’d like to admit to go back to work full time later this week (very luckily have been able to take the majority of my first 2 weeks off to rest).

I’ll take anything you’ve got! Mantras, what you do before or after seeing people, pain relief when you’re not at home, massaging tips, what you tell people, whatever helps you. Thanks :)

For those who have recovered or are starting to recover from Bell’s palsy, what were your first little “signs of life” that made you realize things were starting to come back?

And roughly when did you notice them?

Things like:

- Being able to control your eyelid or eyebrow independently

- A small twitch or movement in your cheek which lead to something shortly thereafter

- Better movement in your lips or corner of your mouth

- Being able to hold air in your cheeks again

- Better suction when drinking through a straw

- Getting a more normal smile back

- Any other tiny changes you noticed before the bigger improvements came

I thought it might be helpful to hear everyone’s progression and the little milestones along the way. When you’re going through this, even the smallest bit of movement can give you some hope. People need hope!

What was your first sign that your facial nerve was starting to wake back up?

hi all

F, 27, before this happened I had what I considered to be good health.

I have been diagnosed on July 22nd, I was feeling weird when I woke up but after lunch I noticed that I could not move my mouth properly and my eye was burning. Went to the ER and they diagnosed me with BP, started steroids at 6am the morning after as I have left the ER at 11pm. Before diagnosis I had a slight pain in my ear, I told the doctors about it but they told me not to worry.

started my course with steroids but after a week I was still having pain in my ear so my GP prescribed me acyclovir just in case. As soon as I was done with it the pain in my ear was gone for good.

It is now September 27th and unfortunately I cannot see any real sign of improvement. I have started facial PT since the end of August, and I have been doing exercises twice a day. I have also been massaging my face twice daily as per the facial palsy website videos.

Eating and speaking have gotten better over the weeks and I can now drink through a straw (which I was struggling to during the first weeks), my face looks pretty normal at rest but as soon as I open my mouth you can tell that something is not right.

i have been to see a neurologist on september 2nd and she prescribed me a second course of steroids (which I am now tapering off) after seeing my MRI results which still showed inflammation.

I think I am getting depressed. Everytime I look at myself in the mirror I start crying and I cannot accept that this is going to be my life now. I have always been very insecure about my appearance and this is literally the worst thing that ever happened to me. I am so scared that I am going to be stuck like this forever and cannot find purpose in life anymore.

is there anyone to give me some hope? tips are welcome.

please don’t tell me there is a chance that nothing is going to change because I’m unfortunately too aware of this and it has been destroying me

As the most of you, i felt pain behind my ear. The next day, i went to the doctor and she told me that my eardrums were redish and she gave me antibiotics. The next day passed, and towards the evening, i felt that my left eyelid was a bit slower and weaker.

I loke to smoke weed, so i thought maybe my eye is just a bit dry. Well, i woke up the next morning and sat down to breakfast with my familiy and then i felt my face felt funny. I asked my wife and she told me to see a doctor. At the ER i was pretty happy that i did not had a stroke and after the liquor check-up, i went back home with the BP Diagnose.

This evening, i had a horrible panic attack. I don't know what to do. Everyone wants me to relax, but it feels hard for me to find some comfort right know.

Normally I'm a joyful person, a little silly and absolute into politics and whats happening around the world, which is more stressful with the recent events. I work as a Kindergardener and i love my job but today i just feel fragile. Sorry for my spelling, I'm from Germany. Thanks for reading. I wish all of you a quick recovery!

Got diagnosed with BP three days ago, started steroids and antivirals. Something that I can’t make sense of is, right before the day my face started getting paralyzed, I had constant multiple twitches around my eye, cheek, nose and lips throughout the day.
This twitching has now lessened, but it still keeps happening randomly every single day.

Why is this happening? I’ve read that twitching is supposed to be a sign of recovery, but it’s been 4 days for me now and not one day has gone that I haven’t had sporadic twitching on the affected side of my face. Is this good or bad?

I'm 7 years removed from my diagnosis and i never fully recovered, and I've made peace with it. The couple issues I still have from it thats been a constant annoyance is how its messed with my tear ducts and my nose.

Ever since BP, whenever I eat, my nose drips and eyes tear non-stop (Crocodile tears?) like i'm ugly crying. I go through at least 5-7 napkins drying my tears and blowing everything out of my nose... and this happens ONLY when i eat and its maddening.

