• HOME
  • PORTFOLIO
  • CONTACT

OC LA SF Wedding Photo and Film Directors

LOVE THE EXPERIENCE

  • WEDDING
  • ENGAGEMENT
  • FAMILY
  • PRESS
  • D PARK

When My Smile Was Taken From Me

August 31, 2013 by D. Park Photography 3 Comments

My smile was taken away from me.

______________________________________________

It happened a year ago, just a month after Knightly was born.

First, the left side of my tongue went numb.  I started noticing that my mouth and left side of the face was becoming misaligned, then completely asymmetrical.  My speech slurred.  I couldn’t close my mouth.  I  couldn’t blink my eye.  Strong muscle aches began.  From there, I experienced constant migraines and nausea.

For a month, it was really hard to even stand because I had such strong vertigo.

______________________________________________

When I woke up the next morning, I had hoped that the paralysis would go away.  But it didn’t.  And, immediately, I was terrified that this was serious.  Before I saw the doctor, I did a quick Google search and all the results showed it was either Bell’s Palsy or a stroke.  It SCARED me.

Quickly, I visited urgent care.

______________________________________________

Bell’s Palsy is a rare disease that approximately 10,000 Americans get each year.  The direct cause of Bell’s is unknown.  It’s believed that the facial nerve gets damaged in the process causing one side of your face (sometimes and rarely both sides) to collapse.

______________________________________________

I had always had faith in western medicine – that you could take a pill or get some kind of surgery to recover quickly.  But my case was rare.  Doctors gave me all kinds of medication and physical exercises to try.  They were telling me to wait a few weeks, wait another month, then another month, then a full year.

After several visits to my ENT and traveling around to find the best doctor for my case, I was being talked to about facial surgery reconstruction so I started looking at what eastern medicine had to offer as well.

So I started doing acupuncture, electrotherapy, herbs.

I tried every outlet,

every recommendation people were giving me

But after 6 months, there was very little improvement.

______________________________________________

And I felt terrible

because I thought I couldn’t smile for my son,

and I couldn’t really kiss my wife.

______________________________________________

I was afraid to look at my son because I thought that he would learn and copy my crooked smile.

I was scared to shoot weddings or leave the house because I didn’t want people to feel embarrassed around me or see something wrong with my face.

I was ashamed of having this disease.

I really missed whistling, eating, smiling.

I never realized how much I missed all the things I used to be able to do.

But one thing I knew, something had to change.

______________________________________________

I had to change my lifestyle and to be an example to my son by starting to exercise and actually stick to and achieve a goal.

Because of this experience, I learned to cherish and enjoy life more, enjoy every muscle movement of my face, every wrinkle.

Now it’s been over a year since my recovery and I’ve gotten about 60% functionality back.

I won’t stop believing that I will get full recovery.  I’m not going to give up.  I honestly I feel like this is a challenge God has allowed in my life so that I can pursue Him, know Him better, and understand what life is all about.

I never expected the love and support of family and friends and strangers, who’ve been incredibly encouraging. I will be forever grateful to them.  They’ve been a big part of helping me grow through this.

______________________________________________

After many hardships, doctor visits, therapies, and relearning what life is all about,

I have a new smile now.

And, honestly, I love it.

Bells Palsy Recovery

ONE DAY LEFT! Hear more about and help support my running for Knightly:

Filed Under: DPARK Tagged With: bell palsy symptoms, bells palsy, bells palsy pictures, ca wedding photographers, find a wedding photographer, how to be a wedding photographer, orange county wedding photographer, professional wedding photographers, symptoms of bells palsy, tips for wedding photographers, wedding photographer challenges, wedding photographer tip, wedding photographer tips, wedding photographers los angeles, wedding photography tips, what is bells palsy

Facebook comments:

Comments

  1. Mandy Pena says

    October 1, 2013 at 18:20

    I would just like to encourage you to investigate into chiropractic. My husband has treated people with Bell’s Palsy and has gotten good results.

    Reply
  2. Therese says

    March 6, 2014 at 20:39

    I have had Bell’s palsy 7 months now. I had the same thought about not being able to smile at my kids! Thanks for your post.. Beautiful photos 🙂

    Reply
    • D. Park Photography says

      March 10, 2014 at 17:27

      Therese! Thank you so much for your sweet comment. Please let us know if we can ever be of any assistance to you. You are definitely not alone in this journey.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

Latest Posts

best-beach-esession-spot-orange-county

Treasure Island Beach Engagement Photos

how-to-find-irvine-chinese-family-photographer-2022

SNEAK PEEK | Quail Hill Family Photos

irvine-family-photographer

SNEAK PEEK | Santa Ana Family Photos

logo
Photo + Film Worldwide
Based in Orange County, CA
Email: studio@dparkphotography.com
Phone: 714.538.5234

MORE LINKS

Contact Us

Facebook

Google+

Instagram

Pinterest

Twitter

Vimeo

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in