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 this, when 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.

ANSWER: 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.

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, and the eye should be covered with a patch.

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, but younger people don’t immediately think they are headed for Alzheimer’s disease; older people do. 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 placing car keys in the refrigerator.

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. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

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.

ANSWER: 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.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: In February I had severe shooting pains in my upper right thigh. I went to my doctor, and he said he believed my hip was causing the pain. I had an X-ray, and it showed arthritis. Earlier this month, my wife and I were going to board our plane, and I was picked for the new full-body scan. After a few minutes I asked what was wrong and the agent said the scan showed something in my right leg. I had gallbladder surgery in the 1970s and a pin was left inside me. Is it possible that pin traveled to my leg? — T.D.

ANSWER: It’s most improbable that a pin made its way from the region of the gallbladder to your leg. What kind of pin was used in your surgery? Pins aren’t usually inserted in a gallbladder operation.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

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