For Whom the Bell Tolls

I have Bell's Palsy. It's a condition where the muscles of the face become paralyzed due to a facial nerve paralysis. That means my face is currently stuck in place for the most part. I can't furrow my brow, smile, move my eyebrows, pucker my lips, whistle, and the list goes on. My eyes blink very slowly. The only expression my face can make is the one you find on the face of a male model, staring out to you from a magazine ad that is selling some Calvin Klein related cologne. My speech is slightly slurred due to my practically immovable mouth. Eating and drinking involves small bites and smaller sips. Thankfully, however, there is no pain involved.

I have had this lovely ailment since last Thursday. That's when I noticed something was slightly askew when I tried to brush my teeth and water kept dribbling out from my bottom lip. Yup, something was certainly off. Of course, it took me a couple days to finally see a doctor and that was mainly due to the insistence of my mom. When I went over to Mom's house to do some laundry, I think my condition really scared her and that made me feel bad. So Saturday night saw me in the emergency room where I got some tests and a CAT scan and a diagnosis: Bell's Palsy. I was given a script for some medication and then I was sent on my way.

Bell's Palsy can last from a few days to a few months so I'm left with some uncertainty of just when my face will return to normal. Due to that, I sadly had to drop out from The Eight: The Reindeer Monologues. I really hated to do that, too, but there's no way I could successfully act in my current state.

So I have Bell's Palsy for the time being and I'm doing fine for the most part. I know things will get back to normal eventually. I just hope it is sooner than later.