Latest news with #facialparalysis
Fox News
19-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Bristol Palin says her facial paralysis struck 'completely out of the blue' with no warning signs
Bristol Palin is giving fans an update on her ongoing health struggle. During an Instagram Q&A, Palin was asked specific questions about how she is dealing with her battle with facial paralysis and what specific symptoms she felt prior to experiencing the weakness in her facial muscles. "I woke up and it was paralyzed completely out of the blue – no warning, wasn't sick didn't get the v@x, no recent Botox ... just paralyzed," she said in response to one question asking about what symptoms she felt. The answer was posted over a video of herself showing the difference between the left and right sides of her face, adding a timestamp of January 20, 2025. The former reality TV star was later asked how she is handling the diagnosis emotionally, to which she replied she thinks she is "handling it well," but admitted "I can't look at pictures of myself rn." Palin also shared her paralysis is "probably 70% back to normal." Other fans shared concern that the paralysis could be permanent, to which Palin replied there is a possibility, "but I don't think it will be." "It is slowly improving," she wrote in her response. "My doctor thinks it will be another 3 months before I'm *hopefully* back to normal." Palin first announced she was experiencing sudden facial paralysis on her Instagram stories in January. In the story, she recalled waking up one morning "with a little weird sensation in my face," and after only a few hours, "the entire left side of my face was numb and just paralyzed." After seeing a doctor and undergoing multiple tests, "nothing came back in all the results" and she was prescribed "steroids" and "other medications" at the time. One of the possible causes could be "a case of Bell's palsy," which doctors noted could have been brought on by stress or lack of sleep. Bell's palsy is a condition that causes "sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face," according to the Mayo Clinic. The weakness is typically short-term, and the exact cause is unknown. A few months after sharing her struggles with facial paralysis, Palin took to social media in April 2025 to share that she was one year sober. "365 days without alcohol.. *which sounds dramatic because I've never been a big 'drinker,'" she wrote on her Instagram story, per the Daily Mail. "But this year of having a completely sober mind has allowed me to reevaluate a lot," she continued. "I don't want to alter the state of my mind, and don't want to 'take the edge off' of anything. 10/10 would recommend." Fox News Digital's Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this post.
Daily Mail
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Bristol Palin gives update on her facial paralysis after turning to extreme treatment and sobriety
Bristol Palin spoke about her ongoing bout with facial paralysis in series of posts Thursday on her Instagram Stories. The Wasilla, Alaska-born reality star, 34, fielded questions from her 549,000 followers on the number of different topics, including her personal health battle. The Teen Mom OG star, who has sporadically updated her fans on her condition via social media, was asked by one follower what symptoms she dealt with prior to physical changes in her face. The daughter of former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin made clear the condition literally crept up on her, with no warning signs whatsoever. 'I woke up and it was paralyzed completely out of the blue – no warning, wasn't sick didn't get the v@x, no recent Botox... just paralyzed,' she said. Bristol has past told her followers that different strategies she has taken in her health battle - including a year without alcohol; and nerve block treatments. Bristol estimated her face was 'probably like 70% back to normal' about six months after the situation began. She posed with daughters Sailor Grace, nine, and Atlee Bay, eight Another user asked Bristol how she was handling the situation on an emotional level. Bristol responded, 'I feel like I'm handling it well. I can't look at pictures of myself right now.' Bristol estimated her face was 'probably like 70% back to normal' about six months after the situation began. Another user asked Bristol why she wasn't spending that much time on Instagram these days. 'Maybe it's just me - but IG feels self absorbed the older I get,' Bristol explained. 'I LOVE connecting with y'all and having friends on here but I don't love posting a whole lot.' Bristol said she would try to share more of her professional endeavors with her followers if there was an opportunity to do so. 'Maybe when I have more house projects and I'm playing bob the builder – I want to show you guys but right now I enjoy an offline quiet little life,' she said. Bristol accompanied the posts by images of her with her children; a smiling selfie; and a shot of her hand, as her nails were painted fluorescent yellow. Asked if her son Tripp, 16, wants to go to college, she replied, 'I'd never push college. 'He wants to work – he already works actually,' Bristol said. 'He'll go into a trade and will have his hand in some sort of real estate/development I'm sure! Bristol in January said that her doctor believes she has a case of Bell's palsy — which is temporary paralysis or weakness of the facial muscles — as the tests she's undergone have turned up 'nothing.' Bristol admitted five months back that she has seen very little improvement in her condition as the health crisis eclipsed the three-week mark. 