HEALTHBristol Palin, 34, Suffering From Facial Paralysis 'Brought on by Stress': See the Shocking Photos
Bristol Palin is dealing with what doctors believe is Bell's palsy.
Bristol Palin is dealing with a strange health matter.
The 34-year-old daughter of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin revealed via Instagram on Wednesday, January 29, that she is suffering from facial paralysis that seemingly occurred out of nowhere.
Bristol Palin randomly woke up with numbness in her face earlier this month.
"I woke up nine days ago with a little weird sensation in my face. My mouth was pulling this way," she said while motioning to the side of her cheek. "It just felt like a little off. So I went and looked in the mirror and was like, 'Wow. This is looking a little weird.'"
"Within a couple hours the entire left side of of my face was numb and just paralyzed," she shared. "I couldn’t really blink my eye, definitely had no movement on this side of my face. So crazy."
Half of Bristol Palin's face feels paralyzed.
After realizing the situation seemed serious, Bristol went to the doctor and underwent a CT scan, as well as other tests, before being prescribed "steroids and other medications."
"Nothing came back, they think it’s just a case of Bell’s palsy maybe brought on by stress or lack of sleep. … I think it was brought on by stress," stated the mom-of-three — who shares her son, Tripp, 16, with ex-fiancé Levi Johnston and daughters Sailor, 9, and Atlee, 7, with her ex-husband, Dakota Meyer.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, Bell's palsy is "an unexplained episode of facial muscle weakness or paralysis."
The neurological disorder is a result of facial nerve damage and happens "suddenly and can get worse over 48 hours."
- Bristol Palin Is 'Trying Her Hardest To Stay Positive' After 9th Breast Reconstruction Surgery: 'Things Could Be Worse'
- Justin Bieber Suffers Facial Ticks As He Reveals Mystery Illness To Fans
- 'My Life Has Been Taken Away From Me': Brandi Glanville Makes Heartbreaking Confession as Facial Paralysis Battle Continues
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Bristol Palin has tried improving her symptoms with accupuncture.
Bristol documented the progress of her mobility throughout the past nine days, sharing videos with her 551,000 Instagram followers to showcase the bettering of her symptoms.
"I know I look crazy right now, but this has been such an improvement from what I was looking like," the Teen Mom OG alum admitted. "I'm finally starting to get some of the sensation back."
Bristol has found the process "a little painful," however, she knows the discomfort is "a sign or indication it’s starting to get better."
In one of the clips she recorded days prior, the MTV star confessed: "I can’t move any part of [my face]. My eye is getting so dry from not being able to blink all the way. This is awful."
The 34-year-old's facial paralysis was likely 'brought on by stress.'
By the sixth day of her symptoms, Bristol started "getting a little worried" because her face was "still completely numb."
The reality television personality decided to try "acupuncture multiple times," which fortunately helped "speed up" her recovery process "tremendously."
Amid frustration with her facial paralysis, Bristol also reflected on the lessons this situation has taught her — including a promise to never "pick [her]self apart" over her physical appearance again.
"[When I feel insecure], I am gonna remember this and just be so thankful for a normal functioning face because this has been wild," she declared.
