People with Ramsay Hunt syndrome are speaking out after Justin Bieber's diagnosis, highlighting its debilitating symptoms
Advertisement
Marianne Guenot
Mar 2, 2023, 16:58 IST
Justin Bieber said half of his face is paralyzed as a result of Ramsay Hunt syndrome.@justinbieber on Instagram
Justin Bieber has been forced to cancel the remaining dates of his Justice world tour.
Bieber revealed he had Ramsay Hunt syndrome last year, and said it left half of his face paralyzed.
Advertisement
Justin Bieber has canceled the remaining dates on his Justice World tour as he continues to battle health issues following his diagnosis of Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
Bieber revealed his diagnosis in June and said that it had left half of his face temporarily paralyzed, forcing him to cancel several performances.
"As you can see, this eye is not blinking, I can't smile on this side of my face, this nostril will not move. So there's full paralysis on this side of my face," he said in an Instagram post in June.
Ramsay Hunt is a rare complication from the common virus that causes chickenpox and shingles. After a chickenpox infection, the virus can survive in the nerves and can be reactivated years after the primary infection has been cleared, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
Vaccination against chickenpox, which is routinely given in childhood, can decrease the risk of infection.
The symptoms can be debilitating and can last a long time.
Rescorla, a 28-year-old mom of three living in the UK, said the condition had a "huge impact" on her day-to-day life.
Advertisement
Her symptoms included bouts of dizziness and vertigo. She can no longer drive or leave the house on her own, she said. She has to drink liquids through a straw, even coffee, she told Reuters.
"I went from being so independent, fiercely independent, to having my husband care for me because I haven't been able to do it for myself," she said.
Bieber had originally hoped his condition would improve quickly with the help of physicians.
"I'm going to get better," Bieber said in his Instagram post in June. "I'm doing all these facial exercises to get my face back to normal, and it will go back to normal."
The singer soon resumed his tour in Europe and Brazil after the diagnosis. But in September, Bieber said in an Instagram story that his first six live shows since the diagnosis "really took a toll on me," per Sky news.
Advertisement
"After getting off stage, exhaustion overtook me and I realized I needed to make my health the priority right now," he said in the story.
"I've got 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," she said.
According to Pretorius, no one in her patient-support group has fully recovered, though many have improved.
"Don't worry babes, we're in this together," TikTok star Callum Gravestock, who says he developed the condition, said in a post in June.
Gravestock said that after describing his symptoms to the UK emergency services, including a rash on the face and neck and partial paralysis, an ambulance was sent to his house "just to make sure I wasn't gonna have a stroke."
NewsletterSIMPLY PUT - where we join the dots to inform and inspire you. Sign up for a weekly brief collating many news items into one untangled thought delivered straight to your mailbox.