Bell's palsy not a cause of memory lapses

Dear Dr. Donohue: I am a 79-year-old man. Four months ago I had a mitral valve repaired and double bypass surgery. I have been doing fine until I got Bell's palsy. I also am beginning to forget things.

Do you think there is a connection, or am I getting Alzheimer's?

F.W.

Dear F.W.: Bell's palsy is one-sided facial paralysis. It's believed to be due to an infection of the nerve serving those muscles with the herpes simplex virus-1, the same virus that causes cold sores. An affected person cannot close the eye on the affected side, can't furrow the brow and has trouble drinking and eating because food and liquids dribble out of the mouth. Invariably, such people think they have had a stroke.

Advertisement

The good news is that 70 percent make a full recovery in one or two months. In another short while, 85 percent are back to near normal. Some take one or two years to regain strength in those facial muscles, and a few are left with permanent weakness.

You have to protect your eye at night and during the day. The opened eye dries out. Artificial tears keep it moistened during the day. A moisturizing eye ointment protects it at night, when a patch should cover the eye.

Bell's palsy has nothing to do with memory. It has nothing to do with the brain. Memory lapses are common at older ages. They occur at younger ages, too. Groping for a word, the inability to recall a name, misplacing the keys and wondering why you walked into a room are not harbingers of Alzheimer's. Worrisome memory slips are forgetting the names of family or very close friends, getting lost in familiar places and putting things in inappropriate places, like car keys in the refrigerator.

Dear Dr. Donohue: Four months ago, I had a pacemaker put in. Everything had been going fine until last week, when I started to get dizzy spells. They laid me up. My family doctor said I might have pacemaker syndrome, something I'd never heard of. He insists I see the heart doctor immediately. Will you explain this?

R.R.

Dear R.R.: Pacemaker syndrome is an uncommon condition in which the usually finely coordinated contractions of the upper and lower heart chambers (the atria and ventricles) have gotten out of sync.

Dizziness, shortness of breath, headache and palpitations are some of the possible symptoms.

I hope you have seen your heart doctor long before you read this. The heart doctor might have to reprogram your pacemaker, or it might have to be replaced.

To Readers: Headaches are the bane of many. The booklet on headaches explains the different varieties and their treatment. Readers can order a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue — No. 901, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Can. with the recipient's printed name and address.