1. Care for the Affected Eye
Children with Bell's Palsy often cannot close the affected eye, so it becomes difficult to keep it moist and protected from bacteria, dirt and dust. Encourage your child to wear sunglasses regularly, and help her apply saline drops to moisten and soothe the pupil as needed. Ask your pediatrician for eye ointment to prevent the eyeball from drying out overnight, and patch her eye after applying the ointment. Teach your child to wash her hands and physically open and close her eyelid throughout the day, which helps manually moisturize the cornea and pupil.
2. Discuss Medications with Your Child's Physician
Most people recover from Bell's Palsy without taking drugs, but your child's doctor may recommend oral steroids to decrease nerve inflammation and encourage faster healing. Steroid treatment is still controversial, and is usually more effective when begun within the first symptomatic week. Do your research, and discuss your child's drug contraindications with your doctor. If you decide to use the steroids, remember to have your child follow the prescribed dose carefully. Prednisone and similar substances must be titrated gradually. If your child's facial palsy is severe and the doctor believes it is caused by a virus, he may also prescribe antiviral medications like acyclovir. Remember, though--antivirals are still being studied, and have not been proven successful in all cases of pediatric Bell's Palsy. Some parents may wish to wait out the condition, rather than giving their child a drug with unproven benefits.
3. Massage and Exercise the Facial Muscles
You can speed your child's recovery and make her more comfortable by helping her exercise facial muscles several times a day. Practice with her, making a game of scrunching your eyes, wrinkling your nose and opening and closing your mouth in front of a mirror. Remind her not to be frustrated when there is no visible movement, and to keep watching for changes each day. Massage a moisturizer into your child's face twice a day in gentle, circular movements. She may experience mild discomfort at the beginning of the massage, but it should subside as the circulation increases and your fingers become warm. Remember to massage both sides of your child's face to balance the muscle work, and pay special attention to the area just below the cheekbone. This is where you'll find the seventh cranial nerve, which malfunctions in Bell's Palsy patients. Apply gentle pressure when massaging, rather than digging deeply into the muscles. Be willing to change your technique if the child is uncomfortable--or just stop the massage and try again later.
4. Provide Emotional Support to Your Child
Bell's Palsy can be especially scary for children, who may not understand the cause of their symptoms or are embarrassed by the way they look. They may even have to endure taunting by their peers while they have the condition. Rather than minimizing your child's feelings about his temporary disfigurement, let him know that you understand his frustration. Provide loving support for your child, reminding him that Bell's Palsy does not last forever, and that he will look like himself again, soon.
5. Introduce Relaxation Techniques
There is some evidence that stress exacerbates or lengthens the course of Bell's Palsy, so it is important to help your child de-stress. Do yoga together, practice deep breathing exercises, or help him visualize his favorite place. These techniques help slow down the worrying process and promote a sense of confidence and control. If you are not comfortable leading your child through a relaxation exercise, invest in a guided relaxation training CD that he can listen to at bedtime or throughout the day.