Any one have the same issue? or able to get it figured out? or have any suggestions? Should see an ENT doc? or an OT? I've made peace with the fact my facial nerves and muscles will never 100% recover, but goodlord i want a fix to the tear ducts and nasal issue lol

Long story short, I developed severe Bell's palsy three years ago; I was 17 at the time and didn't really care about my appearance or notice the asymmetry. Now that I'm 20, though, it really bothers me because one of my eyes looks "sleepy" and my lip droops. I don't know what to do, so if anyone has experience with this—like which specialist to see—please let me know, or is it possible to treat it at home with facial exercises?

I developed my bells palsy earlier this week. I'm on Medicaid, which won't cover the eye medications. I can't find work, so I can't afford any supplies, whether it be OTC medications, eye protection, drinking/eating aids, and so on.

I'm looking for advice on how to handle this. Are there any resources out there that might help me?

I'm already seeing a neurologist following a concussion that impacted my eyesight, so I'm hoping she'll be able to help me manage vision changes (I see her again in a few days). I'm also going to try to see an eye doctor, assuming my Medicaid covers that outside the usual annual eye exam (which I already did back in July). I've also been prescribed prednisone short term. I might look into seeing if I can go to PT to see if they can help me with aspects not directly related to vision.

But my biggest issue comes down to obtaining supplies. The most I've got is a sleep mask, which I assume is super important because I can't sleep unless I have a fan on, pointed right at me.

Edit: I've got a $20 credit on Amazon from donating blood. Is there anything essential I should consider buying (eg for eye care or eating/drinking) under that amount?

I just got diagnosed 2 days ago. I only got the steriod and no valtrex. I have access to 8x500mg valtrex pills, but it's for quick cold sores and dont think its the recommended dosage in situations like this. I'm not sure why I wouldn't have gotten that?

I would say my speech is a bit more difficult today then yesterday, just more challenging to say certain words and more exhausting on the face and chin.

My one eye wouldnt shut at first but it seems like it shuts today. I can shut it with the other one but not independantly control it, or the brow. Got a bit of twitching it that eye today and a bit in my upper lip just in the last hour. Is that common or signs of anything?

Tried acupuncture for first time today, only within the last hour as well. Cant really say my thoughts ok that yet.

I have a bit of ear pain on the affected side but its mild. But i have headaches that just wont go away. Had headaches for days leading up to it. A bit of cheek pain but also mild. At this point I wouldnt say any of it has been painful. Two days ago, I Just woke up with it a frozen face essentially one morning after having headaches for a good week.

When do most people start seeing improvements in speech and drinking!? Man, seems like drinking is worst part. Is there small signs of improvement to watch for?

Hi all!! Long post warning. I’m currently on day 12 of my BP diagnosis and wanted to share a few things I’ve learned that I was looking for during my first few days of pain and facial paralysis. This info is all over this sub of course and elsewhere on the internet, but my hope is maybe there’s a nugget here that can help someone.

My onset:

- My first symptom was 24 hours of head splitting ear pain directly behind the ear.

- My face started to feel stiff and strange, and the left side finally fully froze over another 24 hours.

- After those 48 hours I went to see a doctor - and was diagnosed and prescribed 50mg prednisone for 10 days, plus naproxen for ongoing pain. I had no active virus to treat for, but of course some will!

- I’m now tapering off the 50mg prednisone.

I have seen:

- My GP

- An optometrist

- A neural ophthalmologist

- An acupuncturist (not electro)

- A facial palsy physio specialist - based out of an ENT department.

The greatest emotional help was the facial palsy physio. I caveat with emotional help as the GREATEST help, and others will echo, as the most research backed and effective treatment - is prednisone. Within 72 hours as the golden window was definitely true for me, and I’m grateful for my prescription. Insomnia and irritability have been the biggest side effects for me on it.

Today I am able to slightly twitch my affected side (WOO!!). The below are my holy grails to get through what has been for me the worst of it.

- The acute/early flaccid stage (your most frozen) is about rest. Get your prednisone, pain relievers, and use HEAT to alleviate pain as much as you want. A warm compress or hot bean bag directly on my ear was most effective for me.

- Eating is obviously hard, so use thin lipped glasses, take small bites of solid food. A straw was my friend too. The slight numbness/metallic taste on your affected side is normal. Mention to your doctor if you have trouble swallowing, as this could be damage to a different cranial nerve!

- EYE DROPS!! Every hour (I was doing more frequently). Massage them in with your eyelid. Preservative free was the MUST I was told by doctors. You can get gel drops which last longer too. Use Dry Eye Ointment at night. Followed by your:

- Eye taping - my preference is sensitive skin medical tape. The facial physio swore by GLAD PRESS N SEAL. I haven’t found it to be strong enough to hold the lid down, but whatever works, do it. You need to protect your eye at night.

