DWTS Alum Recovering From Facial Paralysis: ‘I Know I Look Crazy’

Season 11 “Dancing With the Stars” alum Bristol Palin is opening up about a concerning health issue.

“I woke up nine days ago with a little weird sensation in my face,” Palin said on her Instagram Stories on January 29. “My mouth was pulling this way and it just felt a little off. So I went, looked in the mirror. I’m like ‘Wow. This is looking a little weird,'” she added.

She shared some videos of her face throughout the week to show fans the progression.

“Within a couple hours the entire left side of my face was numb and just paralyzed. Couldn’t really blink my eye. Definitely had no movement on [the left side] of my face. So crazy,” she added.

Palin said that doctors ran a series of tests and that she was put on various treatment plans, including a prescription for steroids. Her doctors believe that her facial paralysis could be “a case of Bell’s palsy.”

What Exactly Is Bell’s Palsy?

Bell’s palsy is a condition that comes on suddenly and causes “weakness in the muscles on one side of the face,” according to the Mayo Clinic. For most patients, the symptoms improve “within a few weeks” though some can last for six months — or longer.

A patient who is diagnosed with Bell’s palsy will likely notice that there’s a droop on one side of the face. Other symptoms can include drooling, jaw pain or pain behind the ear, sensitivity to sound, headache, and loss of taste, per the Mayo Clinic.

There are a number of different causes for the condition and some range in severity. For some people, Bell’s palsy can develop from the flu. It can also come along with a cold sore, shingles, or hand, foot, and mouth, a viral infection that primarily affects children.

Although doctors may prescribe medications to help the symptoms of Bell’s palsy, most patients recover on their own.

Bristol Palin Is Starting to Improve

Despite this being a concerning health issue, Palin did say that she seems to be getting better.

“I know I look crazy right now, but this has been such an improvement from what I was looking like,” she said on her Instagram Stories.

“I’m finally starting to get some of the sensation back. It’s been a little painful the last two days, which is a [good] sign. It’s a good indication that it’s getting better. Praise the lord,” she continued.