John’s second episode of Bell’s palsy was much worse than his first – not helped by it happening during Covid.
A colleague at work noticed that John’s face didn’t look right one day and after looking at himself in the mirror in the toilet at work he went straight to the doctors.
The doctor recognised it as Bell’s palsy and John put it down to stress in his life. He was given steroids straight away.
Within a couple of weeks his face had gone back to normal.
The second time he was cleaning his teeth in the morning and couldn’t spit out properly. He knew immediately what it was and called 111. They wanted to send an ambulance. but he went to the hospital himself, where doctors still thought it was a stroke. This held up the prescription of steroids which he got a few days later.
He said: “It was a lot worse than the first time. It was on the other side of my face and I ended up taking six weeks off work.”
This happened during the Covid outbreak and John had difficulty accessing services. Doctors mixed up who he was supposed to be in touch with, making the process long and difficult. He said after prescribing steroids doctors didn’t really seem to know what to do.
Five years on he has still not fully recovered but has found facial exercises and regular Botox treatments help.
Disclaimer: Please note that views expressed are person’s own and should not be considered a recommendation of particular medical treatments, therapies or surgeries. We would always advise you seek advice from a health professional with experience in facial palsy who can assess your individual needs.