- People with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome have been reacting to Justin Bieber’s diagnosis.
- The singer announced last week that half of his face was temporarily paralyzed by the syndrome.
- They range from debilitating dizziness to long-lasting facial paralysis like Bieber’s.
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People with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, a rare complication that follows a viral infection, are reacting to the news that Justin Bieber had to cancel a series of shows after suffering from the disease.
The 28-year-old singer announced her diagnosis on Friday in a post on Instagram. Bieber showed that half of his face was paralyzed.
“As you can see, that eye is not blinking, I can’t smile on this side of my face, this nostril is not moving. So there is total paralysis on this side of my face,” he told the post.
A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)
Ramsay Hunt is a rare complication of the common virus that causes chickenpox and shingles, as Gabby Landsverk of Insider reported.
Nicoya Rescorla, who has been living with the syndrome for the past 20 months, said the singer’s announcement brought tears to her eyes.
Speaking to Reuters, Rescorla said: “It is touching that it is spreading awareness.”
Rescorla, a 28-year-old mother of three living in the UK, said the illness has had a “huge impact” on her day-to-day life.
Symptoms include dizziness and vertigo. She can no longer drive or leave the house alone, she said. He has to drink any liquid through a straw, even coffee, he told Reuters.
“I went from being so independent, fiercely independent, to having my husband take care of me because I couldn’t do it on my own,” she said.
Some of the symptoms of the disease may become permanent, but most improve with treatment, according to the Mayo Clinic.
After a chickenpox infection, the virus can survive the nerves and can be reactivated years after the primary infection has been removed, depending on the site.
Chickenpox vaccination, which is usually given during childhood, can lower the risk of infection, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“Don’t worry, girls, we’re together,” TikTok star Callum Gravestock said in a post, saying she contracted the disease in recent weeks.
Gravestock said after describing his symptoms to UK emergency services, including a rash on his face and neck and partial paralysis, an ambulance was sent to his home “just to make sure he didn’t suffer a stroke “.
He described that he still had partial paralysis of the face and hearing loss of one ear shortly after finishing a week after his steroid treatment.
Mikaela Pretorius developed the disease in November 2014. She told Australian network ABC News that she felt sorry for Bieber as she could imagine her anguish.
For her, the symptoms never completely disappeared.
“I have permanent facial paralysis,” Pretorius said. “My right side of my face has some movement, like I can blink again, but it’s not the same,” he said.
According to her, none of her patient support group has fully recovered, although many have improved.
The usual treatment for Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is antiviral drugs and steroids, according to the NORD Rare Disease Patient Association. Most symptoms will improve with treatment, but in some cases, some may become permanent, says NORD.
Bieber said he expects his symptoms to improve.
“I’m going to get better,” Bieber said Friday in his Instagram post. “I’m doing all these facial exercises to get my face back to normal and back to normal.”