Sunday, January 31st, I woke up with Bell's Palsy. At first, I thought I had had a stroke, but luckily I was wrong. Bell's Palsy is a temporary facial paralysis that affects only one side of the face. It can vary in degrees of paralysis, but I have full paralysis on my right side. This means that I cannot smile, taste, blink or even squint on the right side of my face. The hardest part of having this condition is not being able to blink. My eye is not producing any lubrication so I constantly have to put drops in and force it shut with my hand. The only other thing affected is my speach. The B's and P's are hard to say so when I say "Bell's Palsy" I sound a bit like Droopy Dog, but that's not so bad. After having Bell's for one week, I haven't really noticed much improvement, but I do have a slight pain in my jaw, which may mean that the feeling is starting to come back. I am determined to get back into work at least part time this week (although I've been working a tiny bit from home). It's really hard to be sequestered indoors feeling like a freak and I'm ready to get out of the house. The main problem with that is that I'm not sure I can drive. My right eye dries out very fast and it takes a long time for it to focus. All and all, I am very grateful for my overall health and the support of my family, friends and co-workers. I know this is only temporary and that when it's all said and done I will appreciate the little things much more. I just wanted to inform everyone out there about this condition. I had never heard of it before it happened to me. If you want to learn more about Bell's Palsy you can go to http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bells-palsy/DS00168.