Saturday, March 07, 2015
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Bells Palsy
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Facial Palsy
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Other ways facial palsy affects my life:
From a practical point of view, I can't blow up balloons, blow out candles or gargle. I can't blow raspberries and I can't whistle, and I remember being so proud of myself in primary school when Richard Larnders taught me how to whistle properly.
There are also the psychological effects. Not least because the image of beauty and worth that we are sold by the media includes that beautiful wide dazzling smile, but also because of the looks and comments from other people.
People regularly crack jokes about Bell's Palsy; search it on social media (not this week because we've filled it with awesomeness) and it's often full of cruel comments.
People stare; out of curiosity or just rudeness, either way is awful. People actually ask "What is wrong with your face?". People use it to hurt you and tell you nobody is going to want you with a face like that.
As well as the difficulty in getting treatment, both finding a specialist and getting funding, there is also a general perception about Botox. I have lost count of the number of hurtful comments about me having Botox; about it being vain, about getting old.
I don't have frown lines because I can't frown and I don't have laughter lines because my eyes don't scrunch when I laugh, nothing to do with Botox and also because I take exceptionally good care of my skin.
Botox allows me to live my life, to do things other people take for granted. Botox enabled me to run Blenheim Triathlon on my 30th birthday. Botox enabled me to go swimming in a mountain lake in New Hampshire. Botox enables me to leave the house in winter without suffering agonising pain and helped stop most of my migraines.
Thursday, March 05, 2015
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Beauty
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Bells Palsy
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Facial Palsy
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Make up is difficult enough as it is without a wonky face. I was lucky enough to get some make up tips from a couple of experts recently which I thought I would share.
Complexion:
We've all seen the tutorials for contouring which look like a complex jigsaw in varying shades and are quite frankly terrifying. Contouring does not have to be that complicated. A swipe of bronzing powder below the cheekbone can do the trick on it's own. If one cheekbone appears lower than the other, simply swipe the bronzer slightly higher to give the appearance that the cheekbone itself is higher.
You can also add a highlighter on the cheekbone, again adjust the positioning to balance the face.
Eyebrows:
My eyebrows are not only different heights but also arch differently. Start by getting a brow pencil (any will do) and fill in the brows trying to match them up as much as possible, be it lengthening one, adding more of an arch to the other. At this stage it might look odd as you might not be used to filling them in. Once you've pencilled out a shape you're happy with pluck any stray hairs around the edges. Just remember no ones eyebrows will perfectly match :)
You can also use things like highlighters or concealers to give the illusion that the lower brow is sitting higher. Try putting a bit of the highlighter or brightening concealer under the lower brow to bring more light to it.
Eye make up:
For opening up eyes, highlighting the tear duct area, and using a light coloured eyeliner really help. Curling your eyelashes is also a great way to open up the eye.
My eyeshadow never looks even, which is a problem shared by one of the beauty experts I spoke to as one of her eyelid folds seems a little more hooded than the other. If you are going for something subtle something matte will help diffuse light and the lack of eyeshadow on one lid won't be as prominent. For something more dramatic, just make sure you are checking how much eyeshadow is visible with your eyes open looking straight in the mirror. It might be that you bring the eyeshadow higher on one eye which will give the illusion of symmetry.
Monday, March 02, 2015
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Bells Palsy
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Facial Palsy
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Eating and drinking with facial palsy:
Eating without dribbling and drinking out of cups is something most people take for granted after about the age of 2, but with facial palsy it's not that easy.
Incomplete mouth closure can lead to dribbling on the affected side and chewing the inside of your cheek is often a problem. This makes eating in public, particularly in groups, a major issue. Smaller bites help.
Drinking out of any cups in the acute phase is difficult and straws can help. A few years ago we were having breakfast in a restaurant in Vermont where I was presented with my coffee in a rustic earthenware mug. It soon became apparent that the only thing I was going to achieve by trying to drink out of it would be coffee down my front. Thick rimmed mugs are a no go, as are those bowl shaped coffee cups. I nearly always get my coffee in a to go cup as they are generally easier to drink from. Drinking from bottles is something I still struggle with.
In addition to the practicalities of eating and drinking with loss of mouth control, synkinesis meant that my eye would water badly when I ate. Eating in hotel restaurants alone with everyone thinking you're crying is so much fun! Botox has helped with this but hot food, both in temperature and spice, still makes my eye start running.
My taste buds were also affected. My favourite takeaway curry suddenly tasted horrible and I discovered I actually liked whiskey.
Sunday, March 01, 2015
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Bells Palsy
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Facial Palsy
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Why and when I developed facial palsy:
I was 17 and hadn't felt great all day. Towards the end of the day I found my boss staring at me aghast. The left side of my face had dropped. Everyone thought I was having a stroke. It was Bell's Palsy. I was promised it would be gone in a matter of weeks. It wasn't.
It happened again when I was 21. Again I was told it would go. It didn't.
When I was 27 I had a third episode. This time there were no reassurances it'd get better, confusion about why it hadn't gone previously and concern that it had happened again. I had a million tests and scans but nobody could find an explanation.
http://www.facialpalsy.org.uk
Saturday, March 07, 2015
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