I surmise, too, that they would've hidden it as long as possible, and then do what they always do to a character when the actor/actress needs to take a break: ship 'em off to a hospital, including a Hoo-Hoo House, for some strange condition, their names popping up in conversation every once in awhile, until they're brought back in some highly dramatic fashion. For all the times they sent one of Joan Bennett's characters off to a medical establishment for an extended stay, we should've purchased stock in Kaiser.
Gerard