I'm so sorry you are going through this, because I know how scary it is. Bell's Palsy does describe some of your symptoms, but not all of them, for instance confusion and finger numbness. The thing about Bell's Palsy, though, is it can be cause by some sort of virus and that could account for symptoms that don't fall in with Bell's Palsy. It can be tricky, so it's good that you are seeing a neurologist. Here's the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and stroke fact sheet on Bell's Palsy: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/bells/detail_bells.htm
I'm a little confused as to what the MRI said. Did it show a stroke? There are other risk factors for stroke besides high blood pressure. Hypertension can cause hemorrhagic strokes, especially in younger people, but clots cause the majority of strokes and you don't necessarily need to have hypertension to throw a clot. There are a lot of other things, like arrhythmias, smoking, birth control pills, family history, or even a fall where you hit your head that can contribute to clots. Here is the page from NINDS on stroke: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/stroke.htm
Did the MRI show multiple sclerosis? It is often diagnosed by a brain MRI along with symptoms. There are several kinds of MS. Some are relapsing-remitting, or progressive. It usually takes a while to figure out which you have, and it often comes on more subtly than what you are describing. The NINDS page on MS: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/multiple_sclerosis/multiple_sclerosis.htm
The nice thing about the NINDS site, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, is that at the bottom of the pages are lists of other resources.
What is the plan now? Are you to wait for the blood work to come back? Have they given you any medication or started you in any physical therapy? Have they done any other kind of nerve testing?
I thank you for writing, and I hope you will let us know what happens. No matter the cause of your problems, I suggest you ask what you can do as far as exercises or therapy to help yourself. I have a chronic health problem, too, and one of the best things we can do for ourselves is to remain as active as possible to maintain function. So there may be little finger exercises or face exercises you can do to help remind those nerves of their jobs.
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Hi TBF
I'm so sorry you are going through this, because I know how scary it is. Bell's Palsy does describe some of your symptoms, but not all of them, for instance confusion and finger numbness. The thing about Bell's Palsy, though, is it can be cause by some sort of virus and that could account for symptoms that don't fall in with Bell's Palsy. It can be tricky, so it's good that you are seeing a neurologist. Here's the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and stroke fact sheet on Bell's Palsy: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/bells/detail_bells.htm
I'm a little confused as to what the MRI said. Did it show a stroke? There are other risk factors for stroke besides high blood pressure. Hypertension can cause hemorrhagic strokes, especially in younger people, but clots cause the majority of strokes and you don't necessarily need to have hypertension to throw a clot. There are a lot of other things, like arrhythmias, smoking, birth control pills, family history, or even a fall where you hit your head that can contribute to clots. Here is the page from NINDS on stroke: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/stroke.htm
Did the MRI show multiple sclerosis? It is often diagnosed by a brain MRI along with symptoms. There are several kinds of MS. Some are relapsing-remitting, or progressive. It usually takes a while to figure out which you have, and it often comes on more subtly than what you are describing. The NINDS page on MS: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/multiple_sclerosis/multiple_sclerosis.htm
The nice thing about the NINDS site, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, is that at the bottom of the pages are lists of other resources.
What is the plan now? Are you to wait for the blood work to come back? Have they given you any medication or started you in any physical therapy? Have they done any other kind of nerve testing?
I thank you for writing, and I hope you will let us know what happens. No matter the cause of your problems, I suggest you ask what you can do as far as exercises or therapy to help yourself. I have a chronic health problem, too, and one of the best things we can do for ourselves is to remain as active as possible to maintain function. So there may be little finger exercises or face exercises you can do to help remind those nerves of their jobs.
Good luck to you and please stay in touch.
May 12, 2010 - 6:54amThis Comment
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