I woke up this morning, as one does on a Wednesday, and went about my routine as per normal. After my shower I dried my face and suddenly, and painfully, realized that my left eye wasn’t closing properly. :shock:
Anyone know what “Bell’s Palsy” is?
Half my face is now paralyzed for an undetermined amount of time. It’s very odd, even affects half my tongue. :?
So now I’m on the gear to generate nerve repair.
It’s going to be interesting if it doesn’t clear up before my trip O/S in 3 weeks!
Consult Dan-O, he had the same afliction.
Apparently the result of hard living,
I’m understand you just have to tone back the 'ard living and hopefully it will all return to ‘normal’
I guess you’ve probably Googled or Wikid it by now but I read somewhere that in most cases it lasts 4 - 6 weeks and doesn’t recur.
Probably won’t help your holiday.
Send Dan an email and see if he has any advice for you. I think in Dan’s case the symptoms subsided over a period of time, so hopefully it will become less severe. Anyway, he’ll probably appreciate a call or an email that doesn’t say “what’s going on with you and Malvern?”
In the meantime, be comfy in the knowledge that people are looking at you and thinking “wtf’s up with that guy’s face?” 
I’ve actually had it before.
If you read the link above it says that people who have had it before get it again in 5-15% or so of cases around 10 years later, that’s me exactly. So apparently I’m special, but a normal kind of special which is kind of good.
hehe…
So for now I get to take steroids, and wear an eye patch. That’s gotta be all kinds of cool. 
OH-MY-GOD!
DOES RIDING FIXED GIVE YOU BELLS PALSY?!!
HELP! I’LL BE NEXT!
(But really Nath, get well mate)
[i]Does taking steriods make him a Doper?
Do we allow known Dopers to ride? [/i]
Anyone have any suggestions for riding with this problem?
My left eye doesn’t blink, therefore I have no blink reflex in that eye. So wind and flying dust etc is very bad.
I don’t want to ride with my patch on as I don’t have any depth perception. I have some goggles I use for DH riding but they’re far too big to wear with a normal helmet.
Suggestions?
i hope you went to the emergency dept or doctors to have it correctly diagnoised???
i used to work in ED and have seen many people come in with those symptoms and not turn out to be bells but a stroke instead - if not please do so to prevent any further complications.
if you have done so then just follow doctors orders - that should come better with time.
Yes, I’ve been to the doctor, I’m on steroids to help the nerve repair itself.
Last time it happened I was ok in around 6 weeks. It was far worse that time so hopefully I’ll be ok sooner this time.
Wear the goggles with your DH helmet.
You’ll start the next hipster trend in fixie riding.
Wear the goggles with your DH helmet.
You’ll start the next hipster trend in fixie riding.[/quote]
Then they’ll start asking if they can get bells palsy to suit their new Bianchi Pista.