Posted , 7 users are following.
Im hoping someone can give me some advice. Ive had BP for 2 months. I was never given any prednisone or steroids . A doctor i know from where i work told me i could try prednisone now. Is it worth a try. I havent seen much improvement in the 2 months other than im not super sick like i was for the first 2 weeks.
0 likes, 8 replies
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ina11644 joe41544
Edited
Hi
Have you been tested for Lymes Disease.? Lymes can cause Bells Palsey and if treated quickly with antibiotics you can make a full recovery. I had same, I didn't have a visible tick bite. I also took prednisone and BP disappeared after 4 weeks or so.
Hope you find a solution.
christinaxo3 joe41544
Edited
hi joe!
they say you should take the steroids and an anti viral medicine within the first 10 days of your diagnosisits only to reduce the swelling of the 7th cranial nerve that caused the bells they say its a virusdoes the medicines actually heal the bells? not really but every case is different unfortunately i am one of those rare severe casesi was diagnosed on 4/28/18 and still not fully recovered ive done acupuncture within the first 3 months but stopped because it was too painful and didnt seem to really help me i look normal until i smile or talki think synkinesis set in but it is what it is and im still hopeful ill recover fully somedayjust dont let this stop you from living your life stay positive and have faith i wish you a speedy recovery
Nancy_O joe41544
Edited
I also had Bells Palsy after 5 years of PMR. I was prescribed an antibiotic and 5 days of prednisone. 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 and then back to my current dose of 2mg. The BP cleared up within a few days.
joe41544 Nancy_O
Posted
Thanks for giving me some positive feedback! What is PMR?
Nancy_O joe41544
Posted
polymyalgia rheumatica. It is an autoimmune condition that affects muscles creating soreness and fatigue.
SueC48 joe41544
Posted
Hi Joe
I have had 2 episodes of Bell's Palsy and on both occasions my GP prescribed me with an antiviral drug called Atorvastatin and a long course of steroids. starting at 10 for 5 days reducing to 8 for the same amount of days then 6, 4, 2 and 1 till I finished the complete course.
My moth droops on left side of face and the first time I couldn't close my right eye. GP told me to cover it with a makeup remover pad with my eye manually closed and tape to hold it in place. This helped me to sleep.
The second time same side with drooping of my mouth but it was my left eye which wouldn't close. Same medication
I was lying down earlier and had pain like a migraine but worse. . I rang my daughter from my bedroom because i couldn't get up because i needed Ibuprofen and help to get up into a sitting position I was slurring on the phone but when she came from her bedroom to mine she said my mouth has drooped again. going to have to get hold of GP in morning to get medication if it's still the same. The pain on left side of my head has eased off now but can still feel a slight dull pain.
I was told after I saw one of the Gps in our surgery and by Maxillofacial in the hospital that if you have a second episode you will continue to have episodes. You need a good GP who you can trust to provide you with Prednisilone. Hope this helps and you get better soon. it's a sod to have cos I'm having to drink through a straw. my right eye is starting to feel like i can't close it. I don't know if a doctor will even come out or if they will just prescribe my medication as the surgerys are closed except for phone calls.
alexis02700 SueC48
Posted
Hello Sue, thanks for sharing your story. I believe the antiviral is acyclovir as atorvastatin is a drug used to treat high cholesterol. I've also had BP twice. Both times prescribed acyclovir and prednisone which started high and tapered down over the course of two weeks. I have a few questions:
How old were you each time you got BP?
How long did each episode last and was it full or partial paralysis?
Was the first or second time more severe?
I was 17 and 24 when I got it. First time was on the right side with partial paralysis that I recovered from within 3 weeks. I was seen in the ER probably within 12 hours. They confirmed BP and tested for Lyme Disease. ELISA test was positive however western blot was negative so they do not believe it was caused by Lyme Disease as the western blot is a definitive test. Dr believed it was likely due to stress.
Second time was 7 years later and full paralysis on the left side. Went to sleep fine, woke up with complete paralysis on the left side. I knew immediately what it was and got in with my Dr that day. She confirmed BP and automatically assumed it was the same side as before (which it wasn't). She was very surprised and said that is not very common. She said only 10-12% of people get BP and only about 7% get it a second time and 3% get it 3+ times. Again, prescribed acyclovir and steroids. No progress after I finished the meds so it was likely they did not aid in treatment. I did 3 rounds of acupuncture with electrostimulation. Face only saw movement immediately after each session for a couple minutes then nothing. I had a lot of pain with the second episode. Pain felt similar to an ear infection and like I was punched in the side of the face on my cheek. I used warm compresses religiously and increased supplements, vitamin B and niacin. I had to hold my face up when I talked to sound normal. Finally after 6 long weeks I started to see progress then fully recovered around the 8th week.
I went to see a neurologist a year later. He said it was very unusual for someone so young to get BP twice. He did an MRI which came back normal however labs were abnormal. Another positive ELISA test and negative western blot. Positive ANA blood and low vitamin B and D. Very mild synkenisis. Dr said my regular eye twitching was not uncommon and will likely be more severe when I am tired. He said there is no way to know if it will come back but said to monitor labs for any signs of autoimmune diseases. He said he only had one patient in his whole career that had a very similar case and she developed MS years later. He said there is no way to give definitives on when an autoimmune disease might present itself. He recommended increasing all vitamins and labs once a year. Its now been 4 years since my last episode and 11 years since my first episode. I noticed when I talk my mouth tends to pull to the left which is the side with the most severity. Other than that you cannot tell I had BP.
lyn2907 joe41544
Posted
hi Joe. I'm new to this forum Ive had BP for just over 9 weeks with very little improvement. I can however now raise my eyebrow so I'm pleased with that. However nothing in my cheek works and my lower eyelid has dropped. How are you coming along? Good I hope