How to Live With Bell\’s Palsy
Bell’s palsy is a physical condition in which the patient’s facial muscles responsible for expression get paralysed. In almost all cases, it only affects only one side of the face. Common causes of Bell’s palsy are brain tumour, stroke and Lyme disease. The time needed for recovery may vary from three weeks to a month or even a bit longer than a month. If you were affected by Bell’s palsy, the sooner you learn to live with it, the better it will be for you because there is not much you can do anyways.
Instructions
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1
Apart from affecting the facial muscles, Bell’s palsy would affect your eye as well. The affected eye may not be able to blink at all. This can cause troubles since inability to blink will prevent lubrication of the cornea. In order to keep the cornea of your affected eye lubricated and moisturised, blink it manually or regularly use eye drops. The affected eye may not close completely even when you are asleep. Wear an eye patch in such a situation.
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2
Noises may become a problem in which case you should use an ear plug. You may feel that the sounds you hear are distorted or have become excessively loud. This is caused due to mild damage to the image drum area.
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3
Facial muscles are weakened due to Bell’s palsy. For this reason, you will need to chew your food more thoroughly. Do not just eat with the healthy side of the face. Instead, try to use both the healthy and affected sides of the face.
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4
Physical therapy, massage and regular exercise can help a great deal. Try exercising on your own. If you feel that you are not making any progress, consider getting a therapist’s help. Bear in mind that palsy will inevitably take time to cure so growing impatient will do no good at all.
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Talking to people about your condition can be helpful. Make your friends and family aware of the fact that Bell’s palsy is not a contagious disease. This will make it easier for others to be around you.
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Last but not the least; join a Bell’s palsy support group. This can be really useful because as getting to meet people facing similar conditions as you can help ease a lot of mental burden. Ask your physician to guide you to a support group.
