Bristol Palin shocked fans on Wednesday by revealing she’s been suffering from facial paralysis that’s left her ‘worried’ for over a week.
In a lengthy Instagram video, the influencer, 34, showed that she currently has almost ‘zero movement’ in the left side of her face.
Her doctor believes she has a case of Bell’s palsy, which is temporary paralysis or weakness of the facial muscles. The tests she’s undergone have revealed ‘nothing.’
The daughter of Sarah Palin revealed that it all began nine days ago when she first noticed that her face was suddenly ‘pulling’ to the left.
‘Within a couple hours, the entire left side of my face was numb and just paralyzed,’ Palin stated. She documented the scary ordeal for her 551,000 followers to see.
‘I couldn’t really blink my eye [and I] definitely had no movement on the side of my face… So crazy.’
Bristol Palin shocked fans on Wednesday by revealing she’s been suffering from facial paralysis that’s left her ‘worried’ for over a week
In a lengthy Instagram video, the influencer, 34, showed that she currently has almost ‘zero movement’ in the left side of her face
Palin immediately went to the doctor, who ordered several tests and a CT scan. She was also put on steroids and other medications.
She said ‘nothing came back’ from the tests or CT scan and that her doctor ‘thinks it’s just a case of Bell’s palsy.’
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, Bell’s palsy ‘results from damage to the facial nerve’ and typically affects one side of the face or head. The paralysis is usually not permanent and tends to resolve on its own.
The temporary condition may have been ‘brought on by stress or lack of sleep’ — although Palin says she hasn’t been ‘super stressed’ lately.
‘I know I look crazy right now but this has been such an improvement from what I was looking like,’ Palin told viewers as she recorded herself on day nine.
‘I’m finally starting to get some sensation back. It’s been a little painful the last two days which is a good indication that it’s getting better.’
She said that his situation has inspired her to be kinder to herself.
‘The next time I say my nose is long and I want a nose job, I am going to remember this and I’m just going to be so thankful to have a normal, functioning face because this has been wild.’
Palin then revealed she’s been getting frequent acupuncture to aid in her recovery.
She said that her doctor believes she has a case of Bell’s palsy, which is temporary paralysis or weakness of the facial muscles, as the tests she’s undergone have turned up ‘nothing’
Palin said the scary ordeal kicked off nine days ago when she first noticed that her face was suddenly ‘pulling’ to the left
The temporary condition may have been ‘brought on by stress or lack of sleep’ — although Palin says she hasn’t been ‘super stressed’ lately
‘If you know anyone who has any of these symptoms, I would highly suggest going more of the Eastern medicine route,’ she said.
‘I’ve [gotten] acupuncture multiple times and that has helped speed up the recovery process tremendously.’
Palin documented the entire scary ordeal from day one to day nine with videos, which she shared to her Instagram Story in chronological order on Wednesday.
On day one, she filmed herself in horror as she noticed the initial ‘pulling’ sensation in her face as well as numbness.
‘It’s so bad. My nose is like crooked when I talk. It’s really bad,’ she told the camera before heading to the doctor.
On day two, Palin reported that the paralysis had gotten significantly worse — which is common for Bell’s Palsy which ‘comes on suddenly and can get worse over 48 hours.’
She said her left eye was getting ‘so dry’ because she was no longer able to ‘blink all the way.’
By day three, Palin told fans that she had ‘zero movement on the left side of my face’ — calling the total lack of sensation ‘wild.’
Palin then revealed she’s been getting frequent acupuncture to aid in her recovery
Palin documented the entire scary ordeal from day one to day nine with videos, which she shared to her Instagram Story in chronological order on Wednesday
On day two, Palin reported that the paralysis had gotten significantly worse — which is common for Bell’s Palsy which ‘can get worse over 48 hours’
Palin had very little improvement by day four or five as she tried but failed to raise her left eyebrow, blink her left eye or smile for the camera
It wasn’t until day eight that Palin started to notice some mobility returning to the left side of her face. ‘I think it’s getting a little better, right?’ asked Palin as she noticed her face was looking less ‘crooked’
Palin had very little improvement by day four or five as she tried but failed to raise her left eyebrow, blink her left eye or smile for the camera.
Even by day six Palin said her face was ‘still completely numb.’ She admitted that at that point she was ‘getting a little worried.’
It wasn’t until day eight that Palin noticed that she had some sensation returning.
‘I think it’s getting a little better, right?’ asked Palin as she remarked her face was looking less ‘crooked’ than before.
Johns Hopkins Medicine reports that those suffering from Bell’s Palsy will most likely start seeing improvement by the two-week mark.
However, a case of Bell’s Palsy can take as long as three to six months to fully resolve.
