A young woman has shared how her life completely changed in a “split second” when half of her face became paralysed at random – leaving her unable to even close her eyes.
Gemma Cook had suspected she was coming down with a cold the day before, but had no idea that something more sinister was at play.
The 27-year-old had taken her dog for a walk before returning home and realising the left side of her face had started to droop.
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Two selfies taken less than an hour apart showed the shocking difference in her appearance, with paralysis setting in.
“I freaked out and thought I could be having a stroke,” Gemma, a McDonald’s worker from Norwich, Norfolk, told Need To Know.
“But as soon as I walked into A&E, they took one look at me and straight away knew what they were dealing with.”
Gemma was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy, a condition causing sudden weakness or paralysis on one side of the face, with the exact cause unknown.
She was given steroids to help bring the swelling down, but left hospital with “very little understanding” of what was happening to her.
She said: “There were a lot of symptoms that made everyday life a struggle, such as issues balancing, sensitivity to noise and also impact to my taste buds.
“I completely lost my ability to taste food, and I am so grateful now that, that is no longer the case.
“Due to my facial paralysis, I was unable to blink or close my left eye, so I’d have to tap my eye shut at night times to prevent anything from getting inside it and causing any damage.
“Not being able to sleep with both eyes closed is something I will never take for granted again.
“Another thing I really struggled with was not being able to fully smile, as one thing I was known for was always smiling.”
Gemma was also conscious of her changed appearance during this time.
She said: “I felt really isolated and there were times I didn’t feel comfortable or safe to go out alone.
“With the balance issues I now had, I was scared of someone trying to take advantage of me simply because I looked like I was drunk and then not being able to fight people off and stand up for myself.
“I was also scared of people judging me, so it took some getting used to and a lot of self-acceptance.”
While Bell’s Palsy cases usually start to recover within four weeks, Gemma noticed no change in her own symptoms – even finding they were worsening.
She said: “My symptoms started getting worse with such awful pain and swelling in my left ear so, as things weren’t improving and I was coming to the end of my steroids, my sister did some research and that is when we came across something called Ramsay Hunt Syndrome – which is a virus that can cause Bell’s Palsy.”
Doctors confirmed the diagnosis the following week, and believe the virus was caused by chicken pox – which can stay dormant in the body for years.
Gemma was told hers was a “severe” case, with her hearing also slightly affected, and she was referred to get physiotherapy in her face.
While Bell’s Palsy is usually temporary, with most people recovering within three months, Gemma hasn’t made a full recovery seven months on from the incident in September.
Last month, she was finally able to start physiotherapy, where she was given more information on what exactly had happened to her face and nerves.
She said: “Usually with Bell’s Palsy, the nerve gets slightly squashed from being inflamed, but once the swelling has gone, the pressure is no longer on the nerve and things therefore go back to normal.
“But for me, because I had the virus too, my nerve was killed off completely, and it took four months for the nerves and their pathways to finally start to grow back.”
Gemma is now focusing on her recovery, as well as having treatments including Botox injections to help loosen the muscles around her eye.
She added: “There has been talk about possible operations that may need to be done or what I may benefit from in the future, but we are not they yet as I have got a lot of work to do in physiotherapy first.
“No one can say for sure if I will ever fully recover, but only time will tell.”
Gemma continues to have regular check-ups while doctors monitor her progress and she remains optimistic for the future.
But having never heard of her condition previously, she is also on a “mission” to raise awareness for it.
Gemma said: “I have seen a few stories similar to my own and things really need to change in terms of precautionary measures.
“When someone presents with Bells Palsy, it could also be due to Ramsay Hunt Syndrome like in my case, and getting anti viral meds within 72 hours of the onset of symptoms gives you the best chance of a full recovery.”
Despite also struggling with the physical changes in her body, Gemma has remained positive – and has advice for others in the same boat.
She added: “I think one thing that has helped me to get where I am with it now is just living my life, getting out and about and socialising.
“[To others suffering], never lose hope because you never know just what our bodies are capable of.
“How you look and your body is the least interesting thing about you.
“You are still you, so go out there and show the world what you’re made of.
“Nothing can really hold you back other than ourselves, and how we see and think about ourselves.”
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