'We're on 23 of this, which is absolutely insane,' she said in February 'Can't move the left side of my face at all. It's really hard to blink. I can't blow out a candle. My sisters makes so much fun of me because I look crazy.' Bristol told more 552,000 followers on the platform the adjustments she's made to her health regimen amid the battle with facial paralysis. Bristol said in the Instagram Stories clip said that she has undergone treatments spanning acupuncture, massage, oxygen chamber treatment and red light therapy, as well as cutting out 'most of the processed foods' in her diet. Bristol said she was 'eliminating most caffeine' in her daily regimen.. 'I still have a cup of coffee in the morning, but trying to clean up everything - to be very healthy - but since this was onset by stress, since it was set off by stress, I've been trying to eliminate anything that I can control that serves no purpose,' she told her followers. Bristol said she was focusing her efforts on eliminating the stress from her day-to-day routine in an effort to 'lighter and feel better' and not cause the 'physical reaction' she's had. 'I'm sleeping pretty sound sticking to a routine - just trying my best to get this healed,' Bristol said. Bristol said that it made her uncomfortable to discuss the topic publicly, but felt that she should inform the public what she was dealing with, lest leave them wondering for the worse. 'I hate talking about the stuff on here,' Bristol said. 'The only reason why I wanted to post about it was that so when people saw me in person they didn't think that something crazy had happened so I could control at least that narrative - but everything is fine. Bristol wrapped up the clip in saying she was 'praying for some breakthrough some healing soon.' Bristol is mother to three children: son Tripp, 16, with ex Levi Johnston, 35; and daughters Sailor Grace, nine, and Atlee Bay, eight, and ex-husband Dakota Meyer, 37. Bristol in January said on the social media platform that doctors speculated she might have Bell's palsy after undergoing a series of tests after suffering symptoms. 'I woke up nine days ago with a little weird sensation in my face - my mouth was pulling [to the left], and it just felt a little off. Within a couple of hours, the entire left side of my face was numb and just paralyzed.' She said she couldn't blink her eye and 'definitely had no movement on the side of [her] face.' A number of notable names have past received diagnoses of Bell's palsy, including George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, The Bachelorette alum Emily Maynard Johnson and iconic pro wrestling announcer Jim Ross. Bristol was thrust into the national limelight in 2008 amid her mother's vice presidential campaign alongside then Republican presidential candidate, late Arizona Sen. John McCain. She appeared at the Republican National Convention in September 2008 alongside Johnston, as her pregnancy with Tripp when she was 17 made headlines, amid her mother's swift rise to political prominence as McCain's running mate. Beyond the campaign, her relationship with Johnston remained in the public eye amid a pair of engagements before they eventually split for good. Bristol made headlines in 2009 when she signed on for a $262,500 position to serve as an abstinence ambassador for a teen pregnancy prevention organization called The Candie's Foundation. 'Abstinence is the only way you can effectively 100 percent prevent pregnancy,' Bristol said in a 2009 Good Morning America appearance. 'It's the safest choice and it will prevent teen pregnancy and a lot of heartache.' Bristol in March of 2015 revealed she was engaged to Dakota Meyer, a Medal of Honor winner as a Marine. After calling off their engagement, they wed in 2016, prior to Meyer filing for divorce in 2018. In her 2011 book Not Afraid of My Life, Bristol dubbed Levi a 'gnat' who had 'stolen her virginity' after she had been consuming alcohol. Appearing on Good Morning America in June of 2011, Bristol clarified she was 'not accusing Levi of date rape or rape at all. 'I'm looking back with adult eyes and thinking, that was a foolish decision,' she said. 'I should never have been underage drinking, and I should never have gotten myself into a situation like that.' The statements triggered legal activity in which Johnston requested for hearings to be publicized 'as a check against anyone's need to be overly vindictive, aggressive, or malicious.' Johnston said, 'Not that Bristol would be that way, nor would I. But her mother is powerful, politically ambitious, and has a reputation for being extremely vindictive. So, I think a public case might go a long way in reducing Sarah Palin's instinct to attack.' Johnston in November of 2013 filed court docs to have joint custody of Tripp, saying it had been in the child's best interests, after Bristol previously had been awarded full custody. Bristol said that the court filing had been a move to impact child support payments, as he had been $66,000 behind on his slate at the time. Bristol would again take Johnston to court saying that he had not demonstrated he was fit to be a parent. Bristol said Johnston hadn't had visits with a young Tripp, and squandered his earnings on vacations, luxury vehicles and hunting trips as opposed to his child support obligations. In addition to her work on Dancing With the Stars, Bristol also appeared on the Lifetime TV series Life's a Tripp and MTV's Teen Mom OG in 2018.
