Bell's Palsy

[Kavya25]

Hi,

My husband woke up with numbness in his mouth, no sense of taste and since he was diagnosed with early stages of Bell's Palsy.

Later his eye is affected, he would have to forcefully close the eye on the side. He was detected with sixth nerve palsy like 9 months ago. Can these be related? The Dr has suggested an MRI to rule out any nuerological condition.

Also my Mother in law was diagnosed with Bell's palsy as well 20 years ago and had regained full functionality. Can this be genetic?

Any suggestions would help.

[Ricobord]

Lyme Disease is a cause of Bell's Palsy (7th cranial nerve).  Lyme can affect certain cranial nerves, but I'm not sure about the 6th.  You definitely don't want to take any steroids unless you have eliminated Lyme as a possibility.  And yes, there is Lyme Disease in CA.  A friend of mine picked up Lyme, Bartonella, and Babesia from ticks in California.  Unfortunately, most doctors in CA are woefully unaware of Lyme Disease. I went through 12 doctors and finally found an LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Doctor) to diagnose and treat me.

[Dr Sharma]

Hello dear and welcome to the medhelp forum. Bell’s palsy usually results from facial nerve inflammation, secondary to some head trauma, viral infection like herpes simplex type-1, diabetes, or inflammation of cranial nerves like in sarcoidosis. corticosteroids help in reducing inflammation and anti virals are indicated with viral infection. Sixth nerve or abducens nerve palsy can occur secondary to raised intracranial pressure. Diabetes and hypertension can also cause this palsy. An MRI head is required to rule out any intracranial mass. The cause needs to be investigated. Since about 9 months have lapsed already, you might require prismatic correction of glasses if there is a convergent squint. Wishing you all the best and speedy recovery.