Three Years with Bell’s Palsy and Counting
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I was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy at fifteen. At first, I didn’t really understand the seriousness of the condition until I was left alone in my hospital room. At that time, I was able to see myself in the mirror for the first time and I didn’t recognize the person looking back at me. Being so young my head automatically started jumping to conclusions like am I going to look like this forever and if I am no one would ever like me this way. But I was wrong. The way you look shouldn’t matter when it comes to people liking you and my entire life before getting Bell’s Palsy I always thought that I wasn’t good enough. However, Bell’s Palsy isn’t permeant and if you have just been diagnosed it may seem that way but trust me it’s not. Some people recover within days and some people take months. In my case it took me a year and a half and I was left with some residual Bell’s Palsy which just means that I am not 100% what I was before but I am pretty close to it. I learned a lot from Bell’s Palsy and the best advice I can offer is that
- Don’t blame yourself this isn’t your fault.
- You need time to cope and deal with this and take your time. In the beginning you might feel a bit depressed and alone but just know other people went through and are going through what you are feeling.
- Talk to someone even though they might not understand what your feeling you really need to feel support and if you don’t feel like you have support just by reading what other people went through and knowing that you’re going through the same might make you feel better.
- You are going to be a better person because of this, having this condition is going to teach you so much about yourself and about how strong you are as a person.
This experience has allowed me to see the world in a different perspective and I now appreciate the little things in life such as how much a smile is worth. Life can get very tough and certain times we are faced with certain circumstances that we don’t necessarily understand but instead of being negative we should appreciate these experiences and use them to learn and grow from. James Altucher once said “Everything is either an obstacle to growth, or an obstacle to keep you from growing. The good thing is: you get to choose.”
1 like, 3 replies
al911er geldyxo
Posted
So right.. It'll be 2 years in February '19. The worse is over, but still have trouble keeping 1 eye open. (I notice it in pictures). Half of a smile is better than no smile. I feel my age has something to do with the long duration. Altho physically fit and into weightlifting I'll be hitting 60 this in December. Everything else works, so I'm a accepting what it is. It could certainly be worse.
alexis02700 geldyxo
Posted
Wow i'm surprised it took so long with you being so young. I started a thread for people to post their age when they got Bell's Palsy and how long it took them to recover. Most younger people recovered rather quickly and in the older folks it took much longer or never fully recovered.
I had it twice. 17 and 25. Took twice as long to recover the second time. I have residual effects that have not gone away...nearly 10 years later.
adigwe66298 geldyxo
Posted
Wow,that was nice i understand how you feel am still living with mine from birth i haven't gotten any real treatment for it am 20 years old now and i don't need to tell you about high school life it can be really depressing but u have a better view of life and appreciate people more .nice words bro thumbs up.