Does anyone know about bells palsy?

Question

I have recently found out that I Bells Palsy but the doctors not sure about it. I know it is caused by a virus but I just want to know if the symptoms and attacks are reacuring?

Answer 1

Facial Nerve Problems & Bell Palsy

What is the facial nerve?
The facial nerve is a specific motor nerve (a nerve which tells certain muscles to contract) which controls the muscles on the same side of the face. It allows us to show expression, smile, cry, and wink. Injury to the facial nerve causes a socially and psychological devastating physical defect that may require multiple rehabilitative procedures.

The facial nerve is the seventh of the twelve cranial nerves which have been named as such because they all exit the brainstem through the base of the skull. Everyone has two facial nerves, one for each side of the face. The facial nerve travels with the hearing nerve (cranial nerve eight) as it travels in and around the structures of the middle ear. It exits the front of the ear at the stylomastoid foramen (a hole in the skull base), where it then travels through the parotid gland. In the parotid gland it divides into many branches which provide motor function for the various muscles and glands of the head and neck.

What are symptoms of a facial nerve problem?
A disorder of the facial nerve may result in facial muscle paralysis, weakness, or twitching of the face; dryness of the eye or the mouth; or alteration of taste on the affected side. However, the finding of one of these symptoms does not necessarily imply a specific facial nerve problem, it is only after a careful investigation that one is able to make a precise diagnosis.

What conditions affect the facial nerve?
There are numerous causes of facial nerve disorder including the following:

Trauma: Examples are birth trauma, skull base fractures, facial injuries, middle ear injuries, or surgical trauma.
Nervous system disease: Examples are the Opercular syndrome, Millard-Gubler syndrome.
Infection: Examples are infections of the ear or face, Herpes Zoster infection of the facial nerve (the Ramsey-Hunt syndrome).
Metabolic: Examples are diabetes mellitus and pregnancy.
Tumors: Examples are acoustic neuroma, schwannoma, cholesteatoma, parotid tumors, glomus tumors.
Toxins: Examples are alcoholism, carbon monoxide poisoning.
Bell's Palsy: Also called idiopathic facial nerve paralysis (see below).
Related Links on MedicineNet.com

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The Doctor's Response

Answer 2

I had Bell's Palsy about 20 years ago and, thankfully, it has not returned since. I've also known at least one other person who had it who also has never gotten it again.

Here's a link to some really good info about it: http://www.bellspalsy.ws/

It sounds like, from that article, it's only potentially recurring in people who have conditions that compromise the immune system such as HIV or sarcoidosis .

That said, when my seventh cranial nerves regenerated, they "crossed wires" somewhat so now, rather than not being able to close my eye like when I had Bell's Palsy, my eye sometimes tends to close a bit when I smile or when I'm tired. Although I can definitely see the difference, many other people have said they hadn't noticed it.

I had pretty much total paralysis on that side of my face, but it was gone after several weeks (no therapy, just a course of steroids at the beginning). The worst part was when the nerves started regenerating - lots of pain! But the pain only lasted a few days.

If your eye doesn't close properly, the biggest thing to watch out for is eye damage. I went to an eye doctor every week and had to wear an eye patch until the Bell's Palsy was over.

Good luck --I hope you have a speedy recovery!

Answer 3

I got this information from a site about Bells Palsy. I will give the address below:
Bell's Palsy: Managing to Save Face
By Gary Cordingley

What could be more central to our sense of self than our faces? So imagine what it would be like to watch powerlessly while half your face progressively droops like melted wax. That's what happens in Bell's palsy.

Bell's palsy is a condition causing weakness or even total paralysis of the muscles on one side of the face, typically developing over 3-72 hours. It can occur at any age and affects the genders about equally. People with diabetes and depressed immune systems are at increased risk of having this condition, as are women in the third trimester of pregnancy. Bell's palsy affects about 11 out of 1000 people sometime during their lives.

The problem lies within the facial nerve, also known as the seventh cranial nerve. The nerve is like a telephone-cable and contains thousands of individual nerve-fibers. There are two facial nerves, one for each side of the face, and by far the most common pattern is that one side of the face is affected and not the other.

