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joybed

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Hi all just wanted to let you all know i ended up in A+E with last night and have been diagnosed with Bells Palsy. I have felt very run down for a number of weeks and just assumed it was lack of sleep/stress. I had a chest infection at christmas, a cold last week and woke with what I thought was sinusitis yesterday morning. I felt exhausted all day and assumed i was anaemic, DH persuaded me to go to the GP. She ordered a load of blood tests and referred for a colonoscopy as i have severe IBS. I put the kids to bed and came downstairs collapsing into a chair, I then thought the TV looked blurry rubbed my eyes and noticed the side of my face felt numb. After 5 minutes I could feel my mouth on the left side starting to droop. DH whisked me to A+E, the doc their made me smile and said it was Bells Palsy brought on by a virus and probably stress/exhaustion. It was so scary on the way to the hospital I was convinced i would never see the kids again and was panicking about how they would cope without me. I have been prescribed steroids and acyclovir tablets and have been ordered to rest (fat chance). This morning the paralysis to my face is no worse but I am exhausted, look deathly pale, have a wonky smile and am finding it difficult to eat. I am waiting to see how bad it will get but worst case scenario is full facial paralysis to the left side of my face and being unable to close my eye. It could take anything from 3 weeks to 18 months to rectify itself. Feeling very emotional and sorry for myself, going to try and sleep now.

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oh no joybed, are you off work for now too, you have undaughtably been under a lot of stress with the last year youve had no wonder your immune system is taking a bettering, and now the bells palsy, ensure that you have an assessment to get your needs assessed and to see if you can get some home support and respite from your children, feel so sorry for you, here are some of these. >:D<<'> >:D<<'> >:D<<'>

 

JsMumxxxx

 

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Poor you >:D<<'> >:D<<'>

Cancel any unnecessary stuff and delegate!!

Make some 'me' time and snuggle with a blanket and watch some films to make you laugh.

Look after yourself, otherwise you won't be able to look after others.

 

 

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Thanks everyone for your well wishes it means a lot. I am still debating what to do about work but will probably still go to be honest. You literally have to be dead at our place to get any sympathay and i can,t face them ringing me every 2 minutes. I will go on friday and see how it goes if it is too hard i will have to rethink. So far the paralysis hasn,t got any worse but it feels so strange. MY lips and left side of face are numb as is my tongue so i have to be careful what I eat but so far speach is unnafected and no one has noticed my husband says my face looks normal but from what i have read this is not unusual and it can increase in severity over 48hrs not quite been 24 yet so fingers crossed.

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Thanks everyone for your well wishes it means a lot. I am still debating what to do about work but will probably still go to be honest. You literally have to be dead at our place to get any sympathay and i can,t face them ringing me every 2 minutes. I will go on friday and see how it goes if it is too hard i will have to rethink. So far the paralysis hasn,t got any worse but it feels so strange. MY lips and left side of face are numb as is my tongue so i have to be careful what I eat but so far speach is unnafected and no one has noticed my husband says my face looks normal but from what i have read this is not unusual and it can increase in severity over 48hrs not quite been 24 yet so fingers crossed.

 

 

:whistle::whistle::whistle::whistle:

Sorry....interfering old mother hen pokes nose in :o

The doctor thinks you are unwell enough to need steroids and acyclovir and has told you to rest and you think you might go to work on Friday........does not sound like a good idea to me. >:D<<'> Karen.

 

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Thanks for the concern thats what I love about this forum. To be honest I do feel like cr*p just picking the kids up from school was really hard work. The trouble is another midwife at our place had bells palsy and she was off for ages nobody said anything to her but her palsy was and still is pretty severe there is nothing really to see on me at all (I hope) so I feel a bit of a fraud. The last time i was off sick with depression my manager called me in and basically told me to get my lazy ass back to work overuling the doctors note i had. I have had no sickness for 4 months now and can,t face everyone talking about me I know they will because they heard them about another colleague the other day. The doc in A+E said i was OK to work but from reading the BP forum most people have time off work. So as I said bit of a dilemma.

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I think you have to do what's right for you and stuff the others. If you've been signed off, work aren't supposed to contact you at home. If you go to work when you have been signed off, you may not be covered by your employer's insurance.

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The last time i was off sick with depression my manager called me in and basically told me to get my lazy ass back to work overuling the doctors note i had.

 

Yep, definitely the NHS :whistle:

 

If stress and exhaustion, and being run down and picking up viruses have played a part in bringing this on then you definitely need time off work. Work is not worth making it worse for, especially if you will have to live with the consequences when you no longer work there. Just my opinion...

 

Thinking of you >:D<<'> >:D<<'> >:D<<'>

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>:D<<'> >:D< >:D<<'>

Thinking of you and wish you a fast recovery. Your health is the most important now and do not worry about work too much, what other people will say. You are not a fraud! You know how ill you are!

Wish you all the best.

 

Danaxxx

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Sorry to hear this - it must have been a scary experience. >:D<<'>

 

I agree with the others that it woulfd be a good idea to take some time off if you can.

 

K x

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My mum had this. Very scarey but OK once you get over the initial shock. She swears B vitamins and magnesium helped.

 

Hope you feel OK soon. I would 'show willing' and go in if I could.

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I'm really sorry to hear that you are poorly - I have bells palsy myself, and it comes and goes when I am stressed. It displayed when I was 13 for a month, then for a year when I was 16 - after that it comes back when i am extremely tired, ill or stressed.

