Help me close my eye and fix my nerve pain.

September 10, 2008 10:47 PM

I have Bell's Palsy and a most-likely pinched nerve in my neck. I need to manage this so I can go to work.

I have been having very extreme neck pain for a few days. It was radiating into my face and back, and basically felt like a very pinched nerve. It is so intense that I feel nauseated from the pain. I've tried the whole warm-compress thing with no luck. Then, while I was putting on my makeup this morning, half my face suddenly stopped working-- I couldn't move my eyelid at all, and my mouth was all droopy.
I thought I was having a stroke, so I rushed to the doctor. They said it was Bell's Palsy, and said that it may be connected somehow to the pinched nerve in my neck, and prescribed me some steroids and and anti-viral for the Palsy. Also, they tested me for Lyme's.
They also prescribed me Tylenol 3 (Acetaminophen + Codeine) and prescription-strength ibuprofen for the neck pain. Here are my questions:
1. I was excused from work today (I'm a personal care worker), because I really can't be on the Tylenol 3 at work. However, I have to work tomorrow, and the ibuprofen just won't cut it. The doctor didn't give me any ideas for how to eliminate this pinched nerve, and I stupidly forgot to ask. The pain really makes my job hard, and I can't really miss another day. Or afford the chiropractor until our new benefits kick in in October. What should I do???
2. The palsy is mostly just a pain, but I can't close my right eye. My eye is pretty much totally dried up all the time. I've put drops in, but it doesn't last long if I can't blink regularly. I have to make it blink with my finger. I tried to tape it shut, but then I can't see well or walk straight. Plus, the tape doesn't stick for long and I'm not really sure what is more irritating- tape on my face, or an eye that won't close. And sleeping is going to be hard. Help me fix my eye!!!

I'm sorry, I realize that this is very rambly, but I'm very tired from the drugs. I'm really dreading work tomorrow, but I've already missed two days this week (yesterday from the neck problem), and I have to make the hours up before next week is over. That will mean working two overnight-doubles. I don't know how I will pull that off feeling the way I do. So I certainly can't miss another day.

Thank you!!!!

posted by nataliedanger to health & fitness (11 comments total)

Ok, take a deep breath.

If you can, schedule an appointment with a neurologist to see if you can get a better feel and a stronger opinion on the palsy. How long it lasts can vary from person to person, but stress won't help out too much. I know you mentioned chiropractic benefits but I believe your doc should have referred you to a specialist for the nerve/palsy combo.

For your eye, I suggest going with an eyepatch, it's going to take some adjusting but it will help, the doc will have some ointment or drops to help your eye stay hydrated and it's just going to have to become a habitual thing until it eases off a bit. Getting used to the loss of depth perception is going to be the biggest challenge with that I suspect.

Regarding the work, can you reach out to family or friends to lend a hand? Overwork is not going to help the palsy or the pinched nerve and will likely delay recover from both, so if you can work out some sort term financial support from friends and family or with your employer it will likely be worth it in the long term.

Hope things work out.
posted by iamabot at 12:11 AM on September 11, 2008

Here's a site that might have some reference for handling the eye issue.
posted by iamabot at 12:14 AM on September 11, 2008

That sounds absolutely horrid, I'm sorry you're in so much pain.

An osteopath might be able to help un-pinch your nerve.

I used to get pinched nerves in my neck on a regular basis. One morning I woke up to find my head locked at a quizzical angle somewhere near my left shoulder. It simply would not move. I'm not particularly big on the kooky end of alternative medicine, but for this injury an osteopath did a damn good job of fixing me up.

My regular doctor did roughly what yours did - gave me painkillers and told me to rest. A friend decided I looked miserable and mildly ridiculous and bundled me off to her osteopath.

The osteopath spent an hour gently manipulating my head and neck. Most of the manipulation involved small movements where I had to use my neck muscles to push back against the his hands. I think he did one or two 'neck cracks' (with warning and with my permission) but they weren't very painful. By the time he'd finished, most of the pain was gone and I had close to full movement back in my neck. Within a few days I was back to normal.

