What are tips for Bell's Palsy?

Posted by pinkpam @pinkpam, Mar 11, 2023

I was just diagnosed yesterday with Bell's Palsy. Please send me your tips. This morning I learn to keep my eye taped while taking a shower! ooch - how long do you keep your eyes taped? What foods are helpful to eat? Do you drink out of a straw? thank you for your helps/tips

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Unfortunate I’ve had Bells Palsy 6 times. Eye drops are essential several times a day. I wore an eye patch at night( no tape) and sometimes during the day to relieve from the tape. Massage your whole face often. Both sides. Especially around your mouth and forehead. There are great tips on the internet. It will pass sooner or later. Best of luck on sooner.

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Thank YOU so very much ! learning to eat small amounts and slowly.. ooh hum

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Hello @pinkpam. You will notice I have slightly updated your post's title to bring more members in. I also wanted to include some additional information that you may find helpful:
- Bell's Palsy - Diagnosis and Treatment: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bells-palsy/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20370034

I see that @vickivictoria529 has also joined you and offered some information on massage that may be beneficial. Have you tried this yet?

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@vickivictoria529

Unfortunate I’ve had Bells Palsy 6 times. Eye drops are essential several times a day. I wore an eye patch at night( no tape) and sometimes during the day to relieve from the tape. Massage your whole face often. Both sides. Especially around your mouth and forehead. There are great tips on the internet. It will pass sooner or later. Best of luck on sooner.

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How did you know you were having your second bout of Bells Palsy? Did you go to ER for all those too? It has been a C*** week. ER people were great but my GP not so helpful in getting help. What to do with high BG levels because of the prednisone and a diabetic, eye stuff, what to eat, websites to look ( some sites look to be not helpful). Glad your well keep up the good work!

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I knew about the 2nd and all others were coming on by a severe headache behind my ear 3 days before full paralysis. My GP was much help the first time but he did send me to an ENT doctor, who explained exactly what it is. It’s a viral infection of the inner ear which can be caught by something as simple as driving with your window down. The ENT doctor gave me prednisone and valtrex, which is for a herpes virus which Bells Palsy is akin to. He told me to call in for a prescription of it as soon as I ever felt another case coming on and it may help lower the duration of it . I have done that and my length of paralysis has been from 3 months to 3 weeks. He did tell me most people only get it once so I hope you’re lucky. Don’t forget to massage your face to keep your muscles strong. I have some permanent paralysis to my upper lip this last time but I’m still hoping it will go away. It also rarely changes sides of your but then there’s me. I’ve had it on both sides , 4 on the left and 3 on the right over the last 25 years.
Good luck for a speedy recovery.

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@pinkpam

How did you know you were having your second bout of Bells Palsy? Did you go to ER for all those too? It has been a C*** week. ER people were great but my GP not so helpful in getting help. What to do with high BG levels because of the prednisone and a diabetic, eye stuff, what to eat, websites to look ( some sites look to be not helpful). Glad your well keep up the good work!

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I was diagnoses on Friday the 3/10 when I was in ER I did not have pain like I do now a week later. Below the earlobe and jaw area. The pain is like a 7/8 ooch! is this 'normal' for Bell's - it sure is a confusing problem to have. Did you do the electros on your face therapy? Thank you so much for your insights - nice to have someone to talk to

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@pinkpam

I was diagnoses on Friday the 3/10 when I was in ER I did not have pain like I do now a week later. Below the earlobe and jaw area. The pain is like a 7/8 ooch! is this 'normal' for Bell's - it sure is a confusing problem to have. Did you do the electros on your face therapy? Thank you so much for your insights - nice to have someone to talk to

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Hi, apparently its not the norm, but I too got extreme pain. Warmth and a soft memory foam pillow helped lots. I have a underlying sensory neuropathy which is what they figured caused mine to hurt. My brothers didnt hurt, but he got it worse than me - for example my eye could still close, if on a delay! I took about a month off of work - hard to say exactly as it was round Christmas and the statutory holidays at first. Electrical acupuncture did help me a lot I think - I was already seeing an acupuncturist so she dashed over the next days and did quite a few sessions over the holiday season. I get it sometimes now on my arthritic knee. For my neuropathy it definitely helps by approximately halving the diameter of the painful area, although in Bells its such a small area that this isn’t the same.

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Gel eye drops. Sustain and Refresh. GEL drops.

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