No real problems today but I felt a strange sensation in the right cheek when I smiled. It was almost as if it was straining to move. I checked in the mirror but I cant really tell if there is any real movement. The corner of my mouth seems to be a millimeter higher but again this could just be nothing.

Today it's really quite difficult to look at the PC for even short periods as the eye gets alot of strain. I had to lie down for a few hours to relax the eye because I have overdone it in front of the screen. It feels like my eye is being pushed back into its socket. Nice. Despite this I persisted and have been really busy working on this site today and I figure I could continue with it taped up closed.

Strangest thing again. I do think that there IS some kind of movement of my face. I have tried tonight and it seems as though I can nearly 'wrinkle' under the right eye, barely move the cheek and perhaps lift the corner of my mouth. These movements are definitely there but extremely small. I haven't experienced the muscles move there for a while now which is why I think I am sensing such a tiny event. Is this another milestone? Anyway I used the massager to try and stimulate the muscles late on tonight but no amazing advances. This is a truly slow process.

One thing that I have really noticed though. The right cheek is a bit sore when I push it. Almost like i've had a punch a few days before. Weird. I am wondering whether it's because there has been no support or protection by the facial muscles. Perhaps just leaning on the face or lying down is creating an unusual amount of pressure of the cheekbone which would otherwise be cushioned and supported by muscles. We'll have to see.

As I suspected yesterday there is some kind of voluntary movement in my face. I can feel about a 2mm shift in the cheek when I force out a smile or when I try to squint. I think I also have partial control over my right eyebrow although the movement is only exaggerated by moving the left eyebrow /forehead area too. Actual concentration for independent movement only brings about a 2mm lift.

My mouth on the other hand is showing signs of improvement. The right corner of my mouth does seem to be lifting when I smile now but again independent movement is limited.

The dizziness or vertigo symptoms are still there today. Wobbly on my feet and freaked out when I try to walk about after turning the lights out. I wish I could just click my fingers and be done with this drunken feeling but again it's just going to be a waiting game.

I have managed to spend quite a while on the computer today. Most of it working on this website because I want to be able to get it live whilst I am posting my diary. We took the liberty of registering the domain name today www.ramsayhunt.org so that should activate pretty quickly.

Also, after hours of messing with the site graphics we have managed to get the header and page outline images uploaded with the right code. So for all you drag and drop Frontpage / Dreamweaver bums... learn to code HTML by hand because it's cleaner, leaner and much more rewarding. I bet alot of you guys would drop dead at the sight of notepad. Hehehehe - that's our personal dig for the new generation of "web designers"

There has not been any significant changes to my condition overnight. I did have a terrible night's sleep though because I thought I would prepare a pan of Scouse late on last night only to burn the pan and stink the house out! It took till 4am to clean up and get rid of the smell and by the time I had calmed down it was 5:45am. So much for getting some rest because I'm ill bla bla bla.

With me being awake till so late I just carried on with some other web work. More specifically I spent a few hours on the MerseysideTaiChi.com website which we are developing. Now that's going to be something special. The amount of work that has been put into that site graphically and the amount of work being done by the contributors is going to guarantee that it will be a huge success. There are hundreds of students across the country waiting for it to go live and even more people overseas looking for a launch date. Watch this space.

My face is still quite unresponsive although the slight movements I have mentioned over the past few days are not relapsing. A little step at a time and alot of practice.

I have managed to spend quite alot of time working on the PC today and most importantly getting in contact with work. It was so good to be able to discuss the progress of the project and to think that I could still do something useful. That's the most infuriating thing right now. Having the mental ability to do it but physically your body is saying "yea right sunshine, pull the other one". I'll get there though and it's going to be sooner than I should. I'll probably get into trouble from the docs, family, friends, colleagues etc but I don't care.

This website has taken a huge step forward today. We managed to find a good PHP forum and we have kind of hacked it to pieces so as to fit it into our branding. You wouldn't believe how much work it involved but there ain't no stopping Jo when she is on a mission. What a diamond.

