peter
“One afternoon, on our first day back in the studio after the Christmas break I went to lick my lips and my mouth wasn’t moving properly. It was a very strange sensation. I was worried but said nothing to Shane until we got home that evening. I asked him if my face looked wonky and he joked ‘No wonkier than usual.’ He thought I was being dramatic, but over the next few hours, I gradually lost all movement on the right side of my face. Initially, I thought I was having a stroke, but it was only affecting my face. That night I went to bed feeling very worried. What would I be like in the morning? Shane woke to find me sleeping with my right eye wide open even though I was fast asleep. He started shouting ‘Adrian wake up! You have to see a doctor straight away!’ The right side of my face was completely paralyzed. I couldn’t even blink my right eye, so it looked like I was winking whenever I blinked my left eye. As soon as the doctor saw me he knew it was Bell’s Palsy. He said it was caused by stress and he put me on a strong course of steroids. Recovery is generally different from patient to patient with this condition. Some people recoup after a month, others can take years. I was lucky. My face slowly began moving after three months. Shane was by my side the whole thing. He even taped my right eye closed every night before going to bed, to protect it and prevent it from drying up. Everything else was put on hold as I recuperated. It’s been ten months now and I’m 99% recovered. We’re lucky it turned out that well. A few unexpected winks can be expected on the way, so don’t be surprised! We won’t stop; full speed ahead!”
Adrian (Left) and Shane (Right)