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On Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, I went to work on getting better. I began research the day before on some of the results and causes of BP, but today was about execution. I visited an Acupuncturist that took my insurance, had a decent amount of quality Yelp reviews, and was located nearby. My first session was as much as information sharing as it was about receiving the pins. Didn’t hurt, and just taking a few moments to shut down – felt relaxing. Kiersten, my acupuncturist, suggested three times a week for the next two weeks.  I booked the first week. She suggests to stay out of the wind. Many cultures, not just Chinese, contend that the Wind can help to bring on this facial paralysis. I go the next four weeks, three times a week. I’m not sure if it’s helped. It doesn’t seem to have hurt. I certainly appreciate the quiet time of reflection and trying to use my mind to either relax, or to actively try to get better. All the while I have a bunch of needles sticking out of my face.

By evening time, my mouth is now effected. The nerves have conked out on the left side. The nerve damage has been making its way down my face. It started with a dull headache on the left side, and a pinched feeling behind my left ear as if my glasses are too tight. Now, my left eyebrow and forehead don’t even move. Gotta say, the absence of wrinkles on the left side of my forehead makes a pretty good case for Botox.

A good friend had invited me to a movie premiere tonight — in a film he’s got a small part. I don’t want to bail, and I don’t want my life to end just because of Bell’s Palsy, so I bundle up and meet him in Hollywood. It’s still pretty windy here in L.A., as it has been the last couple weeks. Unseasonably cold, too. But everyone from the urgent care doc to the acupuncturist has been telling me how great it is that I noticed my BP so early. Surely, hopping on this so quickly will certainly help. And, catching up with an old friend is always a good thing. We meet for burgers and beers. Since I’m meds for the next several days, no beer for me. Since I can’t properly open my mouth to chew, no burger for me. One good thing about this new situation is I will be forced to eat more slowly — whatever it is I can eat. Hummus and pita is the only thing on the menu that I could handle at Jameson’s. I’ll survive.

DING. A sound. An alert. A mark of imperfection. A call to action. To me, all of the above and more. Two weeks and two days ago, I woke up and my mouth didn’t work exactly as it’s supposed to. While brushing my teeth, I couldn’t spit out straight. I tried a couple times, then realized that there was unmistakably a problem. I wondered if it had anything to do with the dull headache above my ear. Or if it was related to the pain felt on that same ear over the last several days. A pain as if my glasses were too tight. I knew I was overdue to visit the Ophthalmologist and that I probably needed new glasses anyway. Turns out there was a lot to see that could not yet be seen.

Sunday, January 31, 2016 is the day that I woke up realizing something was  not right. Could it be Bell’s Palsy?

I called my sister-in-law who went through this maybe ten years ago. She suggested I look around online to WebMD, Mayo Clinic, etc. And then: Run don’t walk to Urgent Care, and locate a good acupuncturist. ASAP. Catch it early, she implored.  I took her advice very seriously, but I still had things I felt needed to done in the day; plus I wanted to see if maybe this situation improved on its own. Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe it would right itself. No better, I drove to Urgent Care an hour before closing.

The doctor had me puff out my cheeks. Instantly, my left side, my now-weaker side, leaked air. He probably had me do other things, too, but this was the test that seemed to verify Bell’s Palsy. I hadn’t had a stroke (nor did I ever think I had). My blood pressure was definitely higher than usual  for me – but the stress of the situation appeared to be revealing itself. So, the doctor declared, that he was reasonably sure I had moderate Bell’s Palsy. He commended me for coming in immediately, and said catching it early really helps. He prescribed two meds: a steroid and an antiviral drug. Bell’s Palsy comes from a virus. Who knows where or how, but it’s a virus. The meds would be done in about a week. He would not guess how long I would be afflicted. The nerves were starting to shut down in my face. The headache, the earache were both related he said. I asked about acupuncture, and he said that that was probably a good idea. Fill prescription, take with food, and try not to freak out.