 

I know some great physio exercises that will help stimulate the muscles in your face - i was paralysed on the left side of my face too!

 

They are really simple, and you can do them anywhere(although you might get funny looks).

 

It's all about stretching the muscles in your face into their natural movements.

 

Raise your eyebrows as high as you can - hold it and count to 8 then relax.

 

Frown with your eyebrows as hard as you can - hold it and count to 8 then relax.

 

Try and smile with your mouth closed(this is to raise either side of your mouth) - hold it, count to 8 and relax

 

Turn the smile upside down with your mouth closed (to push either side of your mouth down) - hold it, count to 8 and relax

 

Puff out your cheeks and hold it - count to 8 and then relax.

 

When your face starts to ache it is time to stop. You may also get a bit of tic-ing happening but this is natural.

 

When i had it for the year this is what my physiotherapist got me to do when I wasn't getting the electric stimulation at home - it really really helped. I hope this helps you too. If you want to talk about it please message me xx

 

Edited by matzoball

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If your tired after just a school run that is a sign your body, mind and spirit just needs a rest, its obvous you cant function and going back to work could place a great strain on you and cause additional stress which in time could delay your recovery, if you listen to your body and go with the flow the way your body wants it to it may pay in dividence eventually allowing you to return to work in a much more frame of mind where you will be a credit to the NHS.

 

It sounds like rest really is the ingredient your missing in your life right now!

 

JsMumxxx

 

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If your tired after just a school run that is a sign your body, mind and spirit just needs a rest, its obvous you cant function and going back to work could place a great strain on you and cause additional stress which in time could delay your recovery, if you listen to your body and go with the flow the way your body wants it to it may pay in dividence eventually allowing you to return to work in a much more frame of mind where you will be a credit to the NHS.

 

It sounds like rest really is the ingredient your missing in your life right now!

 

JsMumxxx

 

I totally agree!

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Hi and thankyou all for your concern and advice it really means a lot. I did go to work on Friday and Saturday (feeling guilty about my colleagues and not putting my health first) but it really was a bad idea. Coped on Friday but fell asleep at my mums, was on a late Saturday so had a lay in and then got up felt shocking by 12pm but too late to ring by then so went, my colleagues were really good noticed straight away I was ill and gave me very little work to do even so I found it really hard and rang in sick for the next day. I still feel really bad but there is no way i can work at the moment and i have realised that if i am not well then everyone suffers so my health has to be a priority at the moment. I have finished the meds now but can,t sleep despite being shattered. I am going back to see the GP on Thursday don,t know what they will do because all my blood test results are normal. I still have weakness to my face but thankfully not noticeable unless you look closely but my speach is slightly slurry and my face feels numb and tingly. They say everything happens for a reason and this has made me slow down and prioritise a bit, it has also made DH see i am not super woman and cannot go for 2 days without sleep and still function as I have done in the past. He has finally agreed to only work around my shifts and no matter how much we need the money if it means I will miss out on sleep he will turn down extra work.

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Hope that convinces you that you really do need the rest. :shame: Try and take care of yourself from now on, even if it means being "selfish". >:D<<'>

 

K x

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Hi and thankyou all for your concern and advice it really means a lot. I did go to work on Friday and Saturday (feeling guilty about my colleagues and not putting my health first) but it really was a bad idea. Coped on Friday but fell asleep at my mums, was on a late Saturday so had a lay in and then got up felt shocking by 12pm but too late to ring by then so went, my colleagues were really good noticed straight away I was ill and gave me very little work to do even so I found it really hard and rang in sick for the next day. I still feel really bad but there is no way i can work at the moment and i have realised that if i am not well then everyone suffers so my health has to be a priority at the moment. I have finished the meds now but can,t sleep despite being shattered. I am going back to see the GP on Thursday don,t know what they will do because all my blood test results are normal. I still have weakness to my face but thankfully not noticeable unless you look closely but my speach is slightly slurry and my face feels numb and tingly. They say everything happens for a reason and this has made me slow down and prioritise a bit, it has also made DH see i am not super woman and cannot go for 2 days without sleep and still function as I have done in the past. He has finally agreed to only work around my shifts and no matter how much we need the money if it means I will miss out on sleep he will turn down extra work.

 

In my experience nurses/ midwives are often too helpful in looking after others and put themselves last . >:D<<'> >:D<<'> >:D<<'> >:D<<'>

Karen.

 

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Just to update you been to the GP today blood tests all normal but have decided to add on thyropid function test just for good measure. Have been told they can find nothing clinically wrong with me which obviously is a relief i am apparently just suffering from exhaustion and have been told to rest more. GP said I must find soemone to have the kids for a few days (she never offered though), they just don,t understand I don,t have anyone to help me. She also asked me several times if i was depressed I have been depressed in the past but am not now have resigned myself to the fact that this is my life and am enjoying it despite everything. I may be stressed and tired but not depressed. I told her this but she still wants to do a depression scoring questionnaire which I have accepted. So I now feel like they can find nothing physical so they are trying to find something mental, sums me up really LOL. :robbie:

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GP said I must find soemone to have the kids for a few days (she never offered though) :lol:

 

I may be stressed and tired but not depressed.

 

Hi joybed

 

Last year I had a very severe stress reaction. I've had depression before and knew it wasn't that. Maybe your body is just screaming out that it has had enough, due to prolonged stress and tiredness. I've learnt to say 'no' at least sometimes, and feel much better for it.

 

>:D<<'>

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