Maria Edin from Sandviken faces severe complications after contracting shingles, which left half her face paralyzed. Despite seeking medical help, she was initially sent home, leading to long-term issues. Now, she relies on regular botox treatments to manage her condition, highlighting the need for accessible vaccines.
Maria's Battle with Facial Paralysis from Shingles
Maria's Battle with Facial Paralysis from Shingles
Despite half of Maria's face being paralyzed, the healthcare system sent her home. Now, she lives with severe complications from shingles. "It's terrible," she says.
55-year-old Maria Edin from Sandviken sits in a café with her friends. In just over a week, she will receive a botox top-up in her face, a treatment she undergoes every three months. Not for cosmetic reasons, but to function in daily life.
"Now, as I talk to you on the phone, I feel the left side of my lip is paralyzed. It's like a dental anesthetic that hasn't worn off. Then there's the eye, which starts to water more, and the ear, which buzzes worse."
It's been eight years since Maria was struck by shingles, an infectious disease that can affect anyone who has had chickenpox. Older people are at higher risk, but Maria was only 47 when she got shingles on her face, as first reported by Göteborgsposten.
It Started with Neck Pain
For Maria, it began with neck pain at work. Around the same time, she noticed what she thought were small pimples in her ear.
Later, at home, she was shocked to see what had happened to her face.
"In the mirror, I saw my face just hanging. I was terrified and thought, 'Have I had a stroke now?'"
Maria's mother and grandmother both had strokes at a young age. With that thought, she took the bus to Gävle Hospital. At the emergency room, Maria felt she wasn't taken seriously. Tests for stroke were conducted, but all they found was high blood pressure, which the doctor attributed to stress.
"I was sent home and couldn't sleep at all that night. I thought, now I'll die if I fall asleep," says Maria.
The next day, she sought help at the health center but to no avail. Maria's face still hung, and the condition worsened. When blisters appeared in her mouth, she finally got a referral to a specialist at the ear, nose, and throat clinic. There, they discovered blisters in her ear and confirmed it was shingles.
"The doctor said it was too late to treat because it had been three or four days. I felt, 'screw you.' They ignored me from the start, and no one explained anything to me. No one looked at me until it was too late."
Sick Leave for Two Months
What followed was an eight-week ordeal. All Maria could do was endure the shingles that had affected her internally. She had a high fever with rashes in her ears, throat, palate, and nose.
The palate and throat were the worst, Maria recounts, and it meant she could only consume liquid food.
"It was like it was burning. I'd rather give birth; that pain goes away after a while. This doesn't. It feels like someone is stabbing you with a knife and twisting it. Constantly."
The shingles also affected her left eye. She couldn't close her eyelids and had to tape them with surgical tape to have a chance to sleep.
"So on that eye, I had no eyelashes left; they came off when I removed the tape. It was pure hell."
Shingles often affects the chest area, but the face is also common, where serious complications are most likely. Today, Maria has 22% paralysis on the left side of her face and down her neck, according to doctors.
"The paralysis will never completely disappear, no matter what I do. But I massage and work on it in the evenings. I have to keep the muscles active, or they'll eventually die."
Can't Afford the Vaccine
The significant changes came when she finally received botox treatments. She requested them herself from the hospital after a tip in a Facebook group. Now, she gets injections about every three months, which helps both her face and the buzzing in her ear.
"If you look at me straight on, you can see. But it might be if I've slept poorly or if I've had a cold. One eye hangs more than the other, and sometimes it moves with my jaws when I eat. Like I'm flirting," Maria explains.
The thing with shingles is that the affected person doesn't become immune. Last spring, Maria had another bout, but not as severe. However, she lives in constant fear that it will return.
"My cousin's mother also got it and went blind in one eye because she didn't get help in time. I think it's terrible."
There is a vaccine, but the shots cost 5,000 kronor, and Maria, who works part-time, can't afford it.
"After 50, the vaccine should be free; there are so many living with complications from shingles. How much money do all the botox shots I get cost?"