Hi Everyone,

I just posted an update in a separate thread, but thought I would post a separate note. I had my BP attack about a year ago, and I remember that so many people who had their onset at the same time as I did were so much quicker to heal. I was three months without ANY movement and then it was sooo slow going for the next few months. It wasn't until month 7 or 8 that I really felt like I was "back to myself" and not until about the year mark that I have really started to feel "healed"...though I'm not 100%, I no longer think of BP daily and don't think that anyone other than me really notices the difference between now and before.

I remember reading that the "slow" healers also continue to heal for a longer period. I can see how that's true. It's so slow and subtle, that it really wasn't until this week---when I realized that I was able to whistle again (and wasn't just a month ago)---that I really realized that the healing does continue!!

So, on to my question.....a bit of an embarrassing one...I had been considering laser hair removal (lip) before my BP onset and am now reconsidering it. I know that estim is frowned upon, but does anyone know/have any thoughts on whether this is a good idea or not?

Best,
Laura

Hi Laura and Jim,

I have not been on any BP sites in ages, but feel I need a bit of reassurance as healing is taking place so slowly.
I'm at 5.5 months now, and didnt experience any movement until 10 weeks. I would say my closed mouth smile is 90%, can whistle, frown about 30% and flare my nostril a bit, but that’s about it!
I still can’t blink, but I can close my eye in a big 'wink'. There is no movement when I lift my eyebrow, or around my mouth. I still can’t lift my lip at all, and wonder if it will ever come right.
I have always imagined myself recovering well, and remain optimistic (I have synkenesis, and hope this lessens over time), but am realistically starting to wonder if my lip area and blink will actually return?
How does my recovery fit into the time frame that you all experienced? Can I expect any major recovery still?
I would wait Laura, I had laser hair removal and it was actually quite traumatic to the skin and caused inflammation (that was 10+ years ago), so maybe in the interim they have devised a gentler method? Maybe just try a small area and see how you react. Think it depends on how sensitive your skin is, but it should not do any damage to the deep muscle/nerve.

Evadnee

Hi Evadnee,

I'm feeling like I'm in the slow healer group and find I come to the site just to get some reassurance that I'm not alone in this. I've had BP since September so I'm coming up on five months and I can close my eye a bit better (wink but no blink just yet) and I have a little bit of a smile back. My mouth doesn't looked like it's pulled to one side anymore. Still having a lot of tightness in my cheek and the BP side of my face looks a little swollen all the time. This past week I've had a whole new set of sensations and I'm not sure what to make of this. I'm getting a throbbing in my neck and it travels up the side of my face into my cheek. I also get lots of low grade sensation on the BP side especially around the corner of my lip. Not sure if what I'm feeling is synkenesis? There are a lot of days I just wish all the sensation I'm feeling would go away so I could get a break. It's not necessarily painful but it does get pretty annoying at times.
I certainly haven't given up hope of a complete recovery regardless of how long it takes. The worse part is with all the sensation I sometimes fear it's getting worse instead of better. I can live with slow progress just don't want to go in reverse.

Carol