Levi Wallace battled Bell's Palsy in 2022, did this ever get discussed?

https://www.al.com/sports/2023/03/l...lers-after-being-stricken-by-bells-palsy.html

I remember seeing this tweet by Teresa Varley over a month or so ago and was going to look and see if anyone picked up on it. He wore a dark tinted visor after it happened so that other players wouldn't see if he lost control of his facial muscles on one side during a game. I found it interesting and the release of Witherspoon made me think about it.

 

It did but not to the degree it should have imo. The fact he played as well as he did doing so speaks more so about his overall character than just merely a football player. More stories like this should be covered.


Sadly though, if it is not either something highlight worthy or covered by a player with more notoriety (Chase Claypools Mental Health Campaign among many) then it gets lost in the shuffle.

 

I hadn't seen this until now, so it definitely didn't get much attention. I've had Bell's palsy. It is not fun. It can lead to vision problems because you can't close your eye. Blinking helps keep eyes clean and properly lubricated. If he normally wears contact lenses, he wouldn't have been able to wear them while that was happening. It can come with headaches and sensitivity to loud noises, so that also isn't great for trying to play football.

 

This is the 1st I heard of it.

 

Amazing fortitude and a very easy person to cheer for.

 

Oh man I had during my freshman year in High School. Brutal, the jokes followed me all through HS. What I remember most is just how difficult it was to be outside since I couldn't close my eye and of course the slobbering all the time.

Not sure how he managed to play like that as I couldn't stand being out in the sun. Don't remember but guessing I didn't eat as much during that time? Feel like that was uncomfortable but I was a skinny kid back then and not sure how a professional athlete with higher intakes of food would handle it. But guess no issue eating just drinking liquids was a pain.

 

Interesting. First I heard of it. Kudos to him for persevering through it

 

How did You get it? Thank the Lord I haven't had it, but I thought until now it was something that happened to the really old , or someone with a really low immune system.

 

my sister in law got it last year. they said it could have been brought on by covid.

 

What a crazy story. And to think he was able to play through it at times is even crazier.

 

I forgot about that part until you mentioned it. Eating is definitely difficult. That is how I first realized something was wrong. I was having trouble swallowing. Then I started feeling numbness on one side of my face. Of course, my first thought was that I was having a stroke. (Normally, a stroke won't make an entire side of your face droop the way Bell's Palsy does, but I didn't know that.) I was actually in the car on my way home, so I took a small detour to an urgent care facility nearby. They sent me to the hospital, just to be sure it wasn't a stroke. They look different, but it is possible to be dealing with both at the same time.

 

Some of the causes are diabetes, high blood pressure, injury to the nerve, and infections. The last one is why it can sometimes be associated with a weakened immune system.

The doctors were never able to explain what caused mine. There really is no treatment. You just have to wait it out. It really showed up the day before school started where I teach. I was already recovering from foot surgery, so I showed up for the first day getting around on crutches with half my face drooping. Oh, and it made me slur my speech, so I sounded drunk.

That was a fun way to start the school year.

 

LoL. That image made Me laugh. Sorry. That sucks.

 

No need to apologize. I found it humorous even then. I shared it with the intent of sharing the laugh.

Luckily, my students were nothing but great about it. I'm very lucky to teach good kids.

 

Don't remember. But I don't think the doc knew why it happened. Just glad it hasn't happened since then. I did get shingles in my 30's which seems to affect older people more as they are older I think.

 

Well I'm glad You are better.

 

Thanks.