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- Commentary: Dealing with Bell's Palsy challenges
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Paul Janensch (JAN-ensh) found himself with Bell's Palsy, a virus that causes part of the face to be paralyzed, in many cases temporarily. In this commentary he talks about how he can't smile properly, and he's worried about how people perceive him.
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Piece Description
Paul Janensch (JAN-ensh) found himself with Bell's Palsy, a virus that causes part of the face to be paralyzed, in many cases temporarily. In this commentary he talks about how he can't smile properly, and he's worried about how people perceive him.
Transcript
Pardon my slightly slurred speech. I have something called Bell's Palsy. It's not as bad as it sounds, nor as rare as you may think. I’m not in pain. It’s not contagious. The worst thing is I can’t smile. A virus invaded the path that carries nerves from my brain to the right side of my face, weakening the muscles there. As a result, my face droops to the right. My mouth turns down like former Vice President Cheney's. My eye is red and runny. I have a problem pronouncing S and P. I first noticed something was wrong while brushing my teeth. I couldn’t spit. The next morning I felt like I had been given a giant shot of Novocaine in my right cheek. I couldn’t chew my breakfast. I had to keep blotting my eye. I couldn’t read the newspaper. I went to the doctor. He looked me in the face and asked me to smile. I couldn't. The muscles wouldn't work. Tests confirmed I had Be...
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO:Commentator Paul Janensch (JAN-insh) finds himself with a condition that has presented some communication challenges.
OUTRO:Paul Janensch is a retired reporter and journalism professor who lives in Connecticut.
