Section C | The Union | Saturday, June 16, 2012 | C3

ADVICE

■ HEALTH

■ HOROSCOPE

■ MARCY SUGAR AND KATHY MITCHELL

Friend’s behavior manageable

Bell’s palsy scary, not life-threatening

DEAR ANNIE: I have enjoyeda wonderful friendship with“Sharon” for the past eight years.However, lately she talks nonstopand interrupts me so often dur-ing conversations that the onlyway to enjoy our interaction isthrough email or by exchangingvoicemails.

Sharon has always been ahigh-detail storyteller, going offon frequent tangents and beingvery involved in the narration.But in the past few months, herinability to stop talking is prob-lematic. I can’t get her attentionunless I actually yell, “Hey,Sharon! Stop!” And on the rareoccasion when she asks about mypersonal life, she will interruptme with another question beforeI’ve started answering the firstone. In fact, she sometimesanswers the questions for me.She’ll ask how my day was andthen proceed to tell me. It’sbizarre. Just recounting theseconversations makes my chesttighten with frustration.

I have tried talking over her,but she can outdo me in that are-na. I have also become very stillthe minute she interrupts me,and frankly, she seems completelyoblivious. I would say somethingto Sharon about this, but she isvery sensitive, and I’d end uphurting her feelings deeply. Also,I have other friends I can lean on

if I have a serious issue, so I don’treally need Sharon for this pur-pose. But her behavior is soannoying that I see no solutionother than limiting our friend-ship, which is unfortunatebecause she is otherwise a bright,funny, enjoyable person to bewith.

Sharon recently asked meout for coffee, and I am avoidingsending a response. Any words ofwisdom? — Speechless inOmaha

DEAR OMAHA: You seem tohave a good grasp of the prob-lem: You don’t think tellingSharon about your unhappinesswill garner positive results, butyou still wish to maintain thefriendship. Remaining silentwhile she prattles on won’t frus-trate you so much if yourecognize upfront that this isgoing to be the dynamic.

Master the art of the benignsmile. You are not there to con-verse. You are there to listen toSharon’s amusing stories, which

you apparently enjoy.DEAR ANNIE: I am a 24-

year-old college graduate andhave found a job that I love. I amnot yet confident enough in myfinances to rent an apartment, soI’m living with my parents whilesaving money and building credit.

The problem is, my father isstressing me out. He constantlyyells at me, eavesdrops on per-sonal conversations with mymother and expresses his dissatis-faction with my life. He thinks Ishould be making more money,but I love my job and am certainmy hours will improve when theeconomy rebounds. I don’t wantto ruin my savings by moving outand paying all that rent, butDad’s constant criticism isdepressing. What should I do?— New Adult

DEAR ADULT: It’s time tomove out. Your independenceand peace of mind are worth alittle rent, maybe with multipleroommates. You also can talkcalmly with your father andexplain how his constant negativ-ity affects you. We think onereason he eavesdrops on yourconversations with Mom isbecause he feels left out. His crit-icism is the only way he knowshow to stay involved in your life.WRITE: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o CreatorsSyndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite700, Los Angeles, CA 90045.

ANNIE’S MAILBOXColumnists

DEAR DOCTOR K: I recentlyhad what turned out to be anattack of Bell’s palsy. Can youtell me about this condition?

DEAR READER: Bell’s palsyis a sudden paralysis involvingthe nerve that controls themuscles on one side of yourface. The nerve becomesinflamed and swollen and stopsworking properly. All of a sud-den, you look in the mirror andsee a different face: a droopingmouth, a sagging eyebrow andlower eyelid, and an eye thatwon’t fully close.

Bell’s palsy is not life-threatening, but few illnessesare more distressing. Suddenlyyou look very different. Youmay have trouble with yourability to speak, taste, eat, sleepor enjoy food. It may causeteary eyes, excess drooling,numbness, ear pain or hyper-sensitive hearing on youraffected side.

Bell’s palsy usually beginswithout warning and developsquickly over the course of hours— and there’s no way to pre-vent it. The condition is causedby a viral infection thatinflames the facial nerve; themost common culprit is herpessimplex, the same virus thatcauses cold sores (fever blisters).