I've eaten quite well today although my mouth is still numb and the tastebuds are still AWOL. Lucozade, Coke, 7UP all taste the same so water is the safest bet. One thing I should point out is that no matter how sweet the drink it always has a salty taste to it. Not sure why but I have been told that it may have something to do with certain taste receptors kicking in. Cool. Salty everything. I feel better already.

The prednisolone tablets are nearly done now. Just a single 20mg dose today. I'm due to finish tomorrow with a single 10mg dose so I should be able to bat for Australia soon. Hehehe. I think I have messed up the course a bit though. After seeing the ENT SHO I worked out that I would finish the tablets by Saturday but I would need to go to the chemists for the final 10mg dose. Well it's Saturday tomorrow and I still have 15mg left! Strange but hey ho, it's not going to do me much harm... not after the amount of drugs I have been ingesting of late.

I think my face is slowly gaining strength because I am once again noticing certain movements that have otherwise been absent over the past few weeks. To ecourage exercise and practice I have placed a small mirror next to the monitor so I can constantly grin, grimace, blink, squint, puff out my cheeks etc. It really helps to watch yourself practice these movements because you always go for that 'little bit extra' once you see improvements. I also spent 15mins on the face massager which was relaxing.

At this point I can independently move my right cheek with a kind of half grin. It's only about 3mm but it's more than of late. When I open my mouth fully I can feel the right side straining to move and the corner of the mouth is also showing progress. The anaesthetic feeling is still there though and food is still tasting somewhat dulled/ Last night we had a hot curry but I didn't feel it till this morning. Say no more. At least my senses haven't been numbed all over!

Many more hours have been spent on this site today and we have completely familiarised ourself with the configuration of this forum. The PHP isn't too difficult and the GNU nature of it means that it's completley hackable. In a few hours we have managed to develop a branding independent version suitable for any site. Bloody good show Jeeves! Take a look at it and don't forget to leave a message. Go to Forum.

Unfortunately I have had quite alot of eyestrain today and I have noticed that my eye waters quite excessively. Not all the time but occasionally tears stream down the right cheek and drip onto the floor. Strange. I think that things should start improving when I can blink it.

I am still stumbling around the house and my ear is healing although it is still a little bit tender. The hearing in the right is still a bit muffled and the tinnitus is ringing the tunes.

Although things have been bad of late I am much more positive as I see daily improvements and I get phone calls from friends asking about me. A simple call means so much at the moment and makes you realise who your true friends are. I'll not name any names but solicitor who calls me on his break at lunch, the dentist who has been over to fix my broken tooth and the divvy from Rochdale who never fails to make me smile! You guys are diamonds.

Now I'm not going all sentimental on you... just giving a tip to the readers. Pick up the phone and call someone especially if they aren't doing to well at the moment. I never believed it before but believe me now. At times like this, a call is worth any winning Lottery ticket. If you can't make a call then drop them an email. My inbox has been busy recently... in fact my cousin has just sent me one. See?

Quite a few more emails have dropped in about the Tai Chi website from a few instructors which is good because they are going to approach others with a Q&A sheet for me. Can't wait for the results.

Made some more Scouse tonight. Didn't burn it this time though and it tasted great. The problem is the lack of sensation in the mouth also leaves you open to burning. So don't be stupid be warned! Because I've just burnt the hell outta my mouth, tongue and lips!

Well, it's about 4:30am and the forum is open. I'll get online tomorrow and start letting people know that we are ready.

Woke up several times through the night and eventually got up before 9am. So I'd better make the most of my day and crack on with the site before 2pm. Liverpool vs Man Utd in the Worthington Cup Final! Owen's had a good week in Europe and Cardiff is a good hunting ground. Let's stuff the Mancs!

I'm still doing my facial exercises because I want a full recovery. Sounds stupid but it's true that the nerves in the face can reconnect incorrectly. Synkinesis is the term to look out for. The misrouting of your nerves. For example, blinking may lead to a twitch in the mouth, eyes may water when you eat or ears may sweat when you eat. This sucks so I'm trying to exercise as much as I can although it's something I cannot control. Damn nerves. Strange thing though. I have noticed people's eyes and noses twitch when I let off wind. Same thing? Synkinesis /stinkiness? What an observation!

