13 years and counting...

[katy1502]

I woke up 13 years ago with Bells Palsy. I obviously went to hospital where it was diagnosed. I wasn't offered any treatment, steroids, physio, any follow up appointments. I was just told I had Bells Palsy and that was it.

13 years later it's still present and it gets me down every day. Whilst I have had improvement, it seems to have stopped getting better about 8 years ago I'd say. My smile is very wonky, my eye shuts as I speak and eat, and I constantly feel uncomfortable when people are sat looking at that side of my face.

I have recently started Caci treatments in the hope that will make even the smallest improvement.

Does anyone else have any suggestions, or because of the time that has passed is it now too late for recovery?

[Seeujimmy]

Hi I had an operation to remove a tumour which led to facial palsy, because of the intrusive nature of the operation. I had problems with my eye not blinking, my throat muscles were effected, and my face drooped, with no sensation on that side of my face. I tried the electronic stimulator. The chart of the face with the spots to treat reminded me of accupuncture charts.

I went to a neighbour, a Englishman who had studied medicine in China. He gave me a very in depth assessment, asking me questions that seemed unrelated to my palsy, but I answered. He started tapping on my face and as I had put a hanky over my eyes [I was squeamish] I asked when would he put the needles in. He replied they were in!

He also suggested moxibustion where the heat from the tip of cigar like object was used to massage my face [it does not touch]. I was sceptical of this but gave it a try.

After a number of sessions I began to have a feeling of numbness in my face, a change from nothing. Now I can open and shut my eye with only a slight contortion of my face. It no longer stares back wide eyed at me in the mirror, and few people ever comment about my appearance. I ask them, and usually the response is along the lines, "now that you mention it". I even cry from both eyes.

As a surprising additional benefit, he needled my foot - which I found bizarre, but that was because I had told him I lacked energy. Amazingly like a light switch being thrown, I shuffled to the appointment - afterwards I felt liking vaulting his hedge!

Chinese medicine adopts a holistic approach so no two treatments are the same, thus there is no Western style data on each type of treatments success or failure. In effect each person gets their own unique therapy. Western Medicine therefore can be sceptical - where are the results to back this up? To me the thousands of years of experience is what counts. Thus Organisations like Facial Palsy UK cannot advocate my successful treatment - much to my ire and frustration. Sadly to me they are blinkered.

Do not get put off by the Chinese medical terms like Qi which sound foreign and alien to our medical understanding - accept them for what they are - foreign. I also had a real belief in the person who treated me. Though I did not specifically asked he was registered and insured. Norman

[PurplePetal12 in reply to Seeujimmy]

I found this so interesting! I had an acoustic neuroma removed 20 years ago. I had a facial really animation surgery from my tongue nerve. I then had a lot of pain in my face and have had a daith piercing in my ear cartalidge on an acupuncture point which has helped enormously! I'm now going for acupuncture on the pain I have in my spine, I shall mention this. Thanks for sharing

[Audreysews]

My symptoms are the same.... l did have treatment 2 years ago, l also wonder if there is anything else that can be done to help us.... doctors do not seem interested... but at least we are mobile and healthy otherwise, there are so many people worse than us.

[Seeujimmy in reply to Audreysews]

Thats the bit I find so galling and why I have posted online about acupuncture and moxibustion, the Chinese have been treating people for 1,000s of years and have a wealth of practical experience, yet because they do not have the statistical data to back this up all this knowledge seems to be ignored by the Western Medicine Cartel . One reason is that Chinese medicine is Holistic looking at the whole person, and treatment is tailored to the specific person, so no two treatments are exactly the same. So no statistics are generated. Frankly that seems a far more relevant approach than treating each individual condition.

Even the Facial Palsy UK have this approach, and I could not post an article about acupuncture and moxibustion on their website, as a committee decided they could not. I quizzed them, but I am still unclear of their reasoning.

[sallygirl]

Never say never. ... you must think positive and don't ever give up.... you need facial therapy. Change your doctor you need to go to a neurologist and you tell him you want facial therapy..... I know how you feel cause some days I feel the same and it's only 10 months for me but seems like eternity 😩