Bells Palsy: It"s Important To See A Doctor
One moment you're eating dinner with your family, and the next your daughter is pointing out that your face looks like half of it has fallen down.
This isn't a laughing matter.
In fact, you're most likely suffering from Bells Palsy the sudden weakness in your facial muscles.
This condition gives the illusion that half of your face has drooped.
One side of your smile turns into a frown, and you can't close one of your eyeballs, no matter how hard you try.
It's important to understand Bells Palsy because other more serious neurological conditions such as a stroke, infections, Lyme disease and tumors - can also cause facial muscle weakness.
If you think you are suffering from Bells Palsy then see a neurologist right away to rule out that you don't have a more serious illness.
Bell's palsy can occur at any age even though it is a rare condition.
Although the exact cause is unknown, it's usually due to the swelling of the nerves that cause facial muscle movement.
The swellings usually happens as a reaction to certain viruses.
Some of these viruses include herpes, chicken pox, shingles, mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr, measles, mumps, influenza, or coxsackie.
People who are suffering from Bells Palsy have the following symptoms: complete paralysis to one side of the face, difficulty smiling, unable to close eye, trouble making facial expressions, pain around the jaw and around your ear, increased sensitivity to the affected side, headache, lack of taste, decrease in tear and saliva production.
Fortunately, this is only a temporary condition and will go away on it's own.
But certain complications may occur if not properly examined by a medical professional such as irreversible damage to your facial nerve, incorrect growth of nerve tissues causing involuntary spasms of your muscles and partial or complete blindness in the affected eye.
Also, a doctor will rule out if your facial paralysis isn't a symptom of another neurological condition.
Recovery from Bells Palsy can take from as little to one month to as long as six months.
While living with Bells Palsy, there is no treatment other than to mitigate the current symptoms.
You might need to wear an eye patch to protect the eye that won't close.
Doctor might prescribe anti-inflammatory medicine or a steroid to help reduce the swelling of the facial nerves.
Also if you are experiencing pain around the jaw line, a doctor might recommend you take over the counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen or aspirin.
This isn't a laughing matter.
In fact, you're most likely suffering from Bells Palsy the sudden weakness in your facial muscles.
This condition gives the illusion that half of your face has drooped.
One side of your smile turns into a frown, and you can't close one of your eyeballs, no matter how hard you try.
It's important to understand Bells Palsy because other more serious neurological conditions such as a stroke, infections, Lyme disease and tumors - can also cause facial muscle weakness.
If you think you are suffering from Bells Palsy then see a neurologist right away to rule out that you don't have a more serious illness.
Bell's palsy can occur at any age even though it is a rare condition.
Although the exact cause is unknown, it's usually due to the swelling of the nerves that cause facial muscle movement.
The swellings usually happens as a reaction to certain viruses.
Some of these viruses include herpes, chicken pox, shingles, mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr, measles, mumps, influenza, or coxsackie.
People who are suffering from Bells Palsy have the following symptoms: complete paralysis to one side of the face, difficulty smiling, unable to close eye, trouble making facial expressions, pain around the jaw and around your ear, increased sensitivity to the affected side, headache, lack of taste, decrease in tear and saliva production.
Fortunately, this is only a temporary condition and will go away on it's own.
But certain complications may occur if not properly examined by a medical professional such as irreversible damage to your facial nerve, incorrect growth of nerve tissues causing involuntary spasms of your muscles and partial or complete blindness in the affected eye.
Also, a doctor will rule out if your facial paralysis isn't a symptom of another neurological condition.
Recovery from Bells Palsy can take from as little to one month to as long as six months.
While living with Bells Palsy, there is no treatment other than to mitigate the current symptoms.
You might need to wear an eye patch to protect the eye that won't close.
Doctor might prescribe anti-inflammatory medicine or a steroid to help reduce the swelling of the facial nerves.
Also if you are experiencing pain around the jaw line, a doctor might recommend you take over the counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen or aspirin.