seventh cranial nerve

A month earlier, after giving birth to twins, I’d been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a paralysis of the seventh cranial nerve.

The doctor said it was trauma to the seventh cranial nerve, causing facial muscles to weaken — as happens with Bell’s palsy.

Bell’s palsy is a viral infection that causes damage to the seventh cranial nerve.

It and the seventh cranial nerve pass through a pair of tiny canals, one on each side of the skull.

Bell’s palsy, which affects perhaps 40,000 Americans a year, is characterized by acute inflammation or trauma to the seventh cranial nerve, disabling the muscles of one side of the face.