DEAR DR. DONOHUE: High-school football caused me to lose my spleen. I was on the bottom of a pile-up. They had to rush me to the hospital. I lost a lot of blood and was taken to surgery for a ruptured and bleeding spleen.

I mentioned this to a doctor friend of mine. She told