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Mercy neurologist Dr. Michael Sellman

Mercy Neurologist Dr. Michael Sellman Discusses Bell's Palsy And How It Differs From Stroke

It's important for people who might lose feeling to part of their face to know that the problem could be Bell's palsy and not a stroke and to get it checked out immediately.

Bell's palsy often strikes without warning and leaves one side of the face temporarily paralyzed, with a drooping mouth and eyelid.

According to Mercy Medical Center neurologist Dr. Michael Sellman, Bell's palsy is very different from a stroke, which affects your arm and leg on the same side, as well.

"If you cannot wiggle your eyebrow or smile, more likely than not this is Bell's palsy, assuming you can still move your arm and leg without problem," he said. "But if you can move your eyebrow and you cannot smile, then that's more often than not a stroke."

Viral infections, diabetes, damaged facial nerves and Lyme disease can cause Bell's palsy.

"Bell's phenomenon is when the right eye closes but the left eye does not, and you can see the white of her eye," he said.

Lisa Epps, 43, said after dinner on Thanksgiving, she and her family noticed something terribly wrong happening to her.

"As I was talking, my family was like, 'What's wrong with your face?' And I'm like, 'What do you mean what's wrong with my face?' And I went to the mirror and was like, 'Oh my Gosh,' and went to brush my teeth and rinse my mouth, and I couldn't hold water in my mouth," she remembered.

Epps said she believed she was having a stroke but found out she had Bell's palsy.

"I was devastated. I started crying, and you really don't know what to do," she said.

She's now taking medication to treat her symptoms, and Sellman said he's pleased with her progress.

"You are improving compared to the way you were last week, and I'm very optimistic that's you're going to have continued improvement," he told Epps.

Dr. Sellman also noted that even though most patients recover completely from Bell's palsy, it's very important to get treatment within the first few days to reduce its severity and to speed up recovery.

To view Dr. Sellman’s interview on WBAL-TV11, click this link: http://www.wbaltv.com/womansdoctor/29978797/detail.html.