It’s been 6 months of re-learning how to move my face. How to smile. Six months of depression, struggle, and well just plain sadness. I’ve had and still have shitty days and weeks.

Understanding the word “patience”…learning to hate it. It is very hard to have patience when you are provided no END date. How long will it take me to recover? What medication should I take? Are there alternatives? Should I try acupuncture? Botox? Surgery? These are the questions that keep every Bell’s Palsy or Ramsay Hunt sufferer awake at night.

Ever feel like you’re on a path and you have NO IDEA where it leads?? Strengthening a 140 day-old knee while hitting 100 days with RHS and I’m finding that my path is unknown. There is no “end” date. Each day, I have to try and dig deep for energy. Yet I’m not sleeping. It’s the unknown that keeps me up at night.

“Pray for what you want, but work for the things you need.” A fortune cookie saying I found taped to my grandmother’s cabinet.

Fifteen days ago I woke with extreme ear pain. I can’t remember when the facial paralysis began. I just remember trying to talk and my face wasn’t acting right. On Wednesday, November 14th, I was diagnosed; It is called Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. This is my story.

It’s been 47 days since I was in the ER and developed Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. I was officially diagnosed on November 14th. I began treatments, 31 days ago. I’ve had one round of acupuncture and feel no change in how my face functions. I have moments of nerve reactions, but with no idea when it will end, all I can do is wait.