Aa
Can Bells Palsey last over a year or is this something else????
Hello,
I am a 25 year old female in Dec 2008 I got the worst migraine of my life which the right side of my face went numb for about 10 sec i lost my perifrial vision in that eye and for about 1 sec i lost central vision i took 2 advil iced my face and went to bed woke up the next day to find my right eyelid and eyebrow totally dropped down went to the hospital had a cat scan and seen my family doctor whom diagnosed my with bells palsy i was on steroids twice as the pressure from my eye dropping effected my function it selped for a while now being a year and 4 months later i have ongoing problems i get migrains and headaches all the time this last bout ive got a migraine a week and a bit ago and every day since then ive had a headache with pressure on the right side of my temple my eyes are red and dry my eye pressures are high 23 on the right and 22 on the left i get a wierd tingle down my face now and then and over the last month ive had ringing in my ears occasionally . the numbness is there down my jaw and around my eye which is slightly dropped again ....any suggestions on where to start. because im young i feel like im not being taken seriously with my symptoms
I am a 25 year old female in Dec 2008 I got the worst migraine of my life which the right side of my face went numb for about 10 sec i lost my perifrial vision in that eye and for about 1 sec i lost central vision i took 2 advil iced my face and went to bed woke up the next day to find my right eyelid and eyebrow totally dropped down went to the hospital had a cat scan and seen my family doctor whom diagnosed my with bells palsy i was on steroids twice as the pressure from my eye dropping effected my function it selped for a while now being a year and 4 months later i have ongoing problems i get migrains and headaches all the time this last bout ive got a migraine a week and a bit ago and every day since then ive had a headache with pressure on the right side of my temple my eyes are red and dry my eye pressures are high 23 on the right and 22 on the left i get a wierd tingle down my face now and then and over the last month ive had ringing in my ears occasionally . the numbness is there down my jaw and around my eye which is slightly dropped again ....any suggestions on where to start. because im young i feel like im not being taken seriously with my symptoms
It sounds very much like narcolepsy. Recurrent "Bells Palsy," memory problems, insomnia symptoms, chronic pain, and twitchy feelings in muscles are actually very characteristic of narcolepsy with cataplexy, and it can be exacerbated by the hormone shifts that happen with menstrual cycles. In fact, often times, people don't have "Bells Palsy," but cataplexy. Viruses and some vaccines (namely the H1N1) can actually precipitate this, but it can happen seemingly in random fashion, too.
Common misdiagnoses are depression, epilepsy, and migraines.
It doesn't look the way you think it looks. I struggled for years to find an answer, and was misdiagnosed several times. I had it with just sleepiness during the day and what looked like insomnia at night for probably about 15-20 years before I ended up with more serious symptoms of narcolepsy that actually included cataplexy (random muscle weakness that can either be isolated, or widespread). Onset is typically in teenage or early adult years but it can come later, and earlier, too.
The cataplexy manifested first in my face, as what looked like episodes of Bells Palsy that came and went when I was tired, stressed, or even when I was happy and smiling. But when I paid closer attention I realized I got weakness and twitching (not uncommon) in my other muscles sometimes too, though I chalked it up to clumsiness until I paid attention. I also had issues with my vision randomly and sleepiness.
I went undiagnosed for about 15-20 years, until I finally saw a sleep specialist and she nailed the diagnosis right away. The vast majority of doctors have absolutely no idea what it is or what it looks like, and no routine lab tests, MRI, CT scan, x-ray or anything of that nature will detect it. 75% of people with narcolepsy never get diagnosed in their lifetime.
I was tested for epilepsy, migraines, MS, all kinds of things. But nope, it turned out to be narcolepsy!!
See a sleep specialist!
Common misdiagnoses are depression, epilepsy, and migraines.
It doesn't look the way you think it looks. I struggled for years to find an answer, and was misdiagnosed several times. I had it with just sleepiness during the day and what looked like insomnia at night for probably about 15-20 years before I ended up with more serious symptoms of narcolepsy that actually included cataplexy (random muscle weakness that can either be isolated, or widespread). Onset is typically in teenage or early adult years but it can come later, and earlier, too.
The cataplexy manifested first in my face, as what looked like episodes of Bells Palsy that came and went when I was tired, stressed, or even when I was happy and smiling. But when I paid closer attention I realized I got weakness and twitching (not uncommon) in my other muscles sometimes too, though I chalked it up to clumsiness until I paid attention. I also had issues with my vision randomly and sleepiness.
I went undiagnosed for about 15-20 years, until I finally saw a sleep specialist and she nailed the diagnosis right away. The vast majority of doctors have absolutely no idea what it is or what it looks like, and no routine lab tests, MRI, CT scan, x-ray or anything of that nature will detect it. 75% of people with narcolepsy never get diagnosed in their lifetime.
I was tested for epilepsy, migraines, MS, all kinds of things. But nope, it turned out to be narcolepsy!!
See a sleep specialist!
Thank you very much for ur input I did have a contrast MRI about six months ago but my doctor never gave me the results I'll be making an apmnt tommorow as I'm getting more symptoms here n there today it's jaw pain an dizziness I will let u know how I make out once I see him n get a neurologist apmnt
Forgot to add, there have been cases when this Bell's palsy condition did not resolve. I think you should definitely be seeing a Neurologist to sort your situation out.
Request an order for an MRI brain/head with contrast from your family physician, and follow up with a Neurologist ASAP.
Bell's palsy can last up to a year, but since it has been over a year for you I would see a Neurologist to rule out any other conditions/problems.
Keep us posted.
Bell's palsy can last up to a year, but since it has been over a year for you I would see a Neurologist to rule out any other conditions/problems.
Keep us posted.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Neurology Community
Top Neurology Answerers
Allentown, PA
ON
Queensland, Australia
Queen Creek, AZ
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease
