Woke up quite early today and went straight to the mirror to check up on the progress. My face really is strengthening by the day and I've got quite alot of movement back in all areas. I still can't puff out and hold air in my mouth or wink independently but the muscles are coming along quite well. My mouth still seems to be a bit numb but the tastebuds are gradually coming back to life. Sweet drinks are not tasting as salty as they were so I'm happy about that.

The pain in my head is slightly less of a problem today so I'm going to hold off the painkillers for now and see how things go today although my shoulder seems to be aching a little bit more. So much for 'sleeping on the wrong side' theory I had in mind. Gutted.

The rash seems to be a little worse today and has spread all over my back too and has started to itch. That's the worst part of any kind of rash.. the incessant itch, itch, itch but don't scratch! Hopefully the antivirals will start to run through my system in the next few days and start sorting this out. I suppose the best description for it is good, old fashioned chickenpox. Not the painful adult shingles version but the stupid kiddy virus!

My mum and sister came over today and cheered me up no end. They noticed a huge improvement in the Bell's palsy and were relieved at the progress. Once again they came with loads of gifts and food so I'm going to have a good fat few days! Yea right... as if the steroids didn't do enough of that to me already.

Once thing to smile about though. The drunkenness seems to be slowly disappearing but 'slowly' is the keyword. I'm still unstable on my feet and movement is still a little disorientating but the effects aren't as extreme as the past few days.

I have worked steadily on the site again today and been in contact with a local girl who has been affected by illnesses all her life. We have been developing a website for Laura Campbell, a teenager and double amputee who has battled all her life. I should really count myself lucky that what I am going through is temporary but she has coped so well for so long. She has worked quite hard on the content of the site over recent months despite being regularly in and out of hospital and enduring non stop pain. This site is going to be a winner because Laura is going to make it a success.

Her site is marked for LIVE in March after a TV documentary about her. It's going to be hosted on www.amputeesunited.com and should be a great support network for all amputees, especially children.

I am much less drunk this morning but I feel a bit groggy. Maybe the antivirals are causing the tiredness but I'm not sure. All I know is that I have had a good night's sleep and I still managed to get an extra couple of hours this afternoon!

Again I have to report that the rash is still present behind the ear and over my body but it is no worse. The itching is holding off for the moment and I still feel no pain with the virus. Incidentally my shoulder is less painful today although I can still feel a slight twinge.

My facial muscles continue to strengthen which is good because it shows that although the virus is still active, the cranial nerve is continuing to repair itself and is not undergoing any further damage. In fact I think that things should be close to nearly normal in a few weeks if progress continues at this rate.

The website is going great. We added a site meter after midnight and by about 5pm there had been 33 visitors. Not bad seeing as it hasn't made it onto any search engines yet... just a few forums. The emails are coming in steadily and people are giving positive feedback. All good. By the end of the day there has been about 60 hits.

Been warned by Bells' Palsy Network Admin for posting a link about this site on their forum. Apologies for that but thanks for the thumbs up about my site and I'd be more than happy to lend a hand.

My shoulder has started aching a bit again and the headpains are becoming noticeable once more. This is a bit confusing as they have both been quite quiet all day. More worrying is the discovery of a few spots around my left ear. If the antivirals are in my system then why is the rash spreading? We'll see tomorrow then.

The first thing I have noticed today is that I am walking alot steadier than of late. Sure I'm still feeling spaced out but the balance is definitely improving. Just to be on the safe side though my arms are still held out tentatively when I am using the stairs! If I continue improving I can see myself actually going outside for the first time in weeks. It really isn't fun being indoors for weeks on end and worst of all I haven't been able to drive my car at all. Should be soon thought... I hope.

Now the facial muscles are doing quite well again today and I look nearly good as new... until I smile! Then I look like quasimodo once more hehehe. The eye is wrinkling well above and below, the cheek is moving much more, the forehead is creasing reasonably although an 'angry' expression shows the unbalanced side of the brow. I can almost lift the right brow in a Spock-like way!

The mouth is turning up at the corner a little more too. When I bare my teeth, the right side of the lips are beginning to reveal the pearly whites. Good progress methinks so good job and keep it up!

The rash is a different thing though. I've noticed a few more little pimples around the left ear now and like yesterday I am a little confused. There's just a few days left on the aciclovir course so why isn't the virus going away? I'm due to see the ENT doctor on Monday so I'll ask them.

I've been working on a couple of websites today and answering the emails I've been getting through this site. I can't believe how many people have visited already and how many are expressing an interest in posting their own experiences. Well, I've already said to you guys... this site is for you as much as me so if you want to send me your stories I have a section ready and waiting. Contact me through the General Chat Forum or send me an email.

Unfortunately, my confidence in my balance has been a little ill-founded. A few times I have spun around too quick or jumped up from a chair only to find myself staggering about like a madman. Walking in the dark is still weird. Trippy and quite dangerous. Damn. I'll take it a little easier... for now.

The headpains are still there and the shoulders are still aching but I've managed to stay away from the cocodamol. Should be OK by tomorrow. Yea right.

So I've been taking the antivirals since Tuesday and the Aciclovir is well on its way around my system. Well, I can say that the rash around my left ear has got slightly worse today and it's itching like hell on my back! Great. Thank god I took the tablets eh? My tinnitus is still there in the right ear but I should see how much damage there has been in a couple of days at ENT.

