Not resting

Something's in the air. Restlessness abounds. Maybe it's the anticipation of spring. Maybe it's some cosmic rumblings. Whatever it is, I am antsy.

I'm about 95% over my vertigo - thank goodness - and feeling pretty good these days. About two weeks ago, I went to a new ENT to talk about my Bell's Palsy. Enough waiting. I hadn't seen any progress in a full month. The last ENT I saw about 6 months ago told me to relax, cross my fingers, be patient, and get plenty of rest. Uh huh. I'll get right on that. Babies, entertain yourselves. Mommy's going to watch soaps and eat bon bons with her feet up. The welfare system will just take care of us as Daddy tries to provide for all of us. Whatever. Those babies need a lot of attention, and by golly, I'm not going to miss out on their developments because I'm "resting."

Anyway, this new ENT is great! He didn't come off as a crackpot whatsoever. He even examined me. Already 10 steps above the last one I saw. He determined that my facial nerve is definitely not dead - which means there's hope. He showed me some muscle exercises to try at home for 6 weeks. Several times a day, I try reps of raising my eyebrow, smiling, frowning, wrinkling my nose, etc. As I do these activities, I pull the flesh to go into place with my fingers, as a reminder to my nerves where everything is supposed to go. Essentially, I'm retraining my nerves and muscles.

And it's beginning to work. Slowly, of course, as everything has been with this recovery process. But at least something is happening. And if I can't get my face fully back, there are other (non-surgical) options we can try. Finally - hope!