A Crooked Smile and A Dodgy Eye
Yesterday morning, I woke up with my eye feeling weird. That is not the
first time that happened. I have pretty severe allergies and I'll often
wake up with crusty, itchy eyes. I chalked it up to that very thing.
However, later in the morning when I went to brush my teeth, I noticed I
was having trouble forming my mouth to properly spit out the toothpaste.
I went to my wife and said I think the right side of my face is numb.
She informed me that I was only blinking with one eye.
I did
some research, and given my age and symptoms, found that it was likely a
case of Bell's Palsy. This is a temporary numbness or paralysis of part
of the face due to an inflamed nerve on one side or the other. But just
to be sure I wasn't having a stroke, I opted to go to the emergency
room. So after dinner I headed over to the hospital.
Five
hours later, the doctor called me in and confirmed that it was Bell's
Palsy. He explained to me that the most common causes are Lyme disease
and a reappearance of the chicken pox virus, which lives dormant in your
body for your entire life. (I was born before the vaccine so I had
chicken pox as a kid). They took blood to run the Lyme disease test, and
prescribed me an antiviral medication for the chicken pox virus.
Despite the extremely long wait, I have to give credit where
credit is due. Every person I spoke to was kind and patient. They knew
immediately what I must likely had, even the nurse who checked me in.
Everyone was knowledgeable and willing to explain everything. It's not
their fault that it was a busy Friday night and they're understaffed.
Healthcare workers really are the unsung heroes.
So here I
am with half my face weaker than the other half. Blinking is a bit more
challenging, as is eating and drinking, but I'll survive. I'm thankful
it's not something more serious. It will clear itself up in a matter of
weeks. So until then I'll just be laughing as I'm drooling. 🤤 😂