Day 14 - No Improvement

Update: And just like that...my eye can close this morning. Blinking is still non-existent but one little sign of improvement has made me hopeful. Thank you everyone for your advice

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As an aside - something I am wondering about is the pain. I had TERRIBLE neck pain, pain behind the ear + radiating into my jaw around days 9-12. I mean this was extremely painful - perhaps pain was worse for me because there isn't really anything I can take for it due to pregnancy so it was left untreated (I did use a heating pad). Over the last two days though this pain has literally vanished without a trace. What was everyone else's experience with pain?

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Hello Everyone:

I spent my Christmas Eve in Urgent Care being diagnosed with Bell's Palsy - likely pregnancy related as I am currently 33 weeks. Our first child is due to arrive in mid February!

Luckily I got placed on a 7-day course of prednisone and took my first dose within 24 hours of symptom onset. Unluckily...it has been about 14 days and I've noticed no improvement at all. Smile is still completely gone, eye doesn't shut completely, and my affected eyebrow has no increase in motion.

Because I was diagnosed during the holidays I could not see my GP or OB in person until yesterday. I was looking forward to hearing what they had to say about Bell's and was eager to adhere to all of their advice. Suffice to say they had none - I am a healthcare professional myself and both my GP and OB basically wanted me to explain to them what I think I should do and wanted me to quote them when they think I'll get better. Fair enough - neither had treated the condition recently and my GP has never specifically treated it in pregnancy (which some studies suggest the prognosis isn't as great)

Anyways - for the first 14 days of this I just tried my best to rest. Now that there's no improvement I am ready to change gears into "do everything in my power mode" and of course continue to hope for the best. A few questions:

-Is now a good time to start facial exercises? I had read some mixed things on the internet about not starting early due to risk of synkinesis , but at 14 days should I get on these things?

-Is there any hope at all that I might have some improvement prior to February even if after 14 days I've seen practically none? How far along were you in your Bell's before you noted signs of improvement?

-Already started B complex and I am going to give a nearby acupuncture clinic a call today on my lunch because why not?

-What else can I do - give me all the advice.