article_snippet.sent: I'd been warned that facial palsy could be a side-effect, but it was still a shock seeing my face in the mirror - the left side was droopy.
article_snippet.sent: Around 100,000 people in Britain have facial palsy.
article_snippet.sent: It can be caused by a stroke, if a stroke affects the area of the brain that sends signals to the facial nerve.
article_snippet.sent: It can also be a result of traumatic injury, damage after surgery, or simply because of a virus damaging the facial nerve - this happens in Bell's palsy, which affects more than 28,000 people a year.
article_snippet.sent: Facial palsy affects not just appearance, but lots of functions, too.
article_snippet.sent: The facial nerve - which rises from the bottom of the brain on both sides, then sends branches across the face - controls the tongue's taste buds, for instance, and the salivary glands, so patients may suffer from dry mouth.
article_snippet.sent: The percentage of stroke patients who are affected by facial weakness .