On June 17th last year I woke up with half a face. It was a bizarre and rather horrible experience that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I know we are supposed to learn from these sort of challenges but if I have learned any lessons from the hardship they don’t outweigh the misery. What can I say?
But things change.
My eye closed for the first time about a month ago though it wasn’t until this morning that I realized I was still washing my face with my hand instinctively closing my eye. When you get Bells Palsy the affected eye doesn’t close which means you have to keep it constantly lubricated with drops and tape it shut at night when you sleep. And washing your face is no easy chore. To shower water on my face with abandon was something I actually thought I might never do again. I am now approaching the eleven month anniversary. It has been a rollercoaster that until I had my first moment of real healing about four months ago, I thought I would never get off. To quote a favorite song, Darkness and Doubt just followed me about.
Eleven months later I am still not fully healed and have to deal with the reality that I might not. With every passing day the odds of more healing diminish so it is likely I will always bear the mark for this strange condition (one eyebrow doesn’t lift, and I have half a smile on the left side).
But it is good to be alive.