"A Proper Hell" – M'sian Shares He Woke Up With Half His Face Paralysed One Morning
Faliq Fahmie started a thread called 'My Bell's Palsy Diary' after he was diagnosed with the neurological illness.
By May Vin Ang — 08 Sep 2023, 02:11 PM
A Malaysian man has started an online diary about his journey to recovery after he woke up one morning with half of his face completely paralysed
Taking to his personal account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Faliq Fahmie started a thread called 'My Bell's Palsy Diary' after he was diagnosed with the neurological illness on 18 August.
According to John Hopkins Medicine, Bell's palsy is a sudden weakness or paralysis on one side of the face. It is caused by inflammation to the facial nerve, usually after a viral infection.
Faliq wrote that, for him, it started off with a slight numbness of the left side of his face one night last month, but he decided to sleep through it.
The next morning, however, he realised that he was not able to move the muscles on that side of his face and quickly went to a clinic to get checked.
"The doctor suspected that it was a minor stroke, so they sent an ambulance to transport me to Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL).
"After a CT brain scan and further checkup, I was told it wasn't a stroke, as there wasn't any trace of blood clot in my brain. It was Bell's palsy," he shared.
Faliq showing how one side of his face stays unchanged as he tries to smile and raise his eyebrows in a video.
Image via @faIiqfahmie (Twitter)The 39-year-old has since been started on medication and has been detailing how the disease has impacted his daily life
"Week one: half of my face is completely paralysed. Can't move a muscle, can't fully close my left eye. Have to take steroids, 12 pills per day," he tweeted, adding that he had to tape his left eye shut at night to prevent it from drying out and getting infected.
"Can't talk or eat properly. Left ear super sensitive to sounds. A proper hell," he added.
Faliq said he took a week off work, but nothing had improved by the second week.
"MC is over. Back to work. Nothing has changed... Steroids reduced to five pills. Did two sessions of facial physiotherapy," he recounted.
He also shared that one of his lowest points was when it took him an hour to finish a bowl of soup, and he broke down in tears at a restaurant.
Faliq going for facial physiotherapy and showing the medication he had to take.
Image via @faIiqfahmie (Twitter)Happy to share his experience as awareness for the disease, Faliq told SAYS that it may take him about six to eight months to fully recover
"The doctors said it varies from patient to patient. For some, it may take two weeks, while others, six to eight months," he said.
Nonetheless, by the third week, he shared that things have started to get better.
"I had to travel to Japan and New York for work. I was worried, but everything turned out fine," he said, adding that he continued to take his medications, did self facial physiotherapy, and chewed gum every day while travelling to stimulate his facial muscles.
In his latest update this week on 6 September, he can finally move his left cheek muscle again, and his left eye can finally be closed shut.
His thread has also received a lot of support and well wishes from the online community, with many who previously had Bell's palsy coming forward to assure him with their own experiences.
