Bell's Palsy

I read the same report & also coincidentally a guy from my club had the same last summer,  took a nap in the garden one afternoon & woke up with a tingle on one side of his face & it got worse very quickly.  His wife rushed him to hospital thinking it was a stroke, the hospital ID'd it & was able to give him the correct treatment very quickly.  

I last saw him about 1 month ago, & although it looked to be almost not noticeable now, I did not get a chance to talk to him.         

Up to that point I had never heard of the condition.  

I sincerely hope you make a full & complete recovery Tony - keep us all updated on your progress.  

It's good to hear you're getting better Tony, I hope you recover fully. It sounds very unpleasant.

One of my colleagues had this - Quite nasty too as it wasn't caught early in his case.

Glad you are on the mend Tony.

James

Pleased to hear it's settling Tony and your good looks have returned.  It must have been very distressing for you both.

Our next door neighbours pregnant daughter recently developed it just before delivering a set of twins. Hers was thankfully short live with a course of steroids also.

Look after yourself.

ATB

Steve 

I was lucky and had it for only 5 weeks, but the dry eye was a real worry.

Glad you have recovered quickly.  I spent a very stressful week, after which it suddenly disappeared.  Do keep your eye moist in the meantime.

I had it too, in my final year at uni in 1989.  Remember taking steroid pills the size of horse tablets. As a student, that was my meal for the day.

You should google the Wiki on Charles Bell who was a fascinating man.

Speedy recovery,

G

'kinell mate. Glad you're on the mend.

Not affected your hearing has it? I mean you're not thinking of offloading your kit to a well deserving recipient. Purely out of charity. Innit.

Thanks for all your good wishes folks, it's appreciated. I'm starting to feel human but hopefully that'll soon pass.

James, dream on... 

What a terrible, frightening experience!  But really Tony, an aspirin and a quick...google?    What about dialing 999??

Hope you are well on your way to a full and speedy recovery!

ATB.

Hook

Well Hook, popping an aspirin is a good idea if you think you've had a stroke; it thins the blood & helps stop clotting. By the time an ambulance had come out to my neck of the woods I would have looked up my symptoms & discovered it almost certainly wasn't a stroke, so I saved tying up an ambulance.

Tony, take care and look after yourself.

All the best.

Tom.

Thanks Tom, appreciated!

Makes sense Tony.  Sounds like you kept a very level head during a very scary time!

ATB.

Hook

Do you really believe I didn't panic Mr Hook?! 

No Tony, even the most seasoned among us, even a former MD with a long history of staying cool under pressure, would have to been shocked by such an episode!

To be honest, I was thinking about how I might have handled something like this....and yes, panic pretty much sums it up (at least on the inside)!

A few years ago, I was doing some woodworking out in the garage, and a board kicked back off my table saw, smashing my left hand, and destroying the end of my middle finger.  While Mrs. Hook tells me I remained very calm, the truth is I was in complete shock. I wrapped my hand in a towel, we got in our Volvo wagon, and Mrs. Hook turned into Michael Schumacher.  We were at the emergency room in less than 10 minutes, I was flying on morphine in less than 15. And I woke up looking like Jerry Garcia (reflected in a mirror).  

We live in the city, so if Mrs. Hook had not been home, I am sure I would have called for an ambulance. I like to think they would have shown up in 20-30 minutes, but I can understand how you living in a more remote location effected your decision process.

Was anyone else home at the time the palsy struck?  If anyone was, while I can still understand the aspirin (a great example of quick, sound thinking under extreme pressure), I would have still strongly recommended that you get to a car and be driven to the nearest emergency care.  Google all you want in the car, but still...get going!

Again, I am so very glad that it turned out not to be life threatening. While an ocean separates me from you and my other forum pals, I have still grown very fond of reading your posts over the years, and I really would like that to continue as long as possible!

I hope you don't think I am being preachy or anything. I don't think any of us can say for sure how we would react.  We just find out when it happens I guess...

So how are you doing today?  Is the prognosis good for a complete recovery with no lasting effects?  Sure hope so!

Best,

Hook

Dear Hook,

Thanks for your very kind thoughts. I've been genuinely touched by the concern expressed on this forum, and from the forumites who've contacted me directly to give me their best wishes. It really is much appreciated! 

As it happens SWMBO was away working at the time. I'm fortunate enough to have really excellent neighbours in our little hamlet who would come to my aid if they knew I was in trouble. I did manage to take myself off to the GP but at that stage I was pretty certain what I was suffering from.

I'm pleased to report the condition is getting better by the day; just a slight loss of control over my left lip & an inability to blink remains.

A guy on one of my hockey teams in the past got hit with palsy of the 7th cranial nerve as well, and after a time he effected a full recovery - kept playing the whole time as well.

May your outcome be as successful as well!