Went to visit the inlaws. I kept thinking I had a toothache, but maybe not. Inside my jaw and the side of my head felt weird. I mentioned to Dale that I might be getting an earache or something.

I felt the breast pain really getting bad, and then I felt like my face was numb. Like I’d been to the dentist and the novacaine was wearing off. Since I had no clue about what mastitis involved (I didn’t know if somehow the face was affected), I called the after hours clinic, and they told me to go to the emergency room.

Went to emergency room. The doctor checked my breasts and examined my face. He then called my OB/Gyn doctor and discussed my condition. He said I didn’t have mastitis, and he asked me about my pregnancy and post-partum depression. He asked if maybe I was just feeling sad. I said I wasn’t. He prescribed Motrin for the breast pain and was sending me on my way. I asked again about the facial numbness. He touched both sides of my face and asked if there was a difference. I said there wasn’t and he said he didn’t know what to tell me about my face. I was discharged. I felt like he thought I was making it all up.

Went home and a few hours later, I couldn’t smile or close my right eye. Dale noticed that my face looked different. He said go back to the doctor. I called the after hours clinic and they said to come in and see them. The doctor there checked out my face and said I needed to go back to the emergency room. Their office called the emergency room to let them know they were sending a discharged patient back whose symtoms had worsened.

Went back to the ER. Saw a different doctor. Within five minutes she was diagnosing Bell’s Palsey. She prescibed Predisone 60mg the first day. then decreasing by 5mg a day for 11 more days down to 5mgs the last day. She also prescribed Erythomycin ointment to put in my eye before bedtime with an eye patched taped over my eye with paper tape. Asked me to see my primary care physician in the next couple days.

Took my medicine. Everything okay as could be, except for the eye dryness. I told my husband that the BP isn’t so bad, and that I could deal with it as long as there wasn’t any pain. Sure there are adjustments to be made, but eye patches at night and changing the way I eat isn’t that big a deal. Infact, since I can’t move food around very well in my mouth, I find myself rinsing after every meal; my dental hygiene has picked up!

Saw my primary care doctor. He confirmed Bell’s Palsey. Prescribed Xanax for the anxiety. Said I should only need to put drops in my eyes about four times a day. Said I am only having a sensation of eye dryness.

Started having a slight headache in the afternoon.

Woke up with extremely painful headache, debilitating vertigo, vomiting, and on and off stabbing ear pain. We called my primary care doctor. He said to stop taking the Prednisone. He prescribed Meclizine for the vertigo, Compazine suppositories for the nausea, and extra-strength Tylenol for the pain. I was out of commission Thursday and Friday. Dale brought the baby to me in bed so I could at least see him for a moment. That was really hard not being able to hold my son.

During this time Dale was researching BP online, asking if anyone had the vertigo too. Our soon to be good buddy, Rob, replied to the question, saying it sounded like RHS.