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Bell's palsy

I'm wondering if anyone has dealt with this while being pregnant.  This is my 2nd child, going to have my son around October 2nd and 2 weeks ago I woke up with half my face paralyzed.. The first thing I did was freek out thinking I had a stroke, but after more and more research I realized it is common in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy :/ ..anyone else ever deal with this and if so, how did you stay sane?
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Avatar universal
See a sleep center. Recurrent "Bells Palsy" is actually very characteristic of narcolepsy with cataplexy. In fact, often times, it's not "Bells Palsy," but cataplexy. Viruses and some vaccines (namely the H1N1) can actually precipitate this, but it can happen seemingly in random fashion, too.

It doesn't look the way you think it looks. Common misdiagnoses are depression, epilepsy, and migraines. 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).

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!!

Get seen by a sleep center!
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Avatar universal
I have actually been going to the chiropractor for a few weeks now.. After the first 2 visits I started to have movement in my face.. All he did was pop my neck the first time and that was to relieve the pressure where that nerve is on the back of ur brain.. He did also start popping my back which is great since I'm pregnant.. I have since got him to skip the lower back bc baby's head is dropped and it hurts really bad.. I was so surprised that this is working but I definitely am a believer, he told me it would help and he was rite.. So if u ever see anyone else with it, suggest chiropractor;) thanks for all ur support and concerns!!
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Avatar universal
Yeah, I didn't have any luck with doctors, but there were some facial exercises I did to help build muscle strength back.  Otherwise, there isn't really anything you can do to help it progress faster. Just keep waiting. :-(  The back popping will probably be the best part! Lol  I'm curious if you get any improvement from acupuncture.
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Avatar universal
Thank u soo much! I finally did get rid of the pain and now my face is tryin to get back to normal.. Seen a neurologist and a physical therapist, which didn't do anything, luckily today my doc suggested chiropractor, so hopefully next week I'll get to see him and he can do some acupuncture or something and mayb I can get my back popped also
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Avatar universal
Thank u soo much! I finally did get rid of the pain and now my face is tryin to get back to normal.. Seen a neurologist and a physical therapist, which didn't do anything, luckily today my doc suggested chiropractor, so hopefully next week I'll get to see him and he can do some acupuncture or something and mayb I can get my back popped also
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Avatar universal
That's to bad you are experiencing pain with it!  It's not supposed to... hopefully that part goes away quickly for you.  The good news is that it almost always goes away on its own and you'll just have a funny story to tell your son about how his mommy's face stopped working while he was in her belly.  :-)  Keep your chin up!
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Avatar universal
thank you so much! After having this I have researched a lot which has helped me, and my ob told me to goto my family doctor for the pain I was experiencing, so I did and infact he did tell me about the nerve and y I was experiencing pain like I was and he did confirm it being Bell's palsy.  I try everyday not to let it get me down and realize that my baby boy needs me to be strong as well as my older child.  I did realize that stress probably brought this on and it says inflammation, so I did my research on foods you can eat that reduce inflammation... Never had to take anti anxiety medicine until now, which sux, but I was told it's safe for my baby so I'm not worrying too much.
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Avatar universal
There is no known cause of it and nothing you've done (age or # births) is more likely to bring it on.  There are a few theories, but nothing is known for sure.  

All nerves are incased in a protective shell.  In the case of bells palsy, the nerve that goes across the face begins to swell for unknown reasons and gets pinched by that protective shell that does not expand. That's when your face gets paralyzed.  The only thing that can be done is to wait until the nerve swelling goes away. Could be weeks, could be months... absolutely no way of knowing. Thankfully, other than your eye getting too dry and becoming scratched and injured, there is no other risk or health concern. Just gotta wait it out.  :-(
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Avatar universal
Unfortunately, what the other commenters are describing is not bells palsy.  There is no pain sensation or tingling and it doesn't go away or only occur at night. One entire side of your face is completely paralyzed and you can't blink or move that side of your lips or mouth.  While I did not have it during pregnancy, I did have it about 2 years back.  

The condition really s ucks and there is absolutely nothing you can do to make it better. It just has to heal on its own.  For now, just try to keep your spirits up and don't rub/aggravate that side of your cheek or ear too much since that's where the paralyzed nerve is located. (The nerve starts at your ear and goes across your cheek toward your nose)  Protecting your eye is the most important part since you can't blink. Your doctor should be able to tell you what kinds of drops to get and I ended up using ointment and taping my eye shut at night.

I would still get checked out by your family doctor (not necessarily your ob) just to make sure that really is what the problem is. Blood clots are also more common during pregnancy. Not everyone fully recovers and still has some facial weakness, but I will say I did completely recover after a few months.

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Avatar universal
Ive never experienced anything like this before had me worried till i seen your post..but ima ask my doc at my next app what is cause or how to prevent it..cause it is scarie ..idk if its age or if how many births might have to do w it..my first i carried 25wks then second and third was 36 wks fourth was miscarriage and now i have 10wks left so idk.but ima definitely ask
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Avatar universal
I wake up all hours of the nite with my face throbbing in pain.. Very indescribable.. Hard to lay on my left side as they say to bc my bones feel bruised, they say it's just a tri-facial nerve... Of all the things to have while ur pregnant along with already feeling like crap this far along
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Avatar universal
Now i dont feel so bad..i wake up all hrs of the night cause half the fingers r numb along w hips and my feet..,10wks left
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