It has been a long two months with Bell’s palsy. Bell’s palsy is sometimes referred to as a self-limiting condition, and I guess I agree with that. For the most part, it hasn’t been too bad dealing with it. It’s actually just become a regular part of my life. Sometimes, however, it is frustrating, especially since this has been a very busy time in my life, balancing a full-time job, two children and a time-consuming hobby.

It has now been two weeks since I woke up with Bell’s palsy. The first week was all about getting over the initial shock and educating myself about the condition (with a few sprinkles of self-pity mixed in), but the second week was actually empowering – in more ways than one.

Sunday, January 31st, I woke up with Bell's Palsy. At first, I thought I had had a stroke, but luckily I was wrong. Bell's Palsy is a temporary facial paralysis that affects only one side of the face. It can vary in degrees of paralysis, but I have full paralysis on my right side. This means that I cannot smile, taste, blink or even squint on the right side of my face. The hardest part of having this condition is not being able to blink. My eye is not producing any lubrication so I constantly have to put drops in and force it shut with my hand. The only other thing affected is my speach.