GO TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR !!! NOW !!!
I could presume that you have already seen your doctor for you to know you have Bell’s Palsy. If that is so, well done.
However, if you have not been, then literally close this book and take it with you to read in the waiting room, even on a laptop. I cannot stress this enough.
There are over 50 conditions that can cause facial paralysis and these all need to be discounted first before a diagnosis of Bell’s Palsy is given.
An experienced doctor who has seen Bell’s Palsy before will not take long to diagnose you correctly, but there is absolutely no point in treating or even reading about Bell’s Palsy if you actually have something else.
What will happen when you see the doctor?
The doctor will ask you some questions about how the paralysis came about, what happened first, when you noticed any of the symptoms and how long it has taken to get to its present state.
I’m sure that the next advice will only need to be heard by a few but “TELL THE TRUTH”.
It is a common reaction to something this scary and stressful to give only half of the truth for fear of the diagnosis.
If you tell the whole truth, then you can trust the professional doctor to diagnose you correctly, advise the proper treatments and thus you can start the correct healing process.
If the doctor does diagnose you with a Bell’s Palsy then there are most likely two treatments they will prescribe to you; an antiviral course of treatment and a steroid course of treatment. They will explain to you why these two treatments are the best course of action. (More on this later)
Don’t be worried by the word “Steroid”. All the bad press about steroids apply to the long term use of them over 6 months or even years. Your course of steroids will be a short sharp dose over a period of 1 – 2 weeks. Read the enclosed medical literature with your medicine obviously and if you are still worried about them then go back to your doctor and explain your concerns.
They will understand that this is a very stressful experience and should be only too patient, to hear and then to calm, your fears.
The important thing about the steroid treatment is that it only has a brief window of opportunity. The sooner you start the course the better.
Studies show that if it is to have any effect at all then the course of steroids needs to be started within 72 hours of the onset of Bell’s Palsy (some even say 48 hours). (The extract to the most recent full study on the effectiveness of steroids is at the end of the chapter “Medical Stuff”)
So as I said at the beginning, if you have not yet seen a doctor, GO NOW !!!
…………and then when you return………..and you know that you have Bell’s Palsy…………..
Please Buy The Book
To find out about the Bell’s Palsy Guide Book “All Bells and No whistle” and what it contains Just CLICK HERE.
“All Bells and No whistle” is the definitive helper. Over 200 pages of encouragement, explaining everything about living with and recovering from Bell’s Palsy, written by someone who knows what that actually means.
