Bristol Palin has provided an update on the facial paralysis that has been affecting one side of her face for almost a year.
Palin, known as the oldest daughter of former Alaska Governor and 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, joined Teen Mom OG in 2018 after Farrah Abraham left, but she departed from the show in 2019.
Earlier this year, the ex-Dancing with the Stars participant disclosed she was facing partial facial paralysis on the left side, noting she was left with ‘zero movement’ after experiencing a ‘pulling’ sensation on that side a few days prior.
In a social media video, the 35-year-old described how her ‘mouth was pulling this way’, which ‘just felt a little off’, and added: “So, I went and looked in the mirror. I’m like, ‘Wow, this is looking a little weird’.”
“Within a couple hours, the entire left side of my face was numb and just paralysed,” she shared with her Instagram followers. “I couldn’t really blink my eye [and I] definitely had no movement on the side of my face… So crazy.”
Seeking medical advice, Palin went to the hospital, where she was informed she might have Bell’s palsy, which John Hopkins Medicine describes as an ‘unexplained episode of facial muscle weakness or paralysis’.
After undergoing numerous tests, healthcare professionals suggested Palin could be suffering from Bell’s palsy, a condition causing weakness in facial muscles on one side. However, she has yet to receive a conclusive diagnosis.
“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,” she speculated.
In an update on January 3, the mother of three spoke about her condition on Instagram Stories while addressing fan questions.
Sharing a video from December 9, she wrote: “If anyone’s wondering, today’s day 323 of my face being paralyzed. Not looking great.”
Palin continues to experience immobility on half of her face.
“Could be worse, could be better. At least I’ve got cute sunglasses,” she remarked at the conclusion of her video.
She also mentioned plans to use Botox on the affected side’s eye, as it ‘just gets so small when I smile or when I’m expressive at all’.
The UNC School of Medicine notes that Botox can sometimes be utilized to manage facial paralysis by easing tight muscles.
In February of the previous year, Palin expressed that she’d ‘done everything imaginable to resolve this’, stating she was unsure of what else to try.
“But I’ve spent the last 35 days doing something every single day to try and fix this, and nothing has helped so far. So, I’m not sure what the future holds,” she admitted.