I woke up Monday morning with a strange sensation coming from my face. Not the whole face mind you but just the left side. It was kind of numb, kind of like a limb when it falls asleep. I thought I must have slept on that side of my face in such a way that it some how lost a bit of circulation. I went ot my bathroom to look at my face and it seemed normal, except for the fact that whenever I blinked my left eyelid didn’t and I couldn’t move anything part of the left side of my face.
I stood there slapping my face to try and get it to wake up. After about a half an hour and a really red cheek I started to realize that my face wasn’t just numb and asleep, it was completely frozen. First thing that came to my mind was that I had a stroke during the night and didn’t realize it. Of course this being the 21[sup]st[/sup] Century I jumped on the internet and googled my symptons. The only thing I got from that was get your ass to the doctor now!
Well to make a long story short the ER doc diagnosed me with Bell’s Palsy. It sounds a hell of a lot worse than it really is. Basically a facial nerve became inflamed and that ended up causing the temporary facial paralysis. They don’t really know what causes and there really isn’t anything they can do to shorten it. I’ll be like this for about a month. I got some anti-viral medication in case it was due to a viral infection and some Prednisone, not sure what that’s for.
Worse thing about this, as if having half my face frozen isn’t bad enough, is that I have a job interview set up for tomorrow. If this was something that would go away in a few days I would try and reschedule but I can’t put it off for a whole month. I wonder if I should point it out before the interview or just not say anything unless they ask.
Tough call about what to say at the interview. They should be too embarassed or PC or whatever to ask you. If you tell them straight out, it might affect their decision (not legal, but you know what I mean.) Lots of people might have heard of it, but the name sounds kind of dire.
Very sorry for what you’re going through, as well as the crappy timing. I know what Bell’s is but I don’t know how obvious it is to people. Your interviewer may feel pressure not to ask, since it may qualify as (or look like) a protected disability. If it were me, I’d bring it up when he asks how I’m doing. I’d say I was diagnosed with Bell’s yesterday and it’s a pain but it’ll clear up in a month. That may not be the kind of approach you’re comfortable with, though.
Oh yeah, I need to put lubricating drops once an hour and I need to tape it shut during the night lest it dry out and cause permanent damage.
As for the interview, I was just going to say I have an inflamed nerve in my face causing temporary paralysis. I wasn’t going to mention Bell’s Palsy because you’re right, it sounds really bad.
Yikes. Well, I think you should go ahead with the interview. Whether to bring it up depends on your personality.
I personally would probably go ahead and say something as soon as I walked in, just because it’s a great way to break the ice and puts them at ease.
Then again, I can see plenty of reasons not to mention it, too. It’s not really any of their business and may or may not affect your ability to do the job. If the position is sales or something where you’ll have a lot of face time with clients you may want to mention it. If you’ll be stuck behind a desk all day I don’t see a reason to.
Good luck, and I hope it resolves fairly soon. My cousin had the same thing a few years ago. I think it was several months before he completely recovered but you wouldn’t know it happened if you saw him today.
I’d mention it - they’d be relieved, in all likelihood, knowing it is temporary. Most employers wouldn’t sweat such a thing even if it was permanent, but you might as well remove such considerations from their minds.
What really sucks is I have been unemployeed since mid-October and this is going to be my first interview in a month. I really need to get a job as my savings are dwindling rapidly. I strive to be nothing short of perfect during my interviews. Guess that is not happening this time. But maybe this might work in my favor. Maybe I’ll get a sympathy nod during the interview process.
I feel really badly because I’m trying not to laugh. It’s NOT funny that you have a health problem. It’s just that the economy is rocky at best, jobs are few and far between, you get a (probably) hard-come-by interview, which you know you have to be on the top of your game for, and your FACE FREEZES. Now if a meteor would just fall out of the sky and smash your car the picture would be complete!
I would mention it in an easy-going “isn’t this kind of funny” sort of way. Because they’ll surely notice and be curious. Just imagine if YOU were doing an interview and some poor guy came in in spite of his severe-sounding health problem. I’m with you, maybe you’ll get a sympathy vote or some honestly earned bonus points for being determined and going ahead with an interview even when you’re partially paralyzed.
Good luck! I’m sure you’ll do great and I sincerely hope your recovery is quick.
Wow, that’s some bad luck. I hope it clears up quickly. Are you still able to speak clearly?
I’d probably mention it to the interviewer, because that’s my way. I’d joke about it, say it sucks but at least it’ll be gone soon, now let’s get interviewin’.
If the not-blinking thing is likely to embarrass you or make the interviewer uncomfortable, maybe you can wear an eyepatch for the interview. Leave the parrot at home, though.
Yeah, I’d mention it to the interviewer in a casual way (i.e. in response to the standard “how are you” greeting) and not make a big thing of it.
Sorry to hear you have this; it’s a pain in the ass. It took mine several weeks to resolve. The jury is still out on whether antiviral meds and steroids really have a consistent effect against Bell’s. Most people do come through with no residual effects; hope yours clears speedily.
Send 'em an e-mail saying you pinched a nerve in your face unexpectedly. If you can write it with a little humor, it’ll work. Just tell them it was a surprise to you that you could even pinch a nerve in your face, but it should go away in a bit, and despite that minor issue, you’re capable of meeting the interview tomorrow. You just didn’t want to surprise them.
It basically is a ‘pinched nerve in the face’, and that sounds more friendly.
I’d wear an eye patch, to avoid the whole weird aspect of only blinking in one eye. Then when they ask what happened I would mention the nerve inflammation
I would start with an explanation to give them the information that it will be temporary. Amy Goodman of Democracy Now had it a few months ago. She did look like she had a stroke.She looks OK now.
Man, that is incredibly bad timing. Yeah, I’d tell them the situation up front.
I had Bell’s Palsy about 15 years ago; it cleared up in a month or so, thanks, in part, to a chiropractor friend who did an ultrasound treatment on that side of my face every few days. From what I was told then, it can take a while to resolve, so I wouldn’t try to reschedule your interview in hopes it’ll clear up by then.
