I never considered myself beautiful, I was always of average beauty, but at the age of 19 I suffered from facial paralysis, which for a young girl is almost a disgrace.
It all started one Monday night, I felt a strong pain behind my right ear, which went away by itself. The next day I woke up normal, but after noon I felt a tingling in my mouth and I realized that I was not speaking well, then I went to a doctor friend (whose specialty was obstetrics) because I did not know where to go, he did not recommend me to go to any specialist, he indicated a treatment and I went home confident.
Two days later I went to a neurologist, this should have been the specialist I should have gone to in the first place, that's what my mom was told, and as we had no reference of any other, I went to the first one I got. This doctor indicated a treatment and told me to do these facial exercises: chewing gum and blowing up balloons. This negligent doctor assured me that my facial paralysis would go away the same way it had come: on its own. I can assure you that unfortunately for me it did not.
I can tell you that I got tired of blowing up balloons and chewing as much gum as I could get my hands on, and a month had already gone by and nothing. It was then when, on the recommendation of a lady, I went to a physical rehabilitation center, and from that moment on my facial features improved, but since I had lost that first critical month for recovery, my features were not the same as before. And I had to accept that.
I don't want to say that I am deformed, there is nothing further from the truth, but the thing was that my features changed, my gestures became different, and as I said before, for a young girl it is fatal, just coming out of adolescence, there is not the security that you have in adulthood, nor the maturity, that is why I started to nurture my mind, to read books on personal growth, to try to take things calmly, to focus my energy in a productive way and things like that.
Looking back at that time, I felt very pressured, I had not been able to get into a public university, my mom could not afford a private university, my dad and I were a little estranged at that time, I could not figure out what to do, the courses I had access to did not satisfy my desire to start a university career; all this caused me impotence and sadness, I had sleepless nights and many tears of frustration. I suppose that all of the above was a breeding ground that resulted in an injury to my right facial nerve causing everything described above. Thank God it was only that, let's just say it could have been worse...
Why is my first post in this community about my facial paralysis? The truth is that I am not really sure why I chose this topic to make myself known here, in fact I had never stopped to write about this topic before, what happened is that I read some reflective articles about my experiences that inspired me to write about this.
I want to express that I do not remember that moment with bitterness, I accepted it with love, I remember it with love, it was my anchor to stop my ship of excessive worries that depleted my health, it was my impulse to focus on my being, to love and value myself more not for how I look but for who I am, besides those who love me do not care about those small external defects, they care more about my treatment towards them, my demonstrations of affection....
I also want to emphasize the importance of not taking things too seriously, worry is harmful because it is limiting, it is frustrating, it is exhausting, it robs you of energy, it fills you with sadness, it prevents you from enjoying your present moments, it takes you away from happiness and it also undermines your health little by little. There are situations that we cannot change, that escape our influence, that no matter how much we worry we will not alter them. That is why we must be aware of our thoughts, especially those that become obsessions, because they are the most harmful to our health, both mentally and physically.
Thank you very much for reading this far, I do not want to say goodbye without first introducing myself:
A little about me
Hello, my name is Marlyn. On Sunday I discovered this beautiful community, I found it very interesting, I was reading several of the articles and I loved them, I saw that I am old enough to be accepted and I decided to subscribe, I am 43 years old, then I saw that age was not limiting which I thought was great.
I am new to Hive, I am almost three weeks old, I am still exploring communities to see which ones I have similar tastes and I am looking to get involved in those that attract my attention.
I have always liked to write, until now I have done it only for myself, as a way of venting, of sentimental and emotional release, and also to even organize my ideas, but I haven't kept any of my writing because once it served its purpose I discarded it.
I am not only new to Hive, also the world of cryptocurrencies is new to me, not because I had not heard of them but because they had not aroused my interest until now.
I stopped working a little more than three years ago, which I would never have thought about it, but I had the joy of being a mom, and since I did not have someone I trusted to take care of my baby, my husband and I decided to dedicate myself to his care, and it is the best decision I have made in my life, it has been wonderful years, not missing his progress, his witticisms, his antics, there are no words to describe the accumulation of emotions he awakens in me, especially when he makes loving spontaneous gestures... I now have a 4 month old princess, so my free time is less and less. Although I defend the idea of taking care of my own children, I don't feel comfortable with not generating income, so since I stayed at home I had been looking for what to do and Hive has been the answer to my prayers, I feel that I am discovering it timidly but each new thing is super interesting and learning it fills me with satisfaction.
I was born in Venezuela, and I still live here, so my mother tongue is Spanish, and although I speak English I am not fluent enough in this language, so I use a translator (DeepL.com) to publish my article, a thousand apologies for that.
This is me
I grew up knowing a girl with a similar problem. She was older than me. I suspect she is in her 50s now. Although her face was never completely paralyzed, it has always been noticeable. But, in what matters, it hasn't affected her at all. She married and had a family. She seems happy.
I am new to this community as well. I look forward to reading more about you. Good luck with your Hive adventure.
Thank you for sharing. When I was in therapy I also met a girl who suffered from facial paralysis, it made her laugh to see how her smile was deformed, apparently it did not affect her at all or it was a mask to hide it, but it did affect me, however, not for that reason I stopped living and seeking to achieve my goals, and I'm still working on that. :-)
I think it is brave of you to share something vulnerable about yourself. And I'm glad you have conquered such challenge in your life. It made you stronger as a person. Accepting yourself completely is what this life is all about.
Your words are beautiful, I appreciate it. The truth is that this is the first time I've spoken this way about my facial paralysis, and I'm glad to do it. For many years I have reserved myself from sharing the things that hurt me, but it is liberating to talk about them, and I have been learning that for a while now.
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Welcome to the Silver Bloggers, thank you for sharing your story with us! What a pity that the neurologist did not get you the right treatment and that you lost that vital first month, but you have the right attitude. I admire the way you did not let that keep you down.
I wish you well with your Hive journey, this is a great place to store your memories while earning at the same time.
We have contests from time to time, the current #bow Blog of Week has an awesome theme, ending on Monday. Hope to see an entry from you.
I find contests help with getting to know the people and is also a great way of your content being read.
Look forward to seeing you more here on #silverbloggers!
Thank you very much! I am delighted to be here, in this community I feel at home, I am very motivated to participate in the current #bow Blog of Week. What I like most about these topics is that everyone gives an important part of his life, shares it with the community, and this is a valuable gift.
You are still very beautiful @mjvdc stay well and safe, thanks for sharing your heart with us.
Thank you very much for your words, for your sensitivity to appreciate my experience, it is like a balm for my soul.
You are welcome @mjvdc stay well and have an awesome weekend.
Welcome to Hive and especially to Silver Bloggers. What an amazing first post in our community! Thank you for sharing your journey and look forward to hearing more.
Good to meet you @mjvdc!
Nice to meet you too @fionasfavourites. This community is special, I feel it in my heart.