I don't have time to find a reference for this right now, but I remember reading that there although there's some evidence for the effectiveness of standard manipulative osteopathy, there's none in favour of "cranial-sacral' osteopathy. So steer clear of anyone who says they can fix you by merely squishing your tailbone and skull. And definitely steer clear of anyone who signs you up for weekly treatment to correct your 'energy imbalance'. But yeah, for physically un-pinching a nerve, physical manipulation by a non-hippy osteopath worked just fine for me.

Good luck!
posted by [ixia] at 12:22 AM on September 11, 2008

Wearing an eyepatch is great advice. The forums at the Bell's Palsy Network also seem to have some good ideas.

Some extra information: if you've worked at your job full-time for a year and they employ over 50 people, you likely qualify for the Family and Medical Leave Act. It's unpaid, but your job is protected while you recover from your health problem, and it's illegal for your employer to retaliate against you for taking it. If you qualify, take this form with you to the doctor who diagnosed you just in case you need protection. It's something doctors are very used to providing for patients.

I hope you find relief from your pain and troubles soon.
posted by melissa may at 4:01 AM on September 11, 2008

go see an orthopedist. physical therapy may help alleviate the pain, and an mri will help them determine if you have slipped a disc or something less serious.
posted by thinkingwoman at 4:24 AM on September 11, 2008

Be extremely conscious of correct posture. A personal care worker does a lot of lifting at odd angles, yes? You may have to lift a person out of bed, or ??? So be very very conscious of safe lifting position. In fact, see if you can temporarily avoid lifting anything heavier than a book, at more than an arm's length away from your body, as that position can put an enormous strain on your neck.

Also, seconding a trip to an osteopath. Maybe a gentle massage at a spa might give some immediate relief as well, but I would be a bit wary of letting anyone but a medical professional have a go at my neck. YMMV on that, especially if you're desperate for relief.

I had some temporary relief from the pain of a slipped disk in my neck using those topical medicated creams with capsaicin.

Good luck. Neck problems are a bitch.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 7:12 AM on September 11, 2008

Ice and Biofreeze have a greater effect when used together.
posted by dragonsi55 at 10:10 AM on September 11, 2008

On the neck, not the eye.
posted by dragonsi55 at 10:11 AM on September 11, 2008

Thanks for your help, everyone. I went to work today where I almost passed out from the dizzyness/sleepyness, and I couldn't see or hear or walk straight. So, frightened, I went back to the doctor. They sent me to emergency for a CT scan to make sure I wasn't actually having a stroke or something silly like that. One CT scan and one rude ER doctor later, I'm told that I just had one of the less-common side effects of the steroid. The doctor actually said to me "So, I don't understand why you think you can't be at work right now." Um, I don't know... maybe its the fact that even when I'm drunk I'm higher functioning than I am right now?
So long story short, they can't explain my pain, and excused me from work for today. Unfortunately, I'm on the steroid for another week yet, so my only option is to take it early enough in the day that the side effects have worn off before I have to go to work (thank God for second shift?)
Oh, and I got a sweet eyepatch.
posted by nataliedanger at 12:59 AM on September 12, 2008

If you're going to get a massage, don't go to a spa, where therapists are notorious for a wide range of competence. You need to find somebody who understands your medical situation, and will be very gentle at first. The work can eventually progress to deeper massage, but I think in your situation, gentle ROM and stretching are the way to start. You might even want to consider reiki and craniosacral therapists, since your dis-ease and lack of functioning are affecting you at a level more profound than the physical one.

And you need a new doctor.

(I am an LMT.)
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 5:45 AM on September 12, 2008

Thanks computech-- Fortunately the rude doctor was an ER doctor, so I'll never have to see him again!
posted by nataliedanger at 12:01 PM on September 12, 2008