botox

i had my flu vaccine shot last june 5, 2007. didn't realize that it was actually a botox shot to half my face. Evening of June 6 i noticed a tinglig sensation around the right side of my mouth and some spasms on the corner of my right eye. my sense of taste was gone as well, almost everything i ate tasted bitter or like paper mush in my mouth.

june 7 i woke up and realized that i can't move my cheeks, my upper right lip can't even manage a smirk or a smile, water gushes out uncontrollably on the right side of my mouth when i brush my teeth, my right eye can't shut properly, my speech is affected because of the weak upper lip and i seem to have doubled my hearing abilities.

first thing that came to mind was a stroke and my bestfriend (who happens to be a doctor) did some quick tests to check for any stroke indication. my mind was racing endlessly and bell's palsy popped into my mind.

approximately two months ago the husband of a good friend had bell's palsy and for some reason, when the symptoms appeared i was thinking of bell's palsy.

anyways, the doctor confirmed that i got bell's palsy - i'm not going into detailed explanation about the disease except that it is self-limiting, non-contagious and usually heals itself in about two months.

the worst part is the depression. having no major expression on the face and that niggling thought that whoever you're talking to is staring at your skewed face almost did me in.

i had to cancel a lot of speaking engagements and worked out in the gym with a vengeance. fortunately, there are no limitations to physical activity and diet (except that everything i ate tasted like bitter oatmeal - without the salt or sugar to taste)

oh hell, now i can imagine the vain celebrities who have their face injected with botox, the same expression when you smile, frown, smile. at least, i'd be flu free for a year.

botox for free, anyone?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Yes I too recently received a "flu shot" on 10/18/07 only to awake 2 days later with Bells Palsey. No one ever informed me that this was even a remote possibility. And from what I have found out from searching on line for information and for others who have experienced any such a reaction this is not that rare or remote of a reaction. So for me the question is why is the manufacturer of this vaccine not liable for revealing this information so that physicinas or those offering the vaccine may in turn inform the public. If I had such information made available to me I would have chosen the "flu" over Bells Palsy and the 3 months of facial paralysis that is the average duration of this affliction...
6:55 AM
Anonymous said…
that's really interesting, i had the same case but in this instance it was the first time i had a flu vaccine. The doctors theorized that my body reacted strongly to the presence of a deactivated virus that caused bells. i agree with you, there should be some sort of disclaimers that doctors should give before giving the vaccination
10:33 AM
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