Bell's Palsy

On Sunday evening, Ireland was yelling at her sisters when Brent noticed... something. He brought her into our room and asked me to look at her. I remember her sitting on the end of our bed and he was right, her face looked- odd. I don't know how else to put it. Half of it was frozen, maybe even a little droopy, and just expressionless. But just half of her face, the other half was fine. We didn't know what to do and we really didn't want to take her to the hospital where surely they were overrun with coronavirus patients.  It didn't seem life-threatening so we decided to wait until the next morning when we could call her pediatrician and thus avoid a trip to the ER. 

Turns out the ER was inevitable. I called the pediatrician's office first thing Monday and they said it sounded like classic Bell's Palsey but just to be sure, any doctor would want to rule out other problems. Since a clinic couldn't do what a hospital could,  in terms of testing, it would require a trip to the ER. I was on my way to an appointment myself and then I had to login again to work. I'd already taken sick time for Ireland's asthma check up and was slated to take more for Sydney's tonsillectomy. I felt like I was in trouble with my PTO as it was. Unless it's blood draws or shots, I'm usually the point person for anything medically related with the kids. I just know their history better and can answer questions easier. But Brent was going to have to step up for this one. 

Brent notified his work and drove her to the ER. He said it was surprisingly empty- I guess everyone was trying to avoid the ER just like we were! Good thing too because they needed a neuro consult. They determined she indeed had Bell's Palsey.

Raising her eyebrows.

Making a kissy face.

Smiling.

You can see the effects more profoundly on a video:

 A round of corticosteroids and eye drops was the prescription. In Ireland's world, the steroids are small potatoes- she's on those pretty much every time she has a major asthma attack. Her prognosis for a quick recovery was good since we got her in within 72 hours of symptom onset. The next day a sweet package from Small Cakes arrived:

We were blown away. It was from Brent's boss who wished Ireland a quick recovery. Brent and I were so in the weeds with managing schedules, this kindness really felt like warm blanket on a cold, windy night. We weren't expecting it at all, and that made it all the sweeter. 

Over the next two and a half weeks, Ireland slowly regained movement on the right side of her face. We were relieved, but then she lost movement on the left side of her face. It just so happened to be the day she had a follow up with the doctor, which was lucky.

Her doctor said this only happens to something like 3% of people who develop Bell's Palsey. Another round of corticosteroids was prescribed and finally, finally Ireland could smile in earnest again.