My recovery from Bell's Palsy

1400MZA · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 3:03 am Post subject:

Thank you for posting that.

10 years ago I have broken my right buccinator muscle and I have troubles playing and living with the pain.

Today I have some troubles with JAW articulation and in plying trumpet.

Reading post like this encourage me to continue studing trumpet and trying and retryning to improve.

Thank you very much for telling your story.

ListeningFromTheBackRow · Veteran Member Joined: 24 Apr 2013 Posts: 180

1400MZA,

Thank you for your kind words. I was hoping that my story might be of some encouragement to others who are having some difficulties. It's all about small steps and only taking one at a time. Big goals (no matter what they are) usually seem daunting, but if I've learned anything from this whole decade of recovery is that if you break down those big goals into tiny little pieces - pieces small enough that you can actually accomplish something productive each and every day - you are well on your way to recovery and success.

The body is an amazingly resilient machine, and it is easy to forget that sometimes. I know I certainly did.

LFTBR

Regentjen · New Member Joined: 07 Aug 2013 Posts: 6

So glad you are recovering!

Riojazz · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2016 7:04 pm Post subject:

Yes, it's a blast from the past, but I was curious if anyone else has any updates on this. I've subsequently read more mentions implicating Lyme Disease as a cause of Bell's Palsy. As I live in Dutchess County New York, one of the most affected places with Lyme, I have a special interest.
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Matt Finley https://mattfinley.bandcamp.com/releases
Kanstul 1525 flugel with French taper, Shires Bb Destino Med & C trumpets, Schilke XA1 cornet, Schagerl rotary, Schilke P5-4 picc, Yamaha soprano sax, Powell flute. Sanborn GR66MS & Touvron-D.

Riojazz · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 5:53 am Post subject:

I'm bumping this post a few years later on. The link to my brother's article at Charles Colin no longer works. This was the link:

http://www.charlescolin.com/nybc/palsey.htm

More and more, I've been seeing mentions of tick bites causing Lyme and resulting in Bell's Palsy. Does anyone have any further info?
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Matt Finley https://mattfinley.bandcamp.com/releases
Kanstul 1525 flugel with French taper, Shires Bb Destino Med & C trumpets, Schilke XA1 cornet, Schagerl rotary, Schilke P5-4 picc, Yamaha soprano sax, Powell flute. Sanborn GR66MS & Touvron-D.

SSmith1226 · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 8:00 am Post subject:

This is an interesting topic to me. I had Bell’s Palsy at age 16. I started my recovery by switching from Trumpet to Baritone Horn when I recovered enough function to make a buzzing or flapping sound. In the switch back to trumpet my embrasure shifted from center to the left side of my face. I put down the trumpet seven years later during medical studies for the next 44 years. I started playing again 2 1/2 years ago and tried to return my embrasure back to the midline. It drifted back to the left where it remains today. I also leak air to the right of the mouthpiece when I am above the staff or fatigued, perhaps due to incomplete recovery.
As far as Lyme Disease is concerned, it is a recognized as one of the many causes of Bell’s Palsy. In adults the general feeling is that viruses are the most common cause of Facial Nerve Inflammation that cause Bell’s Palsy but I have never seen a scientific study that quantified this. It certainly would be a good idea to test for Lyme Disease when the Diagnosis of Bell’s Palsy is made. I have seen one article that claimed that up to 50% of Bell’s Palsy in the pediatric age group is related to Lyme Disease.
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Steve Smith

Dark Knight · Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2018 2:19 am Post subject: Genetics, maybe?

I read your post with great interest. It was extremely informative and inspirational but also personal. I have Bell's palsy as dormant fear in the back of my head as my grandfather had it in his 60s and my mother had it when she was a child. So, I am really hoping that if there is a genetic component, that it skips me.

Best wishes on your journey.

DK
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I learn from my mistakes. I can repeat them perfectly every time.

JenTrumpet · Regular Member Joined: 13 Aug 2003 Posts: 71

I know quite a few players that have gone through this at varied levels of severity. Check out a site I created at www.askaperformer.com where there are two accounts on the stories page (at the bottom click on older stories)!

Riojazz · Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2019 1:01 pm Post subject:

Well now, it happened to me.

Lyme disease, diagnosed in June 2019, caused the left side of my upper lip to not be able to buzz. It's almost back to normal now. During the summer months, I played many concerts but I didn't sound as good as I should have and my endurance was limited.

Given that it caused my brother to sound like a beginner for six months, I got off easy.
_________________
Matt Finley https://mattfinley.bandcamp.com/releases
Kanstul 1525 flugel with French taper, Shires Bb Destino Med & C trumpets, Schilke XA1 cornet, Schagerl rotary, Schilke P5-4 picc, Yamaha soprano sax, Powell flute. Sanborn GR66MS & Touvron-D.

Riojazz · Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2019 1:10 pm Post subject:

Google just turned up another copy of my brother's article. Many thanks to Clint Pops McLaughlin for rescuing it.

Here is the article again for your consideration if you have experienced Bell's Palsy:

http://www.bbtrumpet.com/recovering-from-bells-palsy/
_________________
Matt Finley https://mattfinley.bandcamp.com/releases
Kanstul 1525 flugel with French taper, Shires Bb Destino Med & C trumpets, Schilke XA1 cornet, Schagerl rotary, Schilke P5-4 picc, Yamaha soprano sax, Powell flute. Sanborn GR66MS & Touvron-D.