Woman, 27, whose face was paralysed by rare condition takes selfies to learn how to smile again
WHEN the simple task of putting lip balm on became impossible, Anna Robinson realised something was seriously wrong.
Looking in the mirror the 27-year-old was shocked to see the left side of her face was completely paralysed.
Initially fearing she had suffered a stroke, Anna immediately called her mum, who told her she suspected her daughter was suffering Bell's Palsy.
Tests at A&E confirmed her mum's suspicions.
Medics warned Anna she may not recover, telling her one in 14 people never regain movement in their face.
But, the determined 27-year-old was adamant - she would get back to her old, smiley self.
And to help her progress she vowed to take a series of selfies to help teach herself to grin again.
She set herself a target of being able to smile by her Christmas party - and incredibly, Anna, who lives in Nottingham, was back to her old smiley self again just two months after her diagnosis.
Anna, a clinical project manager, said: "One night I was driving home from work, and one eye felt a little dry and the other felt a bit droopy - I just thought maybe I was more tired than usual.
"The following morning I woke up and felt no different to usual.
"As I went to leave the house, I went to put lip balm on - I tried to rub my lips together, but I couldn't do it.
"I was completely in shock."
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Anna rang the doctor but they didn't have any appointments, so she hoped it would just get better as the day went on.
But then she started googling her symptoms - and the first thing that came up was a stroke.
She said: "That's when I really started panicking - I was scared and didn't know what to do.
"I rang my mum, and she said it sounded like Bell's Palsy.
"I didn't have a clue what Bell's Palsy was, and the more I looked into it the more scared I got - but at that stage I'd only read that it was reversible paralysis, I didn't know there was a chance I might not recover, so I tried to stay positive."
Anna rang an NHS helpline, and was told to go straight to A&E, where she had a full assessment.
She said: "I'd been there for around four hours when a nurse said to me 'right, you've got Bell's Palsy' - and the first thing she said was that I might never recover."
Shell-shocked Anna was prescribed a 10-day course of steroids - and medics told her it would be a waiting game to see if she would regain any movement in the left side of her face.
Anna said: "Over the next two to three days my symptoms started getting worse and worse.
"I tried to stay positive, but as it progressed my face became swollen and painful, and the drooping looked more pronounced and visible.
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"I'm normally very smiley, positive and happy - but I literally couldn't smile anymore and it was really difficult to deal with."
Despite everything she was going through, Anna put on a brave face and went into work every day - but she still struggled with the visual effects of the Bell's Palsy.
She said: "I felt I always had to explain myself to everyone I met - as soon as I introduced myself, I would say 'this isn't how I normally look'.
"I developed a social anxiety I'd never had before - I'm normally very confident, but I just wanted to hide away from the world and dig myself into a hole."
But determined Anna decided to take matters into her own hands - throwing herself into physio and daily exercises, and taking selfies to monitor her progress.
She said: "I read up on Bell's Palsy, and although there was nothing the doctors could do other than the initial 10 day course of steroids I started taking supplements and seeing a private physio.
What is Bell's palsy?
- Bell's palsy causes weakness or paralysis of the muscles in one side of the face
- Its cause is unknown, but it's thought to be a virus
- Symptoms other than paralysis include eye irritation, earache and an altered sense of taste
- In most cases symptoms improve within 2 to 3 weeks
- If you have symptoms you should visit A&E in case it is something more serious, e.g. a stroke
"I practised my facial movement exercises every day - and 17 days after my diagnosis, I had a turning point.
"From that moment, I knew there was hope and I was more determined than ever.
"At the back of my mind I always feared I'd be stuck that way for life - it's just aesthetic really, but you don't realise how much you value a working face and how much facial expressions count for until they're gone.
"The thought of big life events, like getting married, without looking like myself terrified me - and I was determined to get back to myself."
I feared I'd be stuck that way for life - it's just aesthetic really, but you don't realise how much you value a working face and how much facial expressions count for until they're gone
Anna Robinson
Anna still doesn't know why she got Bell's Palsy - but it could be down to dormant viruses in the nervous system, that can activate and cause facial nerves to inflame.
She said: "I'd not long started a new job, so maybe stress related to that was what caused it - but there isn't a concrete answer as to why I got it, and the reasons people get Bell's Palsy are largely unknown.
"As soon as it happened, I knew I wanted to raise awareness - I'd never heard of Bell's Palsy and none of my friends had either, but it affects so many people and has such an impact on your life.
"I think now I'm pretty much on the mend.
"My smile still isn't quite there, but everyone but me would say I'm back to normal.
"Now I'm finally feeling like my old self again, which is just amazing."