QUESTION: Is there an antidote for the venom of the brown recluse spider? Can the bite of this spider be treated without a lengthy hospital stay? - B.B.
ANSWER: An antivenin against the brown recluse's venom is currently being tested.This spider is aptly named. Its desire to be alone is well documented and, in fact, it will not attack unless its hiding place has been violated.
No. Not every recluse spider bite requires hospitalization. Treatment depends on the severity of the bite. A few victims may get systemic reactions from a bite, with attendant fever, chills, nausea, vomiting and joint symptoms. This obviously is a medical emergency to be handled in a hospital setting.
Many victims get by with no treatment at all. They will notice a red blister shortly after the bite. There may be little pain, but in two to eight hours the bitten area begins to hurt. In a few days, the beginning of ulceration will be noted - a round affair with a central volcanolike formation.
Ulcers can be troublesome. Most can be handled the way you handle any sore, by careful cleansing and protection against infection. Occasionally, an ulcer will form large enough to actually require skin graft. I'll keep my eye out for progress on the antivenin front.
QUESTION: Is there anything I can or should do about arteriosclerotic plaque in the aorta? - R.K.
ANSWER: Many people have arteriosclerotic plaque (buildup) in their aortas. It is almost a part of aging, not something you want to have, but something you just expect.
You want to do all those things that have been preached about prevention of artery hardening in general. You want to eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. You want to keep your blood pressure within normal bounds. You can't even think of smoking. You have to exercise, even if it is only a daily walk.
You may not be able to undo the aortic plaque or buildup in any other vessel, but you can bring its progress to a screeching halt. For more on cholesterol specifically, look through the special report I am sending you. Other readers may order by writing: Dr. Donohue/No.5, Box 830, Gibbstown, NJ 08027-9909, enclosing a long, stamped (52 cents), self-addressed envelope and $2.
QUESTION: What can you tell me about spinal meningitis? I had it when I was younger and have always wondered about any lasting effects or the possibility of recurrence. - J.P.
ANSWER: Spinal meningitis (it's also called, simply, meningitis) is an infection of the meninges. That is the three-layered covering tissue of the brain and spinal cord.
Meningitis can cause permanent disability unless treated promptly. However, the meningitis of your youth would not recur later in life. And it would be highly unusual for damage from meningitis to occur after the infection has been cleared up.
QUESTION: My young son had a tube inserted in his eardrum. Are we to expect fluid to escape from that tube? - K.H.
ANSWER: No. The purpose of these tubes is to ventilate, not drain. They help equalize the air pressure in the ear with that outside, thus discouraging the buildup of middle-ear fluid. Any drainage noted is not normal and should be reported promptly.
Dr. Donohue welcomes reader mail but regrets that, due to the tremendous volume received daily, he is unable to answer individual letters. Readers' questions are incorporated in his column whenever possible.