Anyway, it's only one sour point I suppose. The facial muscles are still doing OK and I'm still trying to fight the vertigo. My balance is getting better and I can almost get up the stairs without hesitating. Almost. I stagger when I'm carrying stuff upstairs and if you turn the lights off I'd probably end up in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the steps!

The pains in my head have eased off slightly as have the pains in my shoulders but I still get the occasional twinges. It's a relief that the pains didn't develop into the full blown neuralgia that I had a month back and my fingers are crossed that I never have to go through that ever again.

Been working hard on the site again today and Jo managed to code a nice site search engine. It's small and fast and works really well. Give it a go... it's at the top of the page. Oh yea, the 100th visitor hit the site at 04:30am this morning so there's one for the books. It's not a true reading though because the site was up for a few days before the sitemeter was added.

I'm eating quite well but the bottled water is going right through me. It always does that even during the night! Hahaha. I've drunk loads today!

Woke up this morning after another crazy nightmare. Now I don't know if anyone else has experienced these during their illness but I have been having some of the strangest dreams over the last few weeks. It's the first time I have mentioned it in my diary and I should really have told you about it earlier so I'm sorry guys.

I won't go into the details of the dream (no it wasn't like that!) because it was so surreal that you would think "WHAT THE..." but believe me it scared the hell outta me! It might just be me but I have found that whenever I am quite ill my mind goes a bit loopy loo during the night. Hehehe.

Well the rash is a little more pronounced on the left today but at least ENT will have something to scratch their heads about tomorrow! Let them earn their money eh? Nah, they've been really good over the duration of my illness so my thanks really go out to them.

The paralysis is slowly leaving my face once more and I am feeling 'less tight' around the cheek area today. Still can't blow and hold air or wink independently but I am happy with any kind of progress. Can't grumble if things are improving can I?

No aches or pains today but I'm still a wee bit dizzy. Stairs are still a challenge and that seems to be the best indicator of progress. The other indicators are trying to stay upright in the dark and shaking my head violently without collapsing in a heap... but that's just stupid! Hehehehee. Another thing I haven't mentioned in the diary is the sense of falling when I close my eye (remember the other one is taped down!) to go to sleep. You know when you having falling dreams? Well I am getting that feeling quite often just by closing my eye in bed. Not funny really because I have tried to see how far I can fall and I end up jumping out of my skin and nearly being sick because of the dizziness! Hahahaaha.

Well I have managed to work on a couple of websites today, fix a PC and a laptop so it's been quite productive. As long as I can stay in one position I am reasonably comfortable but the eyestrain is a slight problem. I really want to get back to work ASAP but the travelling and moving about makes that an impossibility for now and that really annoys me.

Anyway let's see what the doc has to say to me tomorrow as these spots aren't going. I am though... so see ya!

Today's progress report is along the lines of the past few days, which is good because it means that I am slowly recovering. The relapse last week with the reappearance of the virus hasn't really set me back as far as the physical improvements are concerned although I think it may have caused a hiccup in the recovery of my balance. Things are getting steadier but I'll have to see how I cope with the taxi ride to the hospital.

The taxi wasn't as bad as recent trips but I can definitely say that I am not yet fit to drive. Everything is still 'spaced out' and I became dizzy looking at things go by. After arriving at the hospital we walked over to the main building to get a sandwich and the sight of long corridors nearly made me fall over. Strange thing is vertigo. The floor and walls seemed to move about and I became quite disorientated.

The appointment window is 2pm-4pm at the ENT department. After signing in at the front desk I waited for around 45mins and was led to a room for a hearing test. I was told the doctor would tell me the results but I didn't think they would be too good. Jo said that she heard alot of the test tones but I failed to hit the button which would indicate that I heard them too... and she was sitting at least 5ft away from my headphones!! Hahahaa.

After that I had to wait until 5.40 to be seen by the registrar. Apparently a couple of emergencies had thrown the afternoon into chaos so we all had to wait. The nurses and doctors must be quite annoyed at the system because unforeseen circumstances can impact on their schedules so much but I suppose they just have to cope.

I was told that the Aciclovir was controlling the latest viral outbreak but it would take a little bit of time for things to clear up completely. An appointment would be made for a fortnight when a senior specialist see me. And that was it. I suppose I wasn't expecting much more from the consultation but over 3 hours for a 5 minute chat didn't seem worth it. The least they could have done was talk about last night's TV or something so I got my money's worth!

I feel quite tired tonight after 'a big day out' so I'm off to bed. It's only just after midnight and that's a bit early for me.

I have tried my usual facial movements in the mirror today and I have hit another milestone. I can just about wink independently now! Left, right, left, right, lol. The right eye is not completely closed but the muscles are looking good. I can't blow and hold a mouth of air yet but that should come in time. My smile still looks like a smirk but again time is the healing factor.

The numbness in my mouth is still a factor but over the last week the taste buds are beginning to function once more. However, every now and then I get a twinge at the top / back of my head which reminds me that the pain hasn't completely disappeared.

The rash seems to have hit a plateau, which is encouraging, so the next few days should see a start to the recovery period.

I have had a few offers of personal diaries from other BP / RHS sufferers today which is superb because it's what this site was designed for... to help and support others by others. Keep them coming guys.