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I rarely get sick. At the age of thirty, I encountered the first major health event in my life - I suffered from facial paralysis.

As a woman who loves beauty, I carefully take care of my appearance every day, but I never thought that if my health shortcomings were not exposed, they would show up on my face!

It was a weekend. When I got up, I found that the right half of my face was working. I want to smile, but only the left corner of my mouth can draw a slight upward arc, and the right corner of my mouth is completely uncontrollable. When eating, I can only chew with the obedient left half of my face. When drinking soup, I accidentally fall out of my mouth. Soup flowed out of the other side of my mouth; I tried again and again, but I still couldn't drink with a straw because only half of my lips could work; I was afraid of others staring at me because my left and right faces were not symmetrical, one side was higher and the other lower. , the most obvious thing is that the eyebrows are not on the same horizontal line; I drew my eyebrows very carefully, drawing one eyebrow as far up as possible and the other as far down as possible. My right eye sunk downwards and I struggled to see. The discomfort was indescribable. I also felt flustered, short of breath, had diarrhea every day for several days, and felt weak and embarrassed.

At first, I didn’t take my “something wrong” too seriously

To be honest, when these symptoms first appeared, I didn’t pay much attention. I feel like my eyes are always a bit hard to open because I use them too much. Which of today’s white-collar workers doesn’t work in front of a screen every day? I told myself that as long as I say goodbye to the computer for a while and do some eye exercises, I will be relieved. But on Monday morning, my eyes were still hurting, and there was something wrong all over my body. I considered asking for leave, but every Monday morning was the time for the regular meeting, and I had to attend in order to arrange my work for the week. If I don't go, my screw in the assembly line will probably affect the progress of the entire TEAM. So, although it was very uncomfortable, I still endured it and went to the company.

In OFFICE, my smile caused my colleagues to scream

After the meeting, I was still busy dealing with all kinds of chores in the afternoon. A colleague told a joke and everyone in the office laughed, including me. At this moment, my colleague sitting opposite me shouted in surprise: "HELLEN, why is your mouth crooked?" The voice was sharp enough, and in an instant, everyone looked over to me.

I was stunned, really? I quickly took out the makeup mirror and took a closer look, and then I discovered the real reason why I had been so uncomfortable for a day and a half: the right half of my face was completely frozen. A colleague asked: "Aren't you feeling uncomfortable? Why don't you ask for leave?" I asked myself the same question, and then I laughed at myself for feeling a bit obsessive about work. "Go to the hospital quickly!" The leader urged me with concern.

It’s been diagnosed, I have facial paralysis

What department should I see? I was at a loss. After some consultation, I was introduced to the facial neurology department. The doctor examined me, such as asking me to raise my eyebrows (my right eyebrow could not move at all), close my eyes (my right eye could not be completely closed, and there was still a gap after closing my eyes), and puff my cheeks (my right cheek did not listen at all). I directed), smiled, etc., and quickly came to the conclusion: I had peripheral facial nerve palsy, commonly known as facial paralysis. There are many causes, such as: herpes zoster of the ear, meningitis, mumps, scarlet fever, malaria, polycranial neuritis, local infections such as otitis media, mastoiditis, purulent inflammation of the temporal bone, etc. In addition, trauma may also cause facial paralysis, such as skull base fractures, facial trauma, etc. There are also alcoholism, diabetes, vitamin deficiency? etc. In short, the reasons are quite complicated.

The cause of my illness is probably excessive fatigue and not paying attention to keeping warm. I was told by the doctor that facial paralysis occurs at a very high rate among young people nowadays.

After prescribing some hormone drugs and injecting vitamins, the doctor told me: The treatment effect of this disease is not that fast, and sometimes it may not be possible to recover within half a year. "Then what should I do?" I shouted: "How can I go out with such an asymmetrical face?" The doctor comforted me: "Girl, first you need to have a good rest. If western medicine treatment is not effective, you can consider Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Treatment.”