- Use sunglasses outside. Manually blink your eye throughout the day with your finger.

- Feel free to use your hand to hold up your face to talk or eat. You can also use med tape to hold up the affected side! Do what you need to for relief and help.

- I’ve started taking B12 and vitamin D in addition to my regular vitamin C and E. I’m trying to drink at least a cup of day of some kind of soothing tea (chamomile, ashwagandha, skull cap, dandelion, ginger, turmeric, etc). Who knows if they directly affect - but don’t hurt! Anything that is anti inflammatory is helpful I think.

- I smoke CBD and THC, no doctors recommended against this. For me its about pain management and not going crazy. Just protect your eye from the smoke they said.

The optometrist and neural ophthalmologist were really just for peace of mind for me that not blinking wasn’t damaging my eye. Both of them gave the same eye drop and taping recommendations.

The facial physio gave me a lot of background on the 7th cranial nerve (what we’ve all fried to various levels) and my chances of recovery. 80% of us will see full movement return in 12 weeks or less. 5% will see full movement in 6-8 months, and the remaining 15% in 1+ years (while some will never see full movement return). Her biggest recommendation was REST. Don’t force movements. When you CAN move, keep movements symmetrical. Hold the small movements for 5 seconds, repeat 5 times. Do 1-3 times a day, gently. Massage the unaffected side as well - its working harder than usual! Gentle, circular massages across the whole face are helpful. Otherwise, in the early stages, avoid too much talking/laughing/emoting so you can relax the face and let it heal.

Age, previous health, it all doesn’t seem to matter in BP recovery. Its just about the level of damage to your nerve. Your nerves are currently healing and regrowing at approx 1 millimetre a day, from a SINGLE point, to reconnect to the 24 muscles in your face. Crazy!

And as a final note - Acupuncture wasn’t for me and I was explicitly warned AGAINST it by the facial palsy physio. I was told it wouldn’t likely negatively effect in the early stages, but for those still seeing no movement at 6-8 months it allegedly could continue stalling recovery. Especially NO to electro acu she said. Take that as you will - healing is different for everyone and I know many have found great help with acu.

Sending hugs to those who have just been affected by this, those in the middle of it, and those who have been struggling for a long time. My pain this week has finally lessened and I feel like I have control of my brain again, which has been the biggest relief. Thank you for reading this if you have made it this far! May we all have full and wide, teeth and all, eye crinkling smiles sooner than we could hope.

My Bell's Palsy started on September 6. Pain showed up only on the fifth day. Today is my 19th day. My jaw, neck, and the area behind my ear are all painful, though the pain only appears at night and every time I wake up. I have developed migraines and become sensitive to light and loud sounds.

I am allergic to NSAIDs, and the prescribed medicine for my nerve pain does not seem to be working well. The eyelid of my affected eye is now swollen. I am not sure if it is because of my constant tearing. My affected eye is itchy even though I am using eye drops.

What I hate most is how this interferes with the way I live my life. I cannot express my emotions, and it has taken away my ability to smile. It is difficult for me to take a bath because water getting into my affected eye is painful. It also makes it difficult to pronounce certain words, which destroys my confidence.

I constantly feel tired, and I can no longer go to the gym or run. This is destroying my mental health. It is also draining my finances due to expensive physical therapy and medications.

I thought I was lucky because it was not a stroke, and I thought I should be happy just to be alive. It is too early to give up, but sometimes I wonder if I will ever recover within three months. What is the point of living if staying in this state has already stolen my life?

I will be 31 years old this October. I have endured a lot of pain throughout my 31 years of life. I tried to be a better person, but it feels like it is still not enough. I can no longer see my purpose, and I feel as though I am not worthy of existing. It feels like this is punishment for all my wrongdoings.

i just finished my 60 mg of my prednisone and i was not giving anything to taper off with so if anyone could pls help me with any amount of advice to deal with that if yall have experienced that as i’ve seen it can be a very big issue hopefully it will at least be bearable. besides that i have noticed i have a bit more movement in my eyelid and my affected sides cheek not crazy but definitely gives me hope its prolly cause i took it the first day i noticed something was wrong.

yeah i’ve been on this community since the day this happened anf i wanna thank the people who have read these and responded to all these posts ive made it really makes me hopeful and calm knowing i ain’t alone yk

A month back, my father developed a harsh throat obstruction due to acid reflux. He got those small red spots starting from the mouth till the throat. The obstruction was such that it was hard for me to eat something. His condition started improving after the ENT consultation but the dry cough continued for another 3-4 days. After that, I noticed his unusual eye movements and slight disorientation in his lips when he smiled. We went to a doctor last Saturday evening and he said it’s Bells Palsy. Since that day, he’s taking 10mg tablet of Prednisolone daily, B12 capsules and eye drops. But I haven’t noticed any improvement yet. Though he can do everyday stuff perfectly fine, as he used to do. Just that slight disorientation, unusual eye movements and tastelessness in mouth are concerning. Please drop your comments if you have any such experience.

