Pregnant and Woke up with Bels Palsy

Hello D. - I've never had bels palsy; but my husband has it effected the left side of his face & was given a low does steriods & took about 2 weeks to get over; in the mean time was told to chew gum to work the nerves. I know this isn't much. Congratulations on baby to be!

Hello D.,
This must be very frightening, but it most likely is temporary. I would call your local Oral Surgeons office and they should have some pamphlets or something to help you through this. They are the experts- I was a dental hygienist for over 30 years and that would be where I would start.
Good luck to you,
M.

Chiropractic has also helped with Bell's Palsy. If you have a chiropractor that you are seeing, be sure to get to him/her to try to help you with this problem. If you don't have one and you are interested (I recommend that women have chiropractic care throughout their pregnancy) let me know and I can try to find someone that is close to your area.

Dr. Rick Semlow

I had the same thing happen only in the early part of my second trimester. Therefor they were able to give me a low dose steroid and anti-boiotic (but that was because I was only about 12-14 weeks along) to help speed up the clear up. It last 2-3 weeks. My suggestion is use a straw to drink with, depending how far down your face it is going. For me it was my complete left side, I looked like I had dental work done in my mouth-only becaue my glasses made the eye less noticable.

I was 30 at the time, really there was not much else that could be done for me.

Hi D.
I'm not a doctor, I have "Nature's pharmacy" by Dr. Lynne Walker that says the cause is yet unknown.

Conventional treatment - salicylates, heat treatment, electrotherapy and steroids. The steroids for inflammation, but they impair the immunsystem, and make natural treatments less effective.

The Oriental Approach - They attribute Bells Palsy to "wind in the channels", in the typical case the patient slept under a fan. They say treat as soon as possible with acupuncture (little pins stuck into the skin - it's not very painful from my experience). That the paralysed nerve can be stimulated back to health in a few days. Unless you've used steroids, and waited, giving the nerve time to atrophy it can be much harder to treat.

Homoepathic Treatment - Is aconite, but it says to take it right away.

If more time has passed acupuncture was more effective.

So thats what the book said. I read it to a friend who's guy work up with it and got acupuncture, and it corrected his condition.
Personally I'd go for acupuncture if I were pregnant. I hope you heal quickly.
A. H

This happened to my mom. It panicked her also, but she made a full recovery. Unfortunately, it was almost a year before she did. I don't think they will put you on the prednisone until after you give birth, but I believe that helped make a difference with my mom. Also, my dad would help massage that side of her face daily--have your husband make this a daily ritual with you before you go to bed. Listen to the Drs and try to hang in there. It is scary, but hopefully, it will be just temporary.

Hi D., my best friend has had it 3 times. She is a wealth of info, let me know if you want her email address, she has done tons of research. The funniest part, she had it all 3 times prior to pregnancy but didn't get it when she was pregnant.

Just want you to know that one of my sisters had this, not during pregnancy but just randomly, and it went away in a number of days. It was very frustrating and scary for her though so I can imagine what you're going through, and I hope it gets better very soon!

Morning D.,

I haven't been on here in a long time; however, my sister wanted me to make sure that I had seen and read this. I had Bels Palsy several years ago. I had eaten ice cream one night and noticed the tip of my tongue a little numb. I thought it was a little frost bit.. (lol) Well as the next day proceeded my nose and mouth was a little numb, and noticed that my left side of my face was numb. I immediately called the doctor and while I was not pregnant they started me on steriods and an antibotic.

I did a lot of research on this issue. There is a place in Gaylord Mi that works with this issue and can give you a lot of information.

Well I started going to my chiropractor again and taking a lot of vitamin B. Also they suggest that doing a head/skull massage (light) to stimulate the nerves.

It took several weeks and I do have to say that my face was back to normal about 99%. I still do get those feelings occassionally, and start back on the Vitamin regiment and seeing the chiropractor. Mine was from a pinched nerve in my neck that lead to my ear and face.

My daughter had gotten bels from a virus. She is 100% okay. She was just a little girl about 9 or so then and now is 19.

Funny story is that my mother had this same thing when she was in her late 20's early 30's. She had gotten hit in the face with a ice snow ball. It took her back then several months to heal but is fine. Occassionally thru the years she has had some issues, however now at her age of 82 they are now watching for other issues.

If you would like to chat more on this you can reach me at ____@____.com. I hope this information has been helpful.

Take care.

Kim

D.,

Sorry to hear about your Bell's Palsy. I got it at a little over 37 weeks. I used a heating pad for nerve pain behind the ear (if you have that). Just know that it will go away and that it's temporary. Feel free to email me at ____@____.com if you have any questions.

Take care,
C.

it is scary...just do what dr says and have alot of patience...and be careful drinking and eating till you have complete sensation back....i had an awful time with choking if i want careful..it has something to do with the 5th nerve in the head is how it was explained to me and anything could have caused it...it just takes time for your body to recover..good luck and huggs

I had no idea that this condition was this common during pregnancy. Unfortunately, I don't have any advice, but I do have the power of prayer and I will use it right away!!!

At the very least you have taught some of us something new that we may be able to help somebody else with someday!

Blessings and speedy healing,
~L.

I got Bels Palsy just after my first child was born. It is frustrating, but it is temporary. They did put me on steroids for a short time. I had the hardest time with my eye not closing. I use strips to keep it closed at night as recommended by the doctor. However watch for a common allergic reaction to these. Other than that, today you wouldn't know I ever had it 14 years ago. Good Luck and stay positive.

D.,

My name is H. and I am a physical therapist. Bells palsy is something that we treat often in my practice with facial massage and electrical point stimulation. Both are perfectly safe during pregnancy. There are also exercises that can help regain motor control and strength. Unfortunately, it can take a few weeks to return to normal but most cases do resolve. I know steroids (prednisone) are also a popular treatment, but you need to ask your doctor about taking any medications during pregnancy. Hope this was helpful.

Hi D.,

I know what you are going through. I had it...twice, both before I was pregnant. Then I read that it can be common in women in their 3rd tri and I was so scared I would get it again, but I didn't. Heating pads were mentioned and that helped a lot because after a while it got achy. Wearing an eye patch or lubricating gel at night is a good idea because your eye sometimes will not shut all the way (although I don't know how severe your case is). During the day, eye drops is good to have on hand, especially with the cold, windy weather. Both times I went for physical therapy on my face. They massaged it and we did facial exercises. But be careful, some articles say that forcing movement too early can cause more damage than good. Sometimes they wil do electrolysis and I have read conflicting things. Some say it does help to 'jump start' the nerve and others saying it does more permanent damage. I had it done a few times. I was on 2 medications: acyclovir (antiviral) and prednisone (steroid). Just know that a great majority of people recover well from it and is almost always temporary. Mine lasted about 6 weeks each time. Seems like forever, I know, but hang in there. You WILL get better!