Mr. Droopy's Update

I planned to go into the office today and go about business as close to normal as I could. I realized everyone who saw me would likely want to hear the story so I figured that would be a revolving door all day long unless I could just keep out of sight.

As luck would have it, my right eye had become painful... or I guess I should say more painful in the wee hours of the morning so work was scrapped and I went to the doctor's office today. The eye appears to have an infection, not surprising because I likely got something in it when it could not be closed. Anyway that's the assumption they are going on today. I have an antibiotic for it and tomorrow morning I will see an eyes specialist to make sure it's not scratched.

Talking with my younger daughter in Phoenix who has only seen a picture of me, she laughed at her older sister's comment about my mouth being crooked like Rachael Ray's. Meghan thinks I need to do some sample cooking videos and send around with the idea of landing my own cooking show. Cooking With Droopy.

Well, that's the latest. I can close my right eye now somewhat. The right side of my mouth hasn't changes- it sill droops from the paralysis. Actually I think my speech is slightly more slurred today, but I may be overacting.

Feeling a Little Droopy

Last night I was watching a movie with my wife, and my daughter and the latter asks what wrong with my mouth, I have that "Rachael Ray" look? She adds that by that, she was inferring that my mouth looked like it was crooked. I was tired and dismissed her comment thinking nothing more of it. This morning I got up and went to the computer room where my wife is at work and speak with her and all of a sudden my mouth feels different. I said nothing about it, but went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. As I moved my mouth, sure enough the movement was all on my left side, which is not a pretty sight when one speaks. Certain word sounds were not easily rolling from my mouth.

There was a moment where the word stroke entered my mind, but the rest of my right side appeared to function fine. No problems with my hand or feet. Then I realized that I could not fully close my right eye. As I related these things to my wife, she did a search on the Internet for Bells Palsy. Had my grandmother not been inflicted with it about 20 years ago, nether of us would have thought to consider it, but as we read, the symptoms were classics.

• comes on suddenly often after an illness epically viral
• often the victims are diabetics
• Causes drooping of one side of the mouth
• effects the eye on the dame side
• There is a partial loss of taste

My wife called our doctor and he recommended an emergency room visit just to rule out anything else but was relatively certain that is what it was. The conclusion after visiting the hospital was the same.

I have been under the weather for about 4 days. My sinuses have been bothering me but this was more than just that. Basically it is thought that somehow a nerve in the inflicted side of the face is impacted causing a paralysis to that side of the face.

I'm sure there are worse things that could have happened to be but this is frustrating and unnerving. It usually is not permanent. Paralysis can last for weeks to maybe three months. Usually there is full recovery, however there is a rare case where there may remain some residual paralysis or drooping in the face. Oh, it also affects my sinus drainage on the right side of my face and that along with the fact that my tear ducts in my right eye aren't working remain by two biggest physical annoyances. Eating seems a little more challenging and presently I am not really excited about being out in public. I am slated to do a poetry reading at a very public event middle of the month an that is weighing heavy on my mind.

Now I'm on steroids (I suppose I should use this time to my advantage on my video baseball game) and an anti-viral. Can this weekend get any more exciting? sigh