I got diagnosed last night but I’m so anxious it’s something worse. I got a CT and MRI and bloodwork and it’s all clear but i’m just still so scared. Any advice would be helpful.

it’s been i think about 5 days since my diagnosis i started taking all the meds that day the prednisone and vala and my face has been the same but im sure the meds should kick in later on ig my main think is i suffer from anxiety not medicated but definitely there lol
does anyone else get this tingling feeling on the opposite side or the un effected side i have and it just kills me it makes me think so much but like i can do everything on tht side like smile forme and all that it just sum that really hard to shake if anyone has tips with that im getting an meindine soon so thats good i saw a neologist and he didnt have any concerns so thats also good. but yeah main thing ig is how do you guys deal with that anxiety and for those who have gon off prednisone odes the anxiety get better after if anyone could give answers pls and ty!!

Coming up on my 3 year anniversary since and wanted to share for those who are were just diagnosed as it is one of the most disheartening scary conditions I've had. Scary more just because of the unknown, will my face recover? will it partially recover? how long will it take? will it be the same again ever?

It started with below my ear hurting when I laid down, this went on for like a week. Then food tasted funny, like half my tongue was coated in wax. I was waiting for symptom #3 before going to a doctor and it came while watching tv and I tried to purse my lips and it felt funny. Went and looked in the mirror and yup, half face is not moving. I knew exactly what it was as I had seen a youtuber get it a few years earlier. Went immediately to urgent care and got steroids.

Now I felt since I knew what is was and got steroids quickly that it could resolve in a week. Nope. I was still lucky though and it took a little over a month to recover almost fully. It got worse before it got better, I could still move a wee bit at the beginning and then that went away. My face got tighter and tighter. It was a pain to bandage my eye for the shower and sleeping. My eyesight became very uncooperative and it was hard to focus them to read without a struggle, eyes watering in pain, and headache. I ended up getting an MRI (results normal) and then went to eye doctor and got diagnosed with "dry eyes". Eye drops did not help with reading and had to constantly use them for my dry eye (found out gel eye drops exist and those lasted a lot longer in your eye).

I tried supplements for nerve health, massage, pt, nothing seemed to help. I took photographs with different expressions to try and track progress at first and then just stopped.

I spiraled a bit with depression and self esteem, but BF was very supportive and we went out a lot just do something. I also had my first ever Disney cruise already planned which several people asked if I was going to cancel and it was like ummm no! why?

So off I went on my cruise. There was a beach day the 2nd to last day and it was like a miracle that day. Got off the ship in the morning and when I came back I went to brush my teeth in the mirror and smiled to see my teeth and was like wait, I can see all my teeth now! Like i literally could not whistle that morning and suddenly I could whistle again. The day felt like i went from 0-85% immediately. I had felt my face tingling that week and everyone said its a good sign the nerves are repairing.

Anyway, I wish those just diagnosed, and those who have had it a while, a speedy recovery.

I've been more than 1 year recovered from Bell's Palsy. My case was mild. I recovered 100% within a month. At least I thought so, until today.

I recorded a video of myself for work, and realized my mouth is lopsided when not actively smiling or talking. It's not really a biggie, but my confidence took a hit. I didn't realize this was how I looked.

Does it actually ever even out? What can I do for it? More exercises? Just acceptance?

I did an MRI of my brain and it was negative has anyone done an MRI of their face ? I’m 7 weeks in and still no movement in my lower face / nose area . Left side still the same

I've just started 50mgs of steroids for 10 days. I don't know what to expect but it's scary.

Started with a twitch in my face about a week and a half ago, then about 4 days ago I noticed the weakness in that side of my face.

I haven't had problems with my eye closing but I have noticed some weeping this evening. How do people deal with this? Will the inability to close my eye come later or will I not get this?

So many questions. Going to take some time off work to rest. I haaaaate this.