Wow, a month exactly since my face froze. I forgot to mention in yesterday's blog that my neurotologist referred me for face-therapy: he explained that they would help me use some muscles less that are being overused (an untactful client said it looked like almost a 'tic' in the unfrozen size), and use the other muscles more. I am doing some of that on my own. But I will see the specialist to see if she or he has other suggestions. I have a new fall-back face which is due to squinting of my left "good" eye, which, in fact, is not so good as it needs cataract surgery - anyway the fall back face is a squinch (invented word) and a snarl and not very pretty. So I am trying to make a relaxed, pleasant expression with both sides of my mouth turned up. This looks the most normal. It is because of this I went back to using the bandaid over my right eye. Otherwise I am using a lot of muscle tension to keep the eye closed - this way I can relax my face more.

It appears this morning that my raised eyebrows are evening out. Seems like the muscles that are on the outside of my face, closest to the ear, are perhaps the last to return. The doctor was relieved to see my eye almost closing all the way - its slower than the other.

I am aware today that I am not out of the woods yet. Until I have a complete return of my face, and completely am free of teeny painful or odd ear sensations, I will not feel safe. Or I may never feel safe again, like anyone who gets something nasty.

I am taking a break from acupuncture, for financial reasons, travel reasons and that it is quite unpleasant. I know there are different views here about it anyway. Each practitioner thinks it is whatever they did, ie., allopathic medicine or acupuncture or naturopathy - that has achieved the, thus far, good results.

I drove to visit my mother for the first time in a month. I still cannot drive at night - between one eye having a cataract and the other alternating between dry and covered in ointment, its just not a good idea. Add the rain rain rain rain rain and it is even more unsafe. Did I mention rain?

This coming weekend I will only be lead singing two chants. And I give myself permission to leave any time after my chants! If I'm tired, I'm out of there.

To Bumpy: you are such a collector of information, such an amazing resource! You even looked up my docs - I'm seeing the second one, he is called Dr. Anh, as his last name is probably hard for us Oregonians to pronounce.