enlighten.me.uk

Approximately two months ago I was afflicted with Bell’s Palsy. I’d never actually heard of it before. Basically something happens to cause damage and/or inflammation to the facial nerve, leading to paralysis on one side of the face.

It’s amazing how much you take your nervous system for granted; or at least, I did. Suddenly being unable to smile, talk, chew, drink, blink, sleep, taste, kiss etc is a reminder of how interesting and complex our bodies actually are. And the fact that they’re all functions of a single nerve (or nerve bundle) is a testament to the inventiveness of evolution.

By all accounts I’ve made a very rapid recovery. Within three weeks I was operating within reasonable parameters. Some things aren’t exactly right though, and I wonder if I’m stuck with them:

• My brow is still partly paralysed. It makes certain expressions quite uncomfortable. I also wonder whether it’s related to the unusually large number of misunderstandings I’ve had with people lately. I can’t believe people pay to have this done to them.
• My right eye closes when I yawn. I must look like a right plonker.
• The same eye has a slight twitch, and tends to close involuntarily at times, especially while I’m thinking or if I have my head inclined to that side. I assume it’s receiving signals intended for another part of the face. Maybe that’s where my forehead has gone.
• Although I have my sense of taste back, my palate has changed. I can’t pin down exactly how, but e.g. I can now eat a piece of shortbread followed by a pint of dark ale.
• My hearing has changed too. It’s quite subtle, but everything sounds like some kid has been fiddling with the EQ. It’s most obvious with music, but background noise is different too.

There’s no moral to this story. I just haven’t blogged anything for a while and thought somebody might be interested. It’s less miserable than some of the other stuff I could write about. Now I’m off to play WoW, if my hands/wrists hold out…