Get Lyme disease test as next step

Dear Dr. Gott: Six weeks ago, I way diagnosed with Bell’s palsy. I hear there isn’t much that can be done for the condition. How long can I expect this to last and what can I do other than take the Medrol my doctor put me on?

Dear Reader: Bell’s palsy is a malfunction of a nerve in the side of the face, causing a paralysis of the forehead and cheek muscles. Patients with Bell’s palsy usually cannot close one eye or smile with one side of the mouth. The affliction may or may not be painful.

Although many cases of palsy are idiopathic (unknown), the condition can result from autoimmune diseases, virus infections, tumors, leukemia, meningitis – and, most important, Lyme disease.

I say “most important” because Lyme disease (and the associated Bell’s palsy) can be successfully cured by antibiotics. The other causes are less readily treatable and are diagnosed by X-ray examinations. Therefore, I hope your physician ordered a Lyme blood test.

If you have idiopathic Bell’s palsy, Medrol (a form of cortisone) may aid recovery, although this is not always the case. Up to 90 percent of such patients will return to normal, depending on the extent of the nerve damage. The healing process may take several months.

Other than taking Medrol, there’s little else you can do – except, as I mentioned, get checked for Lyme disease.

Dear Dr. Gott: What causes spurs to develop on the bottoms of my heels, and how can I get rid of them?

Dear Reader: Bone spurs on the heels are often really calcium deposits that form in tendons and other tissues, not outgrowths from the heel bones themselves. These calcium deposits may result from chronic irritation stemming from improper footwear, tendon injuries or activities such as long-distance running. Regardless of cause, bone spurs can be painful.

I’ve found that podiatrists can usually help people with this condition by prescribing orthotics (special foot inserts) or by injecting the painful deposits with cortisone. Large spurs that do not respond to this therapy may have to be surgically removed, although this is rarely necessary.

In my opinion, such operations should be performed by orthopedic surgeons. As a start, see a podiatrist.

Dear Dr. Gott: I thought that I had a hernia in my left groin. However, my physician diagnosed a “lipoma of the cord.” I was told to “live with it.” However, I am 70 years old and am in otherwise excellent health. Need I worry?

Dear Reader: A lipoma is a benign and harmless fatty tumor of the spermatic cord. Like lipomas elsewhere on the body, these lesions do not need therapy or removal. Follow your physician’s guidance.