Bells Palsy & Shotguns

This past fall I was struck with Bells Palsy. The right side of my face was paralyzed and that eye wouldn’t close or blink. I wore a patch over that eye for months and didn’t do any hunting because I was afraid of jolting something I shouldn’t have. It’s been seven months and It’s about 90% gone I can at least close each eye independently now. One side of my mouth is still affected. I can’t spit straight and I can’t blow a call very well.

I’m wondering if any of you have had Bells Palsy before and how long it took for you to be comfortable shooting again.

When mine showed up 30 years ago there was no treatment. Shot my way thru it. Still have weak muscles on the left side of my face. Lost my sense of taste for 2-3 months, the watery eye thing and the numbness finally went away in about a year. I repeat, 30 YEARS ago. Hope things work better for you now.

Hello Dal. So you kept shooting that first year? Did shooting affect your recovery?

There’s still no real treatment for it. It’s caused by the shingles virus and just has to run it’s course. I did start taking an anti-viral tincture within 24 hours and I believe that’s why my symptoms started getting better after six days. But, it’s still a very long recovery process.

2 or 3 weeks into it, I was having a constant 3.5/10 pain behind my ear. A buddy of mine suggested going to a Chiropractor for acupuncture treatments. So I did. He used an electronic shocker thing and half way through the treatment the pain instantly went away. The pain came back later that night as a stabbing pain once in a while. I went back twice a week for three weeks. At that point the pain was manageable.

I got it in 2013 3 days before 1st season shotgun in Iowa. the right side of my face went numb, and I could not blink my shooting eye. I shot a couple deer using my left eye. HAHA I shoot a 45-70 and I don’t think it affected my situation at all. It took about a year before I improved to the point that you couldn’t tell I had had it. I have for the most part fully recovered. I still have a numb spot in my lower lip, and my right eye waters more than the left. (Especially outdoors in the wind.)
I know a couple other that have had it, and their recovery is similar to mine.
I did take the anti-viral medication, but there’s really no proof that is helps.

Good luck, time is your friend
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I will add, it is a very scarry ordeal to go thru!