Juli Ann enjoying a light lunch at the local café/health food store, Mama Jeans.

UPDATE: This image has always meant a great deal to me. My amazing wife, Juli Ann, had been diagnosed with Bell's palsy a few days before I captured this image. It's a candid capture showing her strength and stoicism...just a fraction of the qualities that I feel so hard in love with.

"I love you, kitten."

Back on January 1, 2008 I woke up in the morning with the left half of my face completely paralyzed. I had Bell's Palsy. Over time I regained partial use of the paralyzed muscles. Now, one year and three months later I am left with a big deficit on that left side. I can't chew on the left side of my mouth. I can't smile, my left eye doesn't tear so I carry drops with me. Because the muscles on the left side are flaccid, that side of my face is starting to pull down. I look horrible and refuse to have my photo taken. Here my husband grabbed the camera to take a picture of Colby sitting on the sofa cushion. The Bell's Palsy is usually very noticeable in photos but in this photo I barely see it because of how my face is positioned, so I like it.

I don't want to go through the rest of my life not being in photos with my friends, family and dogs, but seeing my crooked face just makes me cry. I hope to go to a plastic surgeon soon to see if there is anything that can be done to improve the appearance and symmetry of my face.

In this photo Colby is as cute as always. I'm glad I have this photo of the two of us together where I am looking rather normal. Perhaps a surgeon can help fix me so I look a little like my old self. I wasn't crazy about the middle-aged me but funny how you never appreciate what you have until it's gone.

Everyone has something that they are self conscious about. My major one is my smile.

9 years ago, during my last trimester of pregnancy I was hit with a case of bells palsy. Unlike most, I never fully recovered the ability to control the left side of my face. I can not fully smile. I can not lift my left eyebrow. I can not blow up a balloon. And sadly, I can not accept the way that I look when I really smile or laugh.

This is one picture of me split in half. The difference between the two sides of my face is bizzare, even to me. For this reason it is rare for me to take a picture of myself smiling. And I try to avoid those smiley posed "happy family" or "happy friends" pictures. I've perfected a grin that is just enough of a smile so that you know that I'm happy, but not enough to make you wonder if I've had a stroke. It hurts too look at old pictures of myself, smiling big from ear to ear, knowing that I'll never ever smile like that again.

For Flickr Group Roulette and Things You May Not Know About Me.

When I was twelve years old, sick with a serious sinus infection, I realized the left side of my face wasn't working properly. Suddenly I could wink- I've never been able to wink properly (there's another thing you don't know about me). By day's end, the entire left side of my face wasn't working. I was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy. Thankfully, the healing process is much faster when the patient is younger- and only lasted 6 weeks. But at the time, it felt like an eternity.

And there you have it.

Hello to all my flickr friends! As you know, I don't put very many photos of myself on my photostream. Since waking up with Bell's Palsy back on Jan 1, 2008, I have been very disappointed at how asymmetrical my face is. So...no photographs for me.

Then, back in March I had minor surgery to fix some of the asymmetry. The procedure didn't at all fix the Bell's Palsy (that would be extensive surgery and not guaranteed to work) but it did make my face a little less "lop-sided".

In celebration of my 48th birthday and my "less lop-sided" face I'm posting this self portrait. Thanks to all of you who don't know or care what I look like but still take the time to comment on my photos, encourage me and generally accept me for who I am.

The silver awareness ribbon means support for Bell's Palsy, Children with Physical or Learning Disabilities, Disability Rights, Dyslexia, Elderly Abuse, Encephalitis, Parkinson's Disease, Schizophrenia, Brain Disorders and the Disabilities- Includes Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), and Stalking Awareness. Let this silver ribbon angel art painting help bring awareness!

Bell's Palsy Progress: Shot on left was taken over a month ago. Shot on the right was taken last week.

Blogged here.

The silver awareness ribbon means support for Bell's Palsy, Children with Physical or Learning Disabilities, Disability Rights, Dyslexia, Elderly Abuse, Encephalitis, Parkinson's Disease, Schizophrenia, Brain Disorders and the Disabilities- Includes Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), and Stalking Awareness. Let this silver ribbon angel art painting help bring awareness!

Bell's Palsy Progress: Shot on left was taken over a month ago. Shot on the right was taken last week.

Blogged here.

Bell's Palsy Progress: Shot on left was taken over a month ago. Shot on the right was taken last week.

Blogged here.

This was taken the day after my Bell's Palsy attack. My cheek stayed pink for days. I'm so lucky not to have permanent nerve damage.

