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My Bell’s Palsy Journey, By Jan Tanis

Bell’s Palsy hits hard and usually without warning.  It causes paralysis on one side of the face and brings a myriad of symptoms with it, such as:  mouth and eye droop; difficulty speaking and chewing;  no smile; eye doesn’t blink; dry eye; can’t raise eyebrow; excessive tearing; drooling; reduced sense of taste; sensitivity to sound; headaches; depression and pain.  You look like you’ve had a stroke.  It’s caused by swelling to Cranial Nerve VII which exits the skull in front of the ear...
near where the jaw attaches and is either caused by trauma or virus.  Actually no one really knows why you get it and there is no known cure.  Most people totally recover, with or without the Medications prescribed.   

On Memorial Day, May 28, 2012, at 4am, I was able to drink fine from a glass, but when I got up 2 hours later, I dribbled my glass of water all down the front my blouse.  I was experiencing trouble speaking, my mouth was drooping and I was in pain.  I was diagnosed with a severe case of Bell’s Palsy, with total paralysis of the right side of my face, including my neck muscles.  I declined the typical method of treatment for Bell’s Palsy which is Steroids and Anti-Viral Medications    

The following day, I saw my Massage Therapist, who used “healing touch” for a massage that was gentle, relaxing and healing.  The “natural” modalities of treatment I chose were to help me relax, feel good and heal.  Massage, Reiki, Raindrop Therapy and Lymphatic Drainage helps balance our bodies and bring about restoration and healing.  Treatments were once a week for 3 months, to lessen the pain, pressure, swelling and over-all tired feeling and to encourage healing.  

Reducing stress, drinking lots of water to stay hydrated, getting enough sleep and taking Vitamins and Essential Oil Tablets that help regenerate nerves are things I continue to do.  Nerves regenerate at the rate of about 1” per month and with the distance from the nerve (near the ear) to the middle of my paralyzed face, I figured my recovery would take anywhere from 6-9 months or more.    

Currently, treatments are every other week.  I have taken Reiki I & II, received the attunements and am now able to perform it on myself, others and pets.  Through training videos, I learned to do Self-Lymphatic Drainage for my ears and head, which I do regularly and I feel they have helped immensely.  I have a Blog where I share information about Bell’s Palsy and my recovery – complete with Video Updates of my progress.     

My progress has been slow and there were times I wondered if I would ever improve.  Day #99 was my first muscle movement.  I had several set-backs in my progress early in my recovery, and am experiencing one right now, but I have a smile and some cheek and eyebrow movement.  Puckering my lips, wrinkling my nose, speaking and eating is still difficult, if not impossible but every day I marvel at how far I’ve come and the ability I have to keep a positive attitude.    

The caring and tender touch of my Therapists has been very beneficial to me throughout this ordeal.  I know the treatments and methods I chose to help me heal were the best for me.  Everything has worked together and allows my recovery to progress, while keeping me calm.  One day soon, I hope to be able to say – I’m back to normal, whatever that means!