Bell’s palsy is frightening but not life- threatening
DEAR DOCTOR K: I recently had what turned out to be an attack of Bell’s palsy. Can you tell me about this condition?
DEAR READER: Bell’s palsy is a sudden paralysis involving the nerve that controls the mus- cles on one side of your face. The nerve becomes inflamed and swollen and stops working properly. All of a sudden, you look in the mirror and see a different face: a drooping mouth, a sagging eyebrow and lower eyelid, and an herpes virus. Whether or not the antiviral drugs do much for recovery is not clear. Many of my colleagues here at Harvard Medical School prescribe antiviral drugs, along with prednisone, in severe cases of Bell’s palsy. I agree with this.
In the most severe cases, surgery has been performed with the goal of relieving pressure on the swollen and inflamed nerve. Electrical stimulation of that nerve, to try to “wake it up,” also has been tried. These procedures are unproven, but they are worth considering in severe cases of Bell’s palsy that are not improving with other treatments.
If Bell’s palsy is affecting your ability to close your eyes, your cornea can become dry and vulnerable to being scratched. Protect your eyes by wearing glasses or sunglasses. Keep your eyes moist by using artificial tears frequently during the day and lubricate at night with a sterile eye ointment.
Even though the symptoms of Bell’s palsy are frightening, there’s a good chance your facial nerve will work properly again. Most people start to improve after two weeks and recover completely within six months. The odds that you will experience a complete recovery are greater if the symptoms were milder at the start, and if you began to have improvement in the first three weeks after the condition began.