A few nights ago I was doing what I'm usually doing, sitting in front of the old PC. As usual I was sipping a beverage. Noticed a couple times in a row more liquor dribbled out of my mouth than I swallowed. Odd, but I just wrote it off as not paying attention. That and a bad case of eye strain (or so I thought) with my eyes tearing up pretty bad.
Phone rings, I answer, start to talk and it becomes obvious I'm slurring my speech. The more I talk, the worse its getting. About an hour before I had a fairly severe pain behind my left ear. You bet, I was starting to panic a little, am I having stroke? I do a quick web search for pain behind ear, some of my other symptoms, and something I haven't heard of before pops up. Bell's Palsy. http://www.bellspalsy.ws/
Among other things, it says usually one side of your face is paralized. Onset is frequently immediate with little or no warning. I go to a mirror, check out symptoms, can't blink or shut one eye, my lips on one side were dropping, couldn't even wiggle my nose or open my mouth straight.
Anyhow my doctor confirmed yesterday that's why I got. Probably some virus caused it. Not common, but not exactly rare either, several thousand people just in the U.S. have their seventh cranial nerve affected this way and it can take 3 months or longer before any noticable improvelment. Geez, I hope not. In my case, effects mostly my left eye (this is taking ten times longer than normal to write) and drat, it also is effecting my eating which also takes lots longer. That may be a good thing. Finally, a diet I'll have to follow.
Anyways, till I can see better and the excessive tearing stops I won't be posting much if at all. So I thought I'd explain what happened to me and why I haven't posted and won't be much for awhile. If I do post, maybe at long last I'll learn to post shorter.
Phone rings, I answer, start to talk and it becomes obvious I'm slurring my speech. The more I talk, the worse its getting. About an hour before I had a fairly severe pain behind my left ear. You bet, I was starting to panic a little, am I having stroke? I do a quick web search for pain behind ear, some of my other symptoms, and something I haven't heard of before pops up. Bell's Palsy. http://www.bellspalsy.ws/
Among other things, it says usually one side of your face is paralized. Onset is frequently immediate with little or no warning. I go to a mirror, check out symptoms, can't blink or shut one eye, my lips on one side were dropping, couldn't even wiggle my nose or open my mouth straight.
Anyhow my doctor confirmed yesterday that's why I got. Probably some virus caused it. Not common, but not exactly rare either, several thousand people just in the U.S. have their seventh cranial nerve affected this way and it can take 3 months or longer before any noticable improvelment. Geez, I hope not. In my case, effects mostly my left eye (this is taking ten times longer than normal to write) and drat, it also is effecting my eating which also takes lots longer. That may be a good thing. Finally, a diet I'll have to follow.
Anyways, till I can see better and the excessive tearing stops I won't be posting much if at all. So I thought I'd explain what happened to me and why I haven't posted and won't be much for awhile. If I do post, maybe at long last I'll learn to post shorter.