Bell's Palsy update

I saw the neurologist today about my Bell's Palsy, and the visit went pretty well. The doctor talked to me at length about how I developed it, my symptoms and how I experienced them, what I've been doing about them, the medications that I've already taken for it, and then he did a neuro work-up on me. He tested all my reflexes and sensations in my face and head. He also confirmed that no one is really sure of the exact cause of Bell's Palsy--there is some speculation about it being auto-immune, but it's mostly that, a theory-- but that it does tend to disproportionately affect pregnant women. He also said that it was good that I was starting to see signs of life in the left side of my face again.

The neurologist ordered an MRI and a chest x-ray and some bloodwork. I'll have the blood drawn this week, and then I wait to see if my insurance approves the other tests. Those are mostly to rule out other factors, such as sarcoidosis or (I suppose) a brain tumor. However, he said my symptoms are that of Bell's Palsy. So I have no reason to really suspect anything else, and the tests are mostly just to confirm that it's not something else.

William is sort of bored by doctors, having already been around them so much. Yawn. So unimpressed. I mean, a typical experience with a doctor for him is hanging out on the sofa with his daddy while David moans and cheers the performance of the Red Sox. So jaded at such a young age! So William began to object to being strapped into his car seat while his mother chatted with the neurologist. But there wasn't anything I could do about having him with me; I didn't have anyone he could stay with. The neurologist was an extremely good sport about having a seven-week-old cut into his examination of me. He suggested that I hold William in one arm while he tested my reflexes, etc, then switch him to the other arm at the appropriate time. So there I was, perched on an exam table trying to balance a fidgety baby on one shoulder, while having the doctor tap my knees, arms and jaw to see how I reacted and then peer into my left eye with an extremely bright light. (Oh, and stick me lightly in my throat and neck and forehead with a tiny needle to see if I had the same level of sensation on both sides of my head.) Things you never thought you'd do, right? Sort of like sniffing your baby's bottom to determine if he is stinky enough to have his diaper changed. (Moms, don't say you've never done this!) Only less scatalogical. To his credit, William stayed pretty quiet the whole time. Good thing that excessive drooling doesn't make any noise.

It's strange to think that I've had Bell's Palsy longer than I've known William. I developed it weeks before he was born. When I saw the doctor in the emergency room at the hospital in Los Angeles, William was still sort of a concept, rather than a person. Okay, a large round concept that regularly kicked me in the liver and got hiccups around 10:30 p.m. each night. Today, as I consulted with the doctor, William was a squirmy seven-week-old wearing Winnie the Pooh overalls, a Sesame Street diaper, and tiny white socks that wouldn't stay on his feet. Hopefully, it will all become memory very soon--except for the Winnie the Pooh overalls, because I really love them and want him to wear them for a good long time.