Bride left unable to smile in wedding photos after planning stress PARALYSED her face the night before
Kelly Stech had spent a year organising her dream wedding to her now-husband Benjamin Stech after becoming engaged in July 2022.
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The couple, who began dating in early 2020 after matching on Tinder, forked out $50,000 (£37,000) on their dream day on 6 October 2023.
However, the week before the ceremony, Kelly began feeling under the weather, complaining of ear ache and pain when swallowing.
The 30-year-old woke up with painful, swollen blisters across her right ear, which urgent care doctors put down to the skin infection cellulitis.
Over the next few days, Kelly's symptoms drastically worsened.
The hairdresser, who lives in Illinois, Chicago, US, said: "Exactly a week before the wedding, I was starting to feel under the weather. The following day, at work, I felt like I had an ear infection coming on.
"It hurt to swallow and I felt a popping sensation in my ear.
"I went to urgent care and they said it looked completely fine and there was no infection brewing.
"I woke up that Monday and my ear was completely swollen and blistered. I went back to urgent care and they put me on a steroid and antibiotic for cellulitis.
"I woke up the next day and the pain was worse. I was vomiting non-stop, I couldn't keep anything down.
"My whole body felt like it had been hit by a truck. Then I was laying on the couch later on and making silly faces on Snapchat and couldn't feel the right side of my face moving.
"[The next day] when I went to smile, the right side of my face just wouldn't move like the left side would.
"My ear had blisters on them. I was full blown panicking and crying. The pressure on my ear felt like it was going to explode.
"I went back to urgent care and they transferred me to a hospital. We were supposed to be going to our rehearsal dinner that night."
Doctors initially said she'd had an allergic reaction to an IV antibiotic that had caused Bell's palsy - a temporary weakness of one side of the face that can also be caused by a virus.
I felt like it was the happiest day of my life but I didn't want people to think I looked miserable... I was in so much pain and so tired
Kelly
Devastated, Kelly refused to cancel her nuptials. She went ahead with the wedding the next day, slashing her ceremony guest list from 200 to 50 members of her close friends and family.
Kelly said: "I barely slept the whole night. There was barely any movement in my mouth.
"I could smile without teeth but if I tried to smile with teeth, it was definitely crooked.
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"I wanted to go ahead with the wedding either way. My makeup artist was so good at hiding my paralysis.
"During the ceremony, me and the bridesmaids switched sides so my right-side paralysis wasn't facing my guests.
"The middle of the day at the venue, my right eyelid just stopped working.
"I couldn't go around taking photos anymore, my eyelid was paralysed, I couldn't blink.
"I was holding a handkerchief up to my eye to keep it shut. Everybody kept saying 'sorry you're going through this'.
"I felt like it was the happiest day of my life but I didn't want people to think I looked miserable because I couldn't smile on my wedding day.
"I couldn't drink any alcohol. I was in so much pain and so tired."
'Stress if often a trigger'
Days after tying the knot, Kelly returned to hospital where doctors diagnosed her with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a complication of shingles.
It's the name given to symptoms of a shingles infection affecting the facial nerve.
Symptoms include blisters around the ear, scalp, hair line and inside the mouth, weakness on the affected side of the face, difficulty closing or blinking the eye and hearing loss.
You don't want to end up paralysed on your wedding day. Don't stress about your shoes or the weather.
Kelly
In June 2022, singer-songwriter Justin Bieber announced that he had been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome after experiencing paralysis down the right side of his face.
Kelly believes the disorder was brought on due to the strain of wedding planning over the last year.
Facial Palsy UK says ' stress is often a trigger'.
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The charity says: 'Many studies have shown that stress can weaken the immune system, and that people under significant stress are more likely to suffer from infections than those who are not.
'For this reason, it is believed that stress can be linked to outbreaks of shingles, and thus RHS could result.'
Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. After recovering, the virus continues to live in the nerves that it has infected by the virus. It is harmless unless it is reactivated.
Kelly has since regained all the movement in her face but is now urging brides to try and avoid wedding day stress.
Kelly, who is currently eight months pregnant, said: "It's hard to believe this happened. My wedding stress definitely caused this.
"The financial stress of it definitely takes a toll.
"We got to experience first-hand early on what 'in sickness and health' actually meant.
"I tell friends stressed about wedding planning, be grateful you're in this position and don't let it stress you out, you don't want to end up paralysed on your wedding day.
"Don't stress about your shoes or the weather."
What is Ramsay Hunt syndrome?
Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS) is a complication of shingles.
It is the name given to describe the symptoms of a shingles infection affecting the facial nerve.
Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox (varicella zoster virus, or VZV). As a result of this infection, the facial nerve becomes inflamed and irritated.
If you develop RHS, you will have had chickenpox as a child but once the spots heal and you recover the virus continues to live in the nerves that it has infected by the virus.
It is harmless unless it is reactivated and should this happen new symptoms will appear. This cluster of symptoms is called RHS.
The virus can be reactivated when the immune system becomes depressed and is less able to fight infection.
Stress is often a trigger. Many studies have shown that stress can weaken the immune system, and that people under significant stress are more likely to suffer from infections than those who are not.
For this reason, it is believed that stress can be linked to outbreaks of shingles, and thus RHS could result.
If antiviral treatment is given within 72 hours of developing symptoms approximately 70 per cent of people will experience a virtually full recovery.
If antiviral medication is not given within this time frame then the likelihood of making a full recovery reduces to 50 per cent.
SYMPTOMS
A rash or blisters in or around the ear, scalp or hair line. The blisters may also appear inside the mouth.
The rash/blisters are often painful with a generalised sensation of burning over the affected area.
Weakness on the affected side of your face which causes the facial muscles to droop.
Difficulty closing the eye or blinking on the affected side.
Altered taste on the affected half of the tongue.
Loss of facial expression on the affected side.
Difficulty eating, drinking and speaking as a result of weakness in the lip and cheek on the affected side.
Ear, face or head pain.
Hearing loss on the affected side
Dizziness/vertigo
Tinnitis (ringing in the ear) on the affected side.
In some cases the throat may also be affected directly or indirectly via the vagus nerve
Source: Facial Palsy UK
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