My story: "At 33 weeks pregnant: my face went numb" christopherandtia.blogspot.com/2010/07/at-33-weeks-pregna...

My mom took this picture of me at my aunt's 100th birthday. I know it seems silly, but I've actually been practicing smiling so I can feel okay about being in photos. I do want to be in photos with my family and friends, especially for my girls. So, this is the best me. I think it's okay, but I liked the old me better.

My face a few weeks ago. The right side of my face (left from this viewpoint) was non-responsive.

You can see Kristin's Bell's Palsy in effect in this one

This date of this photograph is probably correct for when it said March 05th of 2006. I went ahead and made this photo public. During for what was the first week of March of 2006. I had come down with a horrible case of upper respirtory tract infection. This had gotten so progressively worse over a couple of days as I got sicker and sicker. It actually lead to me developing Bell's Palsy. Essentially Bell's Palsy is when the optic nerve connected to your brain and most of your facial muscles go into complete and total paralysis. I mean it was lick I had a fucking stroke or something. It was a pretty fucking god awful two weeks of March of 2006. I was in and out of the hospital a countless array of times to get treated for all of this. But eventually I had gotten better. If you look into this photograph, you might be able to see that I was not able to move the left part of my face because of having Bell's Palsy. Those of you who have gotten or been stricken with something like this, will know exactly for what I am speaking about. Those of you who never got sick should thank your lucky stars.

Have Bells Palsy just now and feeling a bit down.

I wasn't going to have a photograph showing how I look as I think I might scare small children today! LOL But, then I thought "keep it real Suse!" so here I am.

Swollen and a bit droopy due to still suffering bells palsy from the anesthetic (thanks Fo for telling me how to spell it!).

Apparently in a few weeks! augh it will be all back to normal. meh this is me for now ;)

My neighbor Jaden has Bell's Palsy--hence the eye patch. He looks really scary here

Have Bells Palsy just now and feeling a bit down.

Here I am up early at work after getting just a few hours of sleep the night before. I have become addicted to watching Halloween movies the past couple of weeks (and usually around Halloween and Christmas is when I get in my movie watching moods), and last night was no different. Ugggh. I can't wait for nap time :)

Been living with it for the past five days now....

Samuel Comroe

I have a case of Bell's Palsy on the left side of my face right now. It's a form of temporary paralysis. A friend sent over this pic of a King Tut bust that was missing one side of it's face. I always wanted to be the boy king. This is the right side of my face and the left side of King Tut's. The right side of my face is a wise acre and looks like she might be a lot of fun.

Was suffering from Bells Palsy and cold...my dominant right eye couldn't really blink, so it was always watering. In Sand Dunes State Forest.

I have a part in a short film. We were doing a scene in front of the Circle K on Midland.

Can you see it? I can still see it. I can still feel it. My husband says he doesn't see it, that I'm beautiful as always. But I'd like to forget it ever happened. That I ever had it. And each time I close my eyes, or smile, or chew my food, I can feel it in my face. The day I cease to notice will be the best day ever...and I will miss it, because I will not have noticed. lol

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¿Lo pueden ver? Yo lo puedo ver todavía. Lo siento todavía. Mi esposo dice que el no lo ve, que soy bella como siempre. Pero me gustaría olvidar que aun paso. Que aun lo tuve. Y cada vez que cierro mis ojos, o sonrío, o mastico mi comida, lo siento en mi cara. El día que no me de cuenta será el mejor día de todos...y me lo voy a perder, porque no me voy a ver dado cuenta. jaja

Have Bells Palsy just now and feeling a bit down.

I had a bad case of Bell's Palsy right around Halloween.

my bells palsy is looking better. I think its healing. I hope so. Im almost 6 months into this. be glad to get back to the way it was.

sorry i didnt turn it right before I uploaded. Heres gidget in the bathtub. this is her usual place to hang out. we leave the faucet dripping, she likes to play with the water. :)

Lily loves to hang out here. The sun shines right on her and she just loves basking in the sun. lazy thing.

Doxycycline prescribed after blood test. Symptoms gone in a few days. I've had Lyme at least a half dozen times. Milton, MA 10/4/22

I can almost pass for looking normal again. Except for the eyebrows. Please dont pay any attention to them. It hurts the side of my face that I have the palsy on to get them waxed. Been there done that. Too much pain in the face. So, I ll just have to look like this until my face is better. YUCK

rolling around on the floor like a mad cat. this is all the time.