Photo by Adam Nieścioruk on Unsplash

Facial nerve paralysis

Witness : Yang Yijie
Symptom : Facial nerve paralysis
 

Thanks to patients who shared their experiences on facial nerve paralysis, I can now see Dr. Wen earlier

After my left eyelid unexpectedly twitched madly for over 1 week, I suddenly found my lip and tongue swelling and numb before sleeping on the night of December 12. This feeling was like the remaining effect of anesthetic when a dentist has extracted a tooth. Hence, I slept badly that night. On December 21, I went to work as usual. However, I couldn’t savor my food totally during lunch time and felt exhausted to eat. I had to go to see a doctor the following day with a respirator. At 4 pm after finishing the meeting, I found my left face twisted when I went to the washroom. I felt so worried that my colleague advised me to get an emergency treatment at once. 

Upon seeing me in the emergency room, the nurse helped me to go to the cerebral neurology department. The doctor then asked me to do some simple movements such as lifting my eyelid and opening mouth, he then diagnosed it as facial nerve paralysis. He told me that recovery depending on different people ranged from 3-5 months to several years. I went back with the prescribed steroid medicine (5 pills per meal) for 1 week, Vitamin-B complex and vasodilator medicine while thinking why, why me?

On December 22, I rested at home after asking for a leave without ideas how my twisted face came about. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t close my left eye, life my eyelid, and open my mouth together with a twisted philtrum. To avoid an increasingly terrible imagination, I searched online about the symptoms and treatment of facial nerve paralysis when I accidentally stumbled upon Dr. Wen’s website and read about his patients’ witnesses and testimonials. I called with uncertainty to reserve a treatment in the afternoon and arrived there on time. 

Dr. Wen was surprised at why and how I came to his clinic for the treatment in time because the best time to treat facial nerve paralysis was the first week. Patients often come after they had sought treatment everywhere. “I could not close my eyes” I said with tears: “I decided to come here after reading your patients’ testimonies, and your clinic was the closest to my house”. Ah, I remember I was so lucky at that time. Thanks to the convenience of the internet, patients can now share their testimonials.

Dr. Wen was very skilled in needling. He finished needling each time we chatted. In the course of the dense acupuncture session, I had no feeling during the first time, and felt slightly paralyzed during the second, and felt paralyzed during the third time. Later on, I had more feeling after the course of the treatment (Dec. 12~Jan. 2, ten acupuncture treatments per course), I had felt better obviously. My tongue was not paralyzed anymore and my sense of taste has improved. I could also close my mouth and eyelids now. Up to the end of the second course of treatment (Jan.3~31, I did not go for treatment every day due to the New Year and was busy at work), no one knows if I once had facial nerve paralysis or not. They’ll only know if I don’t laugh out loudly or tell others. 

After this disease, I have really realized that health is of vital importance. Thanks to my family’s support, my colleagues’ understanding and to Dr. Wen’s skilled treatment and encouragement as well as to all those warmhearted nursing personnel who made me believe I could recover. I hope those with a similar disease will meet and see Dor. Wen soon and start regaining their health and confidence immediately.