The doctor that saw Spencer recognised Bell’s palsy but had no idea how to treat it.
Spencer was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy
I was having a normal day at work. During the day I felt a tingling sensation in my lips, but didn’t feel unwell. I wasn’t in any pain and just got on with my day. At the end of the day my wife picked me up from the station and was shocked by my appearance. The right side of my face had completely melted and she was terrified I was having a stroke and took me straight to hospital. In A&E they rushed me through to see someone quickly as my face was looking pretty bad by now. I was still in no pain but was having difficulty speaking clearly. The young doctor quickly realised I was not having a stroke and was sure I had something called Bell’s palsy. He was unaware of the best way to treat it and was actually Googling treatments with me in the room.
He eventually found sources that said steroids would be the best treatment and gave me a prescription for five days as he was worried I would get side effects from the steroids. At the time I was thankful for them seeing me so soon and relieved after being told I would be better in a few weeks.
I was due to go on holiday to Turkey in a few days’ time with my family and was happy I had some medication to help.
Whilst I was away I stopped taking the steroid prescription as it ran out. The next day I started experiencing severe pain in my ear that lasted for about a week. We tried to see a doctor in Turkey but the guy gave me some painkillers and wished me well.
It turns out that the period of time I should’ve been taking steroids was much longer than five days and the pain I experienced was due to this and had now become permanent damage which meant I would never recover fully.
About two years in I had a platinum insert in my eyelid, which has helped but I do have an eye now that looks permanently droopy. I also had an operation to sever the nerves in my neck, but they had to leave one, so all the weight is going through the one area now and that didn’t really help.
I’ve also had three years of Botox, and physiotherapy for four years.
To this day I can’t close my eye and cannot smile properly. If Facial Palsy Awareness Week leads to one less person receiving mistreatment like this then we will have done our job.
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.