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Florida woman's decision to get Botox in grubby garden shed ends in DISFIGUREMENT
A Florida woman was left with facial paralysis after receiving Botox injections at an illegal spa operating out of a backyard shed, according to police. In May, an unidentified woman contacted the Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD) with concerns about a medical treatment she had recently received from a woman named Rosa Mena, who was allegedly running a covert spa out of a backyard shed, according to a statement posted by the department on Facebook. The victim claimed the procedure left her with lasting facial paralysis - raising alarming suspicions that the makeshift med salon was operating without a license. A multi-agency investigation into the woman's claims uncovered an 'overwhelming amount of evidence,' ultimately leading to the arrest of 50-year-old Rosa Mena on Thursday. 'We want to remind the public to research the facility and individual prior to performing procedures,' the department wrote to the post. 'In order to perform injectable procedures like Botox, it needs to be performed by a licensed professional.' On May 17, encouraged by coworkers' recommendations, the victim visited Rosa's Miracle Hand and Spa, hoping for Botox injections, CBS 12 News reported. The woman was then led by Mena into an outdoor shed, allegedly outfitted to resemble a legitimate medical spa - complete with injectable supplies and a CoolSculpting machine visible inside. After receiving a staggering 62 units of Botox, the victim paid Mena $325 and left - unaware that those injections could potentially alter the course of her life forever. While the number of units needed varies by individual, professionals typically recommend 15 to 30 units for horizontal forehead lines and up to 40 units for '11 lines' - or glabellar lines - between the eyes, according to Healthline. According to the American Academy of Facial Esthetics, the average cost per unit of Botox ranges from $10 to $30. A typical treatment involves 20 to 40 units, which translates to a total cost between $325 and $600. Soon after the bizarre backyard session, the woman began suffering partial facial paralysis. Worried, she returned to Mena's spa seeking a follow-up treatment. During the follow-up visit, Mena injected the woman with a B-vitamin complex before sending her on her way - but the woman's symptoms only worsened, according to the department's statement. By this point, the alleged victim had no choice but to confront Mena, who quickly refunded her hundreds of dollars and urged her to come back for more vitamin injections - claiming they would 'reverse' the damage. As her symptoms only persisted with no relief, she demanded Mena's credentials and proof of qualifications to perform such a risky procedure. Mena never provided any legitimate records, and instead presented a clearly forged phlebotomy certificate, according to the police department. Alarmed by the suspicious credentials, the victim contacted the issuing agency - and soon discovered the license had expired in February 2024. When confronted with the expired license, Mena brushed off the woman's concerns, insisting instead that she was a doctor in the Dominican Republic. Ultimately, the victim contacted the Port St. Lucie Police Department, triggering a months-long investigation that brought together multiple agencies - PSLPD, Code Enforcement, the Building Department, Business Tax Division and the Florida Department of Health. On July 9, authorities executed a search warrant at Mena's residence, uncovering a trove of evidence that corroborated the victim's claims, according to police. Neighbors described as a chaotic scene - with several police cars swarming the area and loudspeaker announcements blaring in both English and Spanish, CBS 12 reported. Once inside, authorities discovered medical beds, fat-sculpting machines, laser hair removal and liposuction equipment, as well as injection devices used for both fillers and Botox. The residence also contained needles, vials, and prescription medications - further evidence of unlicensed medical procedures taking place inside, the department said. Mena's Instagram account was also uncovered, which was filled with photos of her performing various procedures on other individuals - though, so far, no additional victims have come forward, according to police. With clear evidence of unlicensed and unregulated medical treatments being performed out of the backyard shed, Mena was taken into custody. 'There was probably like 10, 15 police cars and some wagon - I didn't know what that was for,' neighbor John Jones told the CBS 12, recalling the scene. 'Then all of a sudden, I see a girl come out in handcuffs,' he added. Mena is now facing several felony charges, including three counts of aggravated battery causing bodily harm, three counts of practicing medicine without an active license and one count of fraud-swindle involving property valued under $20,000. She is also charged with one count of fraud-swindle involving property valued at $300 and one count of using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony. On Thursday morning, Mena appeared in court and was held on a $95,000 bond, according to WPTV News. She is currently being held at the St. Lucie County Jail.
Medscape
21-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Fast Five Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Bell's Palsy?
Bell's palsy, or idiopathic facial paralysis, is the most common peripheral paralysis of the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII). Many cases of facial nerve paralysis have identifiable etiologies, such as stroke, Lyme disease, or Ramsay Hunt syndrome, but Bell's palsy is, by definition, idiopathic in nature. How much do you know about Bell's palsy and its management? Check your knowledge with this quick quiz. Medscape © 2025 WebMD, LLC Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape. Cite this: Helmi L. Lutsep. Fast Five Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Bell's Palsy? - Medscape - May 21, 2025.
