Email to my friends - Bell's Palsy - 6/16/19

My dearest friends,

I'm writing to tell you that I was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy yesterday.

I'm sure you can Google "Bell's Palsy" just like we did yesterday because I had never heard of it. Basically it is caused by a virus and it causes sudden swelling and quickly attacks the facial nerve on one side of the face. It results in paralysis and mine is the left side of my head. 

My left ear has been hurting since Wednesday and I've struggled with a headache all week. 

We went camping this weekend at Eleven Mile state park for Father's Day. I was driving yesterday morning to the other side of the lake so that my kids could go fishing and all of a sudden, I felt a painful spasm behind my left ear and my left face went numb.  I slammed on the brakes and looked at Jimmy, he saw my face and we quickly switched driving and he then took me straight to the ER in Woodland Park, an hour away. It was a very scary drive because I thought I had had a stroke and the boys were in the backseat crying the whole time.  

I have so much to be thankful for and one is that I did not have to wait at all in the ER and they were able to get me in the cat scan machine very quickly. I am very grateful for the nurse who quickly told me she did not think it was a stroke. I'm grateful they were able to quickly start me on the medicine, which consists of an antiviral medicine that I have to take for 10 days and a powerful steroid.  I feel gratitude that they were able to release me from the hospital after a couple of hours.

So we drove back to the state park, got our tent and drove home last night and I'm in bed.

I cannot close my left eye and so I have to sleep with a patch on it so that it does not dry out. I need to constantly be putting in eye drops.  I cannot pucker to drink and I drool when I eat.  I cannot suction my mouth closed to brush my teeth.  I cannot smile. I sound like I mumble when I talk. I cannot taste.  My ear hurts really badly.  My head too still.

My brain is fine and I can walk.

I will be okay though and the effects can last 2 weeks to 6 months.  This is a very rare thing and in even more rare cases it can be permanent. 

I do not know when I will be able to work. 

I am thankful for my parents who came over last night to see me and they came and got my boys this morning and will keep them until tomorrow at least.

So, it could be worse.  I have insurance and access to good medical care with effective medicines and so I must be hopeful.  I have a caring husband and brothers... and you.   I admit this is very scary, disconcerting, uncomfortable, painful, weird and unsettling.  But, it won't kill me.  So I count my blessings and I have many. 

Ok, love,

Susan 

PS - I removed FB from my phone a week ago, finally.