It was a sunny day, and the sun was shining warmly on me. I was wearing a bright orange down jacket, but my mood was very gloomy. I carefully hid my face behind the big white mask, but I still felt that my face was so cold. Thinking of the face in the mirror just now, it was as strange as another person.

I thought I was King Kong Barbie! She turned out to be a poor paper girl

Our work is like a carrot and a pit, and it is difficult to take a complete rest. One morning during treatment, I went to the studio to supervise the filming of a film. When I got out of the subway station, I wanted to replenish myself with some energy, so I bought a bottle of hot soy milk with a straw inserted into it. It took him a few puffs to realize that he no longer had the simple ability to smoke. I felt so depressed that day.

Looking at the computer has become torture. The heavy right eye makes me feel that staring at the screen requires almost all my strength. After a while, I felt tired and irritable, and it was unbearable every minute.

I changed my MSN signature to: I thought I was King Kong Barbie, but I turned out to be a poor paper girl!

TCM acupuncture treatment saved me

The next week, I went to the hospital every day for vitamin injections. Doctors say that doing so can provide more nutrients to the inflamed facial nerve and help it recover. But seven days later, there was no improvement. After another week, I couldn't bear it anymore and decided to try my luck at a traditional Chinese medicine hospital. I heard many people say that traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture are effective in treating facial paralysis, so I wanted to give myself another choice.

The traditional Chinese medicine hospital is overcrowded. After several long hours of waiting, I finally placed myself on the acupuncture treatment bed. The eight beds in the treatment room were filled with patients, almost all of whom were elderly. Compared with them, my condition is probably nothing.

Acupuncture doctors are very professional. Assembly line operation, after more than ten needles were applied, half of my face was covered with small silver needles. Several injections were also inserted into the thighs, wrists, and feet. Fortunately, there was almost no obvious pain, and the entire treatment process was over in about 20 minutes. After the acupuncture, the doctor performed bloodletting on several key acupuncture points, and then prescribed Chinese medicine prescriptions for me to take home with me.

Almost a miracle, one week after acupuncture treatment, my face completely improved. The stiffness disappeared, my facial expression became flexible again, and I became the girl who loves to laugh again.

The doctor’s advice made me feel warm and emotional

During the follow-up visit, the old doctor from the traditional Chinese medicine hospital told me meaningfully: “Girl, you must keep warm in the future. I'm suffering from the cold. Also, don't let yourself work too hard. Overexertion can cause illness." I nodded silently, feeling filled with emotion. When I walked out of the hospital, I tightened the cashmere scarf around my neck and felt that I was much more mature than before. I thought: Those strong people in the workplace who have great future in mind, those girls who would rather freeze in the cold wind for the sake of beauty, maybe my story can give you a little warning, right? Success and beauty are important, but if you lose your health, everything is meaningless.

Ask the experts for you

Wu Guozhong (School of Life, Beijing Institute of Technology)

Why do young people also develop facial paralysis? Are there any explanations for traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine?

A Western medicine believes that facial paralysis is a temporary dysfunction caused by inflammation of the facial nerves, while Chinese medicine believes that facial paralysis is caused by the erosion of the body by wind and cold. Modern young white-collar workers are generally under pressure in life and work. Coupled with habits such as being greedy for cold weather and not paying attention to keeping warm, they are prone to facial paralysis. Western medicine does not have many very effective methods for treating facial paralysis, and some may take half a year to fully recover. Acupuncture treatment of traditional Chinese medicine is currently the most effective method.

What should we do to prevent facial paralysis?

A Winter and spring are the seasons with the highest incidence of facial paralysis. This is because you are most susceptible to cold stimulation at this time, especially because there are many important acupuncture points in the neck area. Facial paralysis is more likely to occur if you catch cold. Don’t let your neck be exposed in winter and spring. Wearing a scarf with beautiful colors is both a good decoration and good for health.

Once facial paralysis occurs, is it likely to recur?

A Yes. Facial paralysis is likely to occur again if you don't pay attention to keeping warm and work and live too hard, which reduces the body's immunity. Therefore, professional women who love their work should also do what they can. Never sacrifice your health for success.