2/11: the Unexcpected

I'm sure I am not unlike most people my age.
I get a cold, I take some medicine. Not a big deal.
But it is the unexpected, the truthfully unheard of until this moment that I would have never thought possible. While I was at work, I noticed that I was not blinking my left eye. Ok-maybe pink eye. Not horrible. As the day progressed I also noticed that I was half smiling, have raising my eyebrows. In fact I had no normal function of the left side of my face. This gave me cause for some concern. Student health here I come.

Prognosis- Bells Palsy, a paralyses of one side of the face. For some people this is a minor bump. For some people you give them 3 weeks and they are back to normal. For others it is permanent, and due to its effects on nerves can become life threatening. For me its dangerous. At 3 mos. my parents were told that I had strabismus most commonly known as lazy eye. 22 years, 2 surgeries and about 50 pairs of glasses later, it was pretty much under control. Now I face a sever back tracking. Since the palsy effects the muscular strength of the left side, it effect my very weak eye- which if long enough and persistent enough may take my sight. With a cold and 24 hours, everything has changed. This is something I never thought could happen to me. As much as I try to stay positive about the situation it is hard not to think about becoming a walking camera. I like most people my age just don't think about stuff like this. You don't think anything like this could happen to you.