Now I have run out of bottled water today so I have opened a can of Coke. Guess what? I can almost taste the sweetness. Remember though that recently all drinks have tasted salty. It's day 26 and maybe the tastebuds are returning? Maybe another milestone? I'll have to check again tomorrow.

Also forgot about my vertigo a few times today and I have ended up falling into chairs, tables, doors and walls. I must remember that I can't walk properly yet because my mind is quite occupied with work at the moment. Hopefully I will be able to make some real progress with the main project tomorrow because I managed to get a load of contact numbers and scheduling plans off the manager on Friday.

Must say that I received a massive boost today. The Worthington Cup Final, Liverpool 2 Manchester United 0. I did say in my earlier entry that the stadium was a good hunting ground for Owen and my words rang true! I think the shouting and screaming helped with my therapy too and my face managed to get exercise for a full 90 mins. Just to commemorate another milestone see the pics below.

The rest of the day has gone OK. No real changes or advancements to report. However, I have found that I am not really that tired. Don't know if its because of the work but this final post is coming in near 6am."

This lack of tiredness is strange. Woke up about 7.30 and then again before 9am. Now I am wide awake.

My face is continuing to show slight improvements with the corner of the mouth lifting more each day with an 'open wide mouth' action about 65% of the way although I can't show the teeth on the right yet. The general cheek area is not moving much but expressions are starting to show. The right eyebrow moves well and a full furrow is on its way.

Worked on the facial exercises section of the site early on and got that uploaded this afternoon. Rest of the time was spent locating bits and bobs for the building project and making calls.

I have noticed a slight rash on my ear today. My scalp feels a little tender too especially to the right at the front. Seems to be quite sore to the touch there. The rash seems to be around the back of my ear, my shoulders and back too. It's not too serious or painful but I'll keep an eye on that.

At about 6.30pm I had to take a Cyclizene tablet because I started feeling quite dizzy and sick. The room is spinning a bit so I have had a short sleep. Woke up at 8pm feeling groggy and still a bit dizzy and sick.

Had something to eat and went to sleep around 2am but still feeling a little dizzy.

Woke up about 9am this morning and am feeling a little strange. A little bit more dizzy than of late but no more than yesterday evening. My face hasn't relapsed so at least that's one positive thing. One other strange thing. My neck and shoulder seem to be slightly stiff this morning. Did I sleep funny last night? Is this a coincidence?

The rash behind my ear is still there. In fact it seemed a little bit more pronounced today but I don't know if it's because I'm quite warm. I'll keep an eye on it again today but I'm considering just checking with the doctor to see if it is the virus hanging about in my system.

Phoned the SHO at the hospital at 2pm and told them about the rash. They suggest that I come in immediately and have it checked out so I'm off.

The consultants have told me that the virus has flared up again. Seems as though it didn't leave my system completely after the first course of antivirals so I have got some more Aciclovir tablets. Same as before... one 800mg tablet five times a day for a week and then come back for a checkup. I'm booked in to return on Monday and they said that they will do a hearing test too to assess the level of damage.

The rash looks like little pimples and I have got them around the right ear, forehead, scalp, neck and back. I'm not getting any pain with them at the moment but I am wary of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) pains. I've still got a couple of prescriptions for painkillers that I haven't collected yet but I can pick them up if I need them. Fingers crossed they'll stay behind the chemist's counter.

I suppose a flare up of the virus goes some way in explaining the return of the dizziness and sickness. I can also say that right now, whilst I'm typing, I can feel a slight pain creeping up on the back of my head. It's the first time I've felt this for weeks and I'm really not welcoming it back again. In fact I can also feel a slight earache too so these antivirals better start kicking in soon.

Managed to get 3 doses of Aciclovir down me before the end of the night. The headpains are still there so I've also taken 2 Nurofen painkillers before bed. Also noticed a pain in my right shoulder which is getting worse. This is truly wonderful. What next? Will my head spin around and green stuff come shooting out of my mouth?

It's getting quite late now but I have managed to finish off a huge part of the MerseysideTaiChi.com website. It's really looking good now and I think the school is going to be impressed. No sneak previews yet... just the holding page!

I'm off to bed now... well after Andromeda, Cheers, 3rd Rock from the Sun and Roseanne. Hehehee