[dmplaura]

Before I was diagnosed with MS, I had something happen to the right side of my face.

It began as severe twitching around my right eye. I thought "tired" or "eye strain" immediately, but thought it was weird since I was sleeping 10+h a night. Then I figured it could be stress that was causing it.

The twitching progressed into the area around my nose on that side, then eventually into my chin. It got scary when the right side of my mouth appeared to be pulling upwards.

I saw various doctors at the time, and the best they could give me was "bells palsy", but it wasn't bells palsy that's for certain... they were just pulling at straws.

It eventually subsided, but I still see an uneven-ness in my mouth on the right side versus the left side. It's almost as though I have better muscle strength in my left side of my face than in my right side, if that makes sense.

Has anyone experienced something like this in the face, or encountered something similar? I don't know if the MS did this, good possibility.. or if it was something viral. I haven't had any flu like symptoms or fever in a good 3-4 years now, and I routinely check my temperature for changes.

It's just baffled me forever.. and doctors can't really give me an answer about it.

[Erin524]

I have a kind of crooked smile, but I think I've always had that.

I have had the twitching eyelids before the obvious MS stuff showed up.

I can remember my legs twitching as far back as grade school.

I've also had one side of my face twitch off on and for days several years back before I knew about the MS...I never did ask any doctors about it, because I'd had twitching in other parts of my body for years and after asking someone about it once and being told it was nothing, I just ignored it.

[Kitty]

Yes!! I had Bells Palsy and it affected the right side of my face. It was completely paralyzed for over a month....eye wouldn't blink, couldn't smile. It's been almost three years now and I can still notice a difference. Mine drooped, though, not pulled. I almost wish it did pull.....'cos I can tell a noticeable difference in tone on the right side vs. the left side. My friends that I've asked about it says they don't notice it but I notice it! Guess it's because I've looked at it every day.

My Neuro said it was definitely MS related...not sure how he knew that or came to that conclusion because I thought Bells Palsy was caused by the EBV.

[dmplaura]

Mine was just twitching or spasm. I was thinking more along the lines of hemifacial spasms than anything. I actually saw a neurologist when that was going on, and he dismissed it as stress related.

I don't seem to recall stress causing a weakening of facial muscles and a mouth being pulled upwards.

[Kitty]

Originally Posted by dmplaura

Mine was just twitching or spasm. I was thinking more along the lines of hemifacial spasms than anything. I actually saw a neurologist when that was going on, and he dismissed it as stress related.

I don't seem to recall stress causing a weakening of facial muscles and a mouth being pulled upwards.

I know....it scared my kids to death. They thought I was having a stroke! I could feel it happening before it actually "set in". We were watching something funny on TV and I can remember feeling my face not work right when I'd smile. The left side would be okay and the right side felt strange. By the end of that night I couldn't move the right side of my face. I even had to put eye drops in my right eye to keep it from drying out! I still worked through this episode...although it was hard. My co-workers teased me telling me I was winking at them! It was all in good fun - they knew what was going on.

[lady_express_44]

Bell's Palsy is something that a number of PwMS get, so they probably weren't wrong, Laura. The underlying cause, in your case, is likely the MS.

Last Xmas I had just a quick little event like that, where my face wouldn't work. I also wasn't able to think clearly, so my doc thought maybe a stroke or TIA. I was tested (EKG, Doppler, etc.) and it came back clear . . . so in the end he just chocked it up to another weird MS thing. It only lasted about 30 min though, so it was very transitory.

I have had the twitching on my eyelid a handful of times, and it usually lasts about 2 or 3 weeks. It is intermittent throughout the day, and I put pressure on with my hand when it becomes really bothersome. That normally stops the twitching, for a while anyway. The first time it happened, I thought it was my eyeBALL twitching, and went to the eye specialist. He clarified that it was the lid, that it is common even in the general population, and is often stress related. He said it is more common with PwMS though, and in that case is due to damage to one of the cranial nerves.

http://www.themcfox.com/health/bells...ells-palsy.htm

I also get the twitching at the side of my eye/top of my cheek. Again it usually lasts for a few weeks, then lets up for months/years on end.

Cherie

[SallyC]

Yep I had Bells Palsy on the right side of my face, as well. I thought I was having a stroke. No one else notices it, but I do....my smile doesn't go all the way up on my right side, unless I consentrate on it.

Laura, your's was probably a BP/MS related type thingy.. Isn't MS fun...NOT.

[Kitty]

Seems like we all had this on the right side.....what's up with that?? Mine lasted quite a while. My smile was lopsided and I still have a little residual weakness on the right side of my face.

[dmplaura]

But we all look so good!

Seriously though. I'm so self conscious about the differences in sides of my face. It's to the point that I either don't smile in pictures, or I smile big so that you can't tell otherwise (you're probably more apt to look at my front tooth that's yellow... orthodontist event gone bad as a teen lol).

I always thought Bells was a droop, not a pulling up and spasming. Maybe the left side was actually drooping and being useless, while the right side was working correctly?

I wonder how much of that 'incident' lead to the fact that I have more sensory pain in my right side cheek/chin than I do on the left side (the sensory on the left involves the scalp, forehead, temple, eye).

Silly MS.