Patient Case:
The patient is a 60-year old female who comes to her primary physician's office complaining of right-sided facial droop. She had decreased eye blinking on the right side and could not completely close her right eye. She was drooling out of the right side of her mouth. She also complained of a headache with throbbing.
Based on these complaints with the physical exam, the physician diagnosed the patient with Bell's Palsy, or seventh cranial nerve palsy. The patient was placed on oral prednisone but was watched carefully as the patient has type 2 diabetes and the prednisone could elevate the blood sugar. The patient take glipizide orally for the diabetes.
The patient was advised to wear gauze over the right eye at night to avoid drying out the eye and getting a corneal ulcer. She was also told to use artificial tears to moisten the eye. The patient is also a two-pack-a-day smoker and was, once again, strongly encouraged to quit smoking cigarettes. The patient was given a prescription for Zyban to take as the patient was trying to cut down on her smoking. The patient was sent to the outpatient laboratory after the office visit to have blood drawn for the Lyme titer and sedimentation rate that were ordered by the physician. An appointment was made for the patient to return to the office in two weeks.
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