Treatment usually beginswith prednisone, a corticos-teroid. This drug reducesinflammation and swelling inthe nerve and decreases pain.Initiating corticosteroid treat-ment within three days of thestart of symptoms may increaseyour chance of a full recovery. Ithink this treatment should bestarted in virtually all patientswith Bell’s palsy, as soon as pos-sible after it starts.

Some doctors prescribe acombination of prednisone andan antiviral drug that attacksthe herpes virus. Whether ornot the antiviral drugs do muchfor recovery is not clear. Manyof my colleagues here atHarvard Medical School pre-scribe antiviral drugs, alongwith prednisone, in severe casesof Bell’s palsy. I agree with this.

In the most severe cases,surgery has been performedwith the goal of relieving pres-

sure on the swollen andinflamed nerve. Electrical stim-ulation of that nerve, to try to“wake it up,” also has beentried. These procedures areunproven, but they are worthconsidering in severe cases ofBell’s palsy that are not improv-ing with other treatments.

If Bell’s palsy is affectingyour ability to close your eyes,your cornea can become dryand vulnerable to beingscratched. Protect your eyes bywearing glasses or sunglasses.Keep your eyes moist by usingartificial tears frequently duringthe day and lubricate at nightwith a sterile eye ointment.

Even though the symp-toms of Bell’s palsy arefrightening, there’s a goodchance your facial nerve willwork properly again. Most peo-ple start to improve after twoweeks and recover completelywithin six months.

The odds that you willexperience a complete recoveryare greater if the symptomswere milder at the start, and ifyou began to have improve-ment in the first three weeksafter the condition began.Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professorat Harvard Medical School. Go to hiswebsite to send questions and get addi-tional information: www.AskDoctorK.com.

DR. ANTHONY L. KOMAROFFColumnist

IF TODAY IS YOUR BIRTH-

DAY: Most expectations youhave for the year ahead are like-ly to be based upon practicalfoundations and, as such, willhave good chances for success.The key to prosperity, however,is patience.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)— If you have a serious issuethat you want to talk over withanother, seek out a quiet corneror someplace totally free fromoutside interference. Privacycan help resolve everything.

CANCER ( June 21-July 22)— Do whatever you can tostrengthen a relationship withsomebody who has much influ-ence in important circles. Sucha contact could be of greatimportance to you over the nextfew days.

LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22) —This is a particularly good dayto plan your goals and objec-tives for the week ahead.Having clearly defined targetswill give you a much easier rowto hoe.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)— Try your best to keep allmatters that directly affect youin proper perspective. Whenyou approach situations philo-sophically as well as

pragmatically, the results will beto your liking.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23)— Your chances for turning aprofit are likely to be muchgreater when you engage your-self in joint endeavors ratherthan going it alone. But youknew that -- having a partner isyour strength.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.22) — Don’t cut your mateshort today if he or she hassome suggestions to offerregarding a critical matter ofmutual interest. His or hercomments could be right on themoney.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) — This is a perfectday for you to attempt certaintasks or jobs that require deepconcentration and a lot of per-severance. You’ll hold muchpersonal pride in being able tocomplete them.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.19) — Your organizational andmanagerial skills will be seekingexpression. Whatever it is thatyou take charge of, you’ll do soin a manner that will garnersupport instead of resentment.

AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb.19) — Be both hopeful andexpectant regarding the out-come of events. A good moodwill be the key factor in helpingyou say all the right things toall the right people.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March20) — Be more of a listenerthan a talker. This will encour-age others to say what is ontheir minds, and you may learnsome valuable information.

ARIES (March 21-April19) — Situations that couldaffect your material well-beingare likely to make some kind ofsignificant adjustment thatyou’re going to like. Be watch-ful and ready to capitalize onwhat occurs.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)— Your probabilities for successlook good, provided endeavorsin which you’re engaged are tra-ditional and pragmatic. Avoidsituations that call for taking achance or require experimenta-tion.

BERNICE BEDE OSOLColumnist

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