Bristol Palin, reality star, has been documenting her journey with what seems to be Bell's palsy. She's been experiencing a paralyzed face for over a week now.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The mother of three has been sharing videos on her Instagram story of her experience. The New York Post has captured and shared the clips, as they have since expired on Palin's Instagram account.
On Wednesday, she began sharing her story, "I woke up nine days ago with a little weird sensation in my face."
"My mouth was pulling this way and it just felt a little off. So I went, looked in the mirror. I'm like 'Wow. This is looking a little weird.'"
"Within a couple hours the entire left side of my face was numb and just paralyzed," she said. "Couldn't really blink my eye. Definitely had no movement on [the left side] of my face. So crazy."
She proceeded to share more clips she had captured of the past nine days, and shared new clips later in the day.
The left side of her face had drooped, paralyzed. The "entire" left side of her face felt "numb," and it had a delayed reaction. "It's so bad dude," she said of the delayed reactions.
Palin went to the doctors about the alarming symptoms. After running tests and a CT scan, "nothing came back in all the results." All the doctors did was put her on "steroids" and "other medications."
It Is Likely That Bristol Palin Is Suffering From Bell's Palsy
Although the doctors could not find a precise cause of the paralysis, they believe it could have been brought on by Bell's Palsy. This is a temporary paralysis or weakness of the facial muscles on one half of the face.
According to numerous health services and clinics, Bell's palsy could last around 6 months, although some may notice a very gradual improvement from two months onward. If Palin is suffering from Bell's palsy, then it will be a while before she gets better.
Palin shared that she believes her Bell's palsy was brought on by stress and lack of sleep, as suggested by the doctors.
Being proactive on the issue, Palin has turned to "Eastern medicine." She's "been getting acupuncture multiple times," which has "helped speed up the process of recovery tremendously." She already feels like she's made an improvement, just by day 8.
"I'm finally starting to get some of the sensation back. It's been a little painful the last two days, which is a [good] sign. It's a good indication that it's getting better. Praise the lord!"