The facial nerve ultimately connects the brainstem (junction between the upper brain and spinal cord located at the base of the skull) to the muscles of the face. Along the way it travels through a narrow canal in the skull bone. After exiting this canal near the bottom of the ear it divides into thousands of tiny branches before reaching the facial muscles.

Answer 4

I have had it before, and you are right, it is caused by the Herpes virus, the same one that gives you the cold sores. At least that is the best diagnosis that they have. Apparently it attacks one of the major nerves in the facial area, and its duration is usually two weeks to a month, and feeling slowly comes back. It does not happen very often, which is why people don't know much about it, but it usually is benign. I don't want to mislead you, however, because sometimes in rare cases, the feeling does not come back, or it comes back, but not completely. Hopefully this will not be the case with you. And it is even RARER that you will get it more than once in your life, so I wouldn't worry about that. It is a real pain (not literally--you can't feel anything actually), and it's embarrassing, but cheer up--chances are GREAT that it won't last long at all! Best of luck!!

Answer 5

Yes Bells palsy can be caused by a virus or can be idiopathic, meaning unknown cause. It is a paralysis in the facial nerve or cranial nerve 7. CN 7 is responsible for the muscles of facial expression and it is motor to the facial glands like the salivary glands and the lacrimal glands which produce tears. The duration of the condition varies and the outcome is unpredictable. Some people have no residual paralysis, some people do. It can reoccur.

Answer 6

I had Bells Palsy 2 yrs ago, the night before I had the symptoms I had a sever headache. I found out when I went to the hospital that is something that can bring it on. When I woke up the next morning I was unable to feel one half of my face, almost like a stroke. It only effected my face no other part of my body.I have no ill effect from this and I do not recall the doctor telling me that I could have a recurrence.
evrything you need to know you can find at this web site http://www.bellspalsy.ws/

Answer 7

Bells Palsy can be either a virus or a form of a stroke. The medical profession offers nothing for recovery. My husband is taking a form of phytonutrients, flavenoids and polysaccharides which go to work on all auto-immune deficiencies. His face used to really look paralyzed when he was cold, but now it has completely returned to normal. This formula removes free radicals, bacteria, inflammation, fungus and yeast from the blood making it alkaline. An acidic body is a sick body. We have found this to be most effective.

Answer 8

I had it 15 years ago. it is a virus and affects the nerves in your face. it can recur but a slim chance. A friend recently had a reoccurance which was bad. The first was when she was 13 and now again in her 40's. She has had to have therapy. Mine affected the left side of my face. It drooped and my eyes became dried out. I needed drops. There is no cure. Time tends to be the only real thing. I recovered almost fully. My left eye droops when I am tired. Some nerves do not regenerate and you might suffer permanent damage. My recovery took 6 months. Good luck.

Answer 9

Palsy- paralysis.
Bell's palsy (pawl'-zi)- facial hemiparesis (neuropathy of facial nerve- facial paralysis) from oedema /pressure of the seventh (facial) cranial nerve. Cause unknown. [Charles Bell, Scottish physician 1774-1842]
Birth palsy- obstetric paralysis.
bulbar palsy- facial paralysis due to lesion of the facial nerve, resulting in characteristic distortion of the face.
Cerebral palsy- persisting qualitative motor disorder appearing before the age three, due to nonprogressive damage to the brain.
Erb's palsy- involves the shoulder and arm muscles (paralysis of the muscles of the arm and chest wall of the newborn) from an injury / lesion of the fifth and sixth cranial nerve roots (of the brachial plexus occurring in delivery). The arms hangs loosely at the side, with the forearm pronated ('waiter's tip position') Most commonly a birth injury. [Wilhelm Heinrich Erb, German neurologist. 1840-1921]
Shaking palsy-paralysis agitans
wasting palsy- progressive muscular atrophy.

Answer 10

the symptoms and attack usually are not reocuruig. My grandfather had Bells one time it affected his face. We taped his face up into place so he could eat and drink and so his eye would not dry out. over the course of a few weeks his face went back to normal. You'll be fine, it's just a scarey to hear that you have something like that. Granddad recovered fine with no ill affects.