So here’s where I get a bit more personal than my previous 2 blogs. This past January I started getting a swelling in my throat on a thursday evening, which coincidentally was the day that my girlfriend and I had gotten our new car. By saturday, it was a MAJOR problem. I couldn’t eat, and I was feeling really tired, despite sleeping most of the day. Still I tried to enjoy myself, even seeing Gran Torino.
By monday I knew it was serious, and that I was going to need to go to the doctor. I actually drove myself to work which is 30 miles away (saving this for another blog) and set up a substitute, because I can’t just call in. I somehow drove myself back home, and went to the nearby clinic, and since it was around 11 in the morning, they were going to take their lunch and I had to go back. I go back later and after waiting what felt like an eternity, I find out that I have Walking Pneumonia. They prescribed me some medicine, and at this point, I feel the lowest I’ve felt in a long time. I could barely eat, and I’m still feeling tired, which is a by product of the Pneumonia I found out, since I’d never had it before.
I spent the rest of the week throwing up, and even made myself go to work that thursday so I didn’t waste what precious days I had left for time off. I thought I could make it for friday, but that thursday I could barely keep myself upright.
This is where things take a turn for the worse.
On friday, I’m feeling better. I can eat solid food for the first time in a week, and the swelling in my throat is going down. Great. I go to sleep, and I wake up on saturday, and reach for the glass of Tang next to my bed on the dresser. Yeah, I’d been drinking a lot of that. Anyway, I try to drink it, and most of it dribbles out of the right side of my mouth. I feel the right side of my face, and THERE’S NO FEELING. Just like somone had injected me with Novocaine. I actually didn’t think much of it, just thinking I had slept wrong, or it was the medicine I was taking. On sunday it’s still the same, so my parents take me to the emergency room. Yeah I still live with them (subject for anothe blog) on the way my Mother says it may be Bell’s Palsey. I get there, and that’s exactly what I have.
For the uninitiated, Bell’s Palsy affects the face and there’s several levels of it. I got the tamest version. It can make the entire side of one’s face droop, much like a stroke. I could barely close my right eye, which led to some problems when I tried to get to sleep. Luckily I have health insurance, so I got set up with a therapist, and up till now, I’ve been slowly getting better. My speech is much more improved, since I’d been having trouble speaking due to it, and little by little I’m being able to move the muscles on the right side more now. It’s really messed up my smile. I’ve got this half smirk thing going on that annoys the hell out of me, but now ith the muscles working better, the right side is working to even my smile out. It’s referred to as a “Bell’s Smile”.
There’s no known cause for Bell’s Palsy. I’ve heard that it’s caused by someone going outside right after taking a shower, and I call bullshit on that, as I hadn’t been outside at all on that friday right before it happened.
There’s also no actual time frame for when it can go away. It can be several weeks, months, or it may never go away. I’ve been told though, that it’s extremely rare for it to go away. My aunt and my grandmother had it, and they recovered, and I’m recovering from it, so I’m really hopeful. I’m just glad I didn’t ignore it, and got treated immediately.
Here’s a link to wikipedia regarding my ailment.
Rene’s song of the day: “Satellite Of Love” by Lou Reed
Thanks for visiting my blog and see you next time!