Former ‘Bachelorette’ Emily Maynard Shares Bell’s Palsy Diagnosis

Emily Maynard Johnson via Instagram

Former Bachelorette Emily Maynard Johnson detailed her 2020 on Instagram Stories. In her stories she shared hiding her fifth pregnancy. Emily also shared news that doctors diagnosed her with Bell’s Palsy in September. Now, she is sharing a little bit more about that after getting tons of questions from fans.

Emily Maynard Johnson diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy

Emily Maynard Johnson shared a lot of information about her 2020 on Instagram. Fans were shocked when one of the photos dated from September 2020 revealed Emily wearing an eye patch. She shared her diagnosis of Bell’s Palsy. Emily captioned her photo saying, “Got Bells Palsy and had to wear a patch.”

Emily Maynard Johnson Instagram Story
Emily Maynard Johnson Instagram Story

At first she didn’t say much else about the diagnosis. However, today, Emily addressed it on her story. She said she actually had it once before in high school as well. It started out with a bad headache that moved into her jaw. Emily said she thought it was an ear infection. When she woke up she couldn’t spit out her toothpaste. She knew exactly what it was at that point and called her doctor.

The doctor put her on steroids. She went on to say it got worse before it got better. And, she would run to the bathroom to check if she could wink or whistle. Emily went on to say there is something very humbling about not being able to move half your face at 9 months pregnant. She admits she cried a lot and felt horrible. It did improve day by day and she is fine now. Emily said she will probably never know what caused it. However, some messaged her suggesting getting the flu shot during pregnancy as a possible cause.

What is Bell’s Palsy?

According to Mayo Clinic, Bell’s Palsy is “sudden weakness in your facial muscles. In most cases, the weakness is temporary and significantly improves over weeks. The weakness makes half of your face appear to droop. Your smile is one-sided, and your eye on that side resists closing.”

The exact cause of the condition is not know. However, the article goes on to say, “it’s believed to be the result of swelling and inflammation of the nerve that controls the muscles on one side of your face. Or it might be a reaction that occurs after a viral infection.”

The condition rarely happens more than once. However, Emily Maynard was one of the few unlucky ones who got it twice.

Aside from suffering from Bell’s Palsy, Emily had a pretty good 2020. She welcomed baby number 5 after keeping her pregnancy a secret from fans until birth. Her fifth addition was a baby girl.

Jamie Colclasure

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