I developed Bell's palsy (BP) a day or two after striking the left side of my head rather severely on the sharp, hard edge of my car door.
After self-diagnosing my symptoms, I was reluctant to seek any medical care, mainly because there really is no successful treatment or cure for BP. Most people recover on their own in a few weeks to months.
However, because of my medical history I do think it is important to document any unusual symptoms or experiences, and BP is unusual, so I called my primary care provider, who is also a "HIV" specialist.
His office staff would not even make an appointment for me, telling me to go to an emergency room instead. Within 30 seconds the ER doc pronounced "Bell's Palsy". There was no need to further examination to rule out a stroke or TIA.
Because I had told him about the injury with the car door, he did order a cat scan of my head.
Prior to prescribing any treatment, the ER doctor called the doctor who refused to see me in the first place and based on that consultation, prescribed prednisone and informed me that he was certain that the Bell's Palsy was the result of my "HIV".
These are words I would never have heard if I were able to hide my HIV-status from health care providers. Once they know you are poz, they need not consider any other possible explanations for health problems.
The cause of Bell's palsy in most people is unknown. Recent scientific studies have called into question the prevailing belief that it is caused by a virus:
"The results cast doubt on previous hypotheses suggesting herpes simplex as the cause of Bell's palsy," Lockhart and colleagues said, suggesting that researchers should look elsewhere for the condition's cause. John Gever, Senior Editor, MedPage Today
That BP can be caused by physical trauma is not questioned. I don't know how a cat scan can rule out damage to a nerve passing though a bone in my skull, but maybe a medical professional could enlighten me.
To see more funny pictures of me, you can watch my youtube video about today's experience:
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Michael Perry
maineveny111
tdetuff
Lara Riscol
Fudo Myoö
Bellwether Vance
Salon.com
Comments
It happened to me about 5 years ago. Haven't had another bout of it since but that doesn't mean that I won't!
Good luck and hope your recovery is speedy! R
That's still a long enough period of time to teach me a lot of patience!
I've thought the prednisone would probably relieve some of the worst symptoms, but I'm managing without it so far. My history with that drug and too many other prescription drugs makes me wary of them.
I've also learned to tape my eyelid down for hours at a time to give it a rest. The ER doc was very opposed to any kind of patch on the eye, claiming it could damage the retina. I don't understand his reasoning. I'm far more likely to damage it my accidentally poking it with my finger when trying to blink.
I'll look into the therapy and facial exercises. Sounds like a good idea.