“Dancing With the Stars” alum Bristol Palin has been struggling with Bell’s Palsy. The former reality star gave fans an update on her recovery nearly one year after experiencing symptoms.
Bristol Palin Give Bell’s Palsy Update
Palin—the daughter of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin— took to Instagram over Thanksgiving to share an update on her recovery.
“Black skinnies, black long sleeve, same denim shirt I wear all the time, vintage Louis Vuitton,” she said in a video posted Thursday, November 27, People reported. “…and still a crooked face,” she added.
The former “Teen Mom” star first opened up about her health struggle in January, taking to her Instagram Story to share the news.
“I woke up nine days ago with a little weird sensation in my face,” Palin said at the time, according to People. “My mouth was pulling this way and it just felt a little off. So I went, looked in the mirror. I’m like ‘Wow. This is looking a little weird.'”
The onset of her facial paralysis was quick, as she showed the rapid progression between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. in a single day.
She explained, “Within a couple hours, the entire left side of my face was numb and just paralyzed,. Couldn’t really blink my eye. Definitely had no movement on [the left side] of my face. So crazy.”
“It’s so bad dude,” she said, explaining that the left side of her face was “just numb.”
What Is Bell’s Palsy?
According to the Mayo Clinic, Bell’s palsy is a condition that causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face.
While the weakness if temporary, the duration is different in each patient.
“The weakness makes half of the face appear to droop. Smiles are one-sided, and the eye on the affected side is hard to close,” the organization reveals. “Symptoms usually start to improve within a few weeks, with complete recovery in about six months. A small number of people continue to have some Bell’s palsy symptoms for life. Rarely, Bell’s palsy occurs more than once.”
Palin gave fans an udpate a month after her diagnosis, saying she “tried everything imaginable to resolve this.”
“I’m not sure what else I should do. But I’ve spent the last 35 days doing something every single day to try and fix this and nothing has helped so far. So, I’m not sure what the future holds,” she added.
I got Bells Halsey after having a difficult delivery in 1996. After 4 months I was able to close my eye again. But my left side near my mouth is still numb, I can’t whistle anymore, my left eye will droop when I am tired. My eye does not blink normal. Its a terrible thing to anyone.