DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I’ve had a couple of dizzy spells that made me think I was going to pass out. When I told my doctor about them, he immediately took an EKG and then had me wear a heart monitor. He now says I need a pacemaker. I’m 84 and don’t think I’m up to a heart operation. The doctor says I have sick sinus syndrome, and I could die suddenly. Is a pacemaker the only way to treat it? — S.J.

ANSWER: “Sinus” makes you think of the head’s sinuses. The sinus mentioned here is the sinus node, located in the upper-right heart chamber, the right atrium. It’s the heart’s pacemaker, installed by nature. It’s only about half an inch in diameter. It has the important job of triggering every heartbeat. It discharges an electric signal that travels all the way to the heart’s bottom chambers, the ventricles, the blood-pumping chambers. When the signal arrives at its destination, the ventricles contract.

Sick sinus syndrome indicates that the sinus node isn’t working up to par. It may be sending out too few signals, so the heart rate drops precipitously. Or it suddenly can speed up so that the heart is beating too fast. Or it might stop sending signals, causing long pauses in the heartbeat.

People with this syndrome often suffer from dizzy spells that put them on the verge of fainting. Fatigue, shortness of breath and the inability to do much physical activity are other signs that the sinus node is in deep trouble.

Sick sinus syndrome sounds like an exotically rare condition; it isn’t. It’s the reason why 50 percent of all artificial pacemakers are installed. No other treatment compares to the results given by a pacemaker.

Hooking the heart up to a pacemaker doesn’t involve a heart operation. The pacing device is smaller than a deck of cards and is placed under the skin of the upper-left chest below the collarbone. Wires from the pacemaker are threaded into the heart by way of a vein. You’ll be surprised how quickly you’re back on your feet, doing all the things you did before the procedure.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: The child next door has pinkeye, according to his mom. She hasn’t taken the boy to a doctor because she says it’s a virus and gets better on its own. Should I let my boy play with the neighbor boy? It’s contagious, isn’t it? — D.E.

ANSWER: “Pinkeye” most often refers to infection of the conjunctiva, the cellophanelike covering over the whites of the eye. The infection is either a bacterium or a virus. A bacterial infection produces a thick, yellow, white or green discharge as well as eye redness. A viral infection gives rise to a more watery discharge. Both types of infection are contagious, easily passed from one to another.

Pinkeye patients need to see a doctor. If it’s a bacterial infection, antibiotic ointments or drops are prescribed. For a viral infection, soothing drops are available.

If a person, adult or child, with pinkeye says it feels like something is stuck in the eye and keeps the eyelid closed, if bright light bothers the infected individual, or if vision is blurred, an immediate visit to an eye doctor is mandatory. These symptoms indicate an infection that must be treated quickly.

There’s another cause of pinkeye that I didn’t mention — allergy. That’s a different story.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Since I was a young child, I was told not to use public restrooms because I could catch something. What are the chances of catching a disease from them? — F.N.

ANSWER: Yours is a fear shared by many. If public restrooms were a source of infections, they would be closed. They’re not. As far as sexually transmitted diseases go, I have never seen any information that implicates them in passing such infections to others.

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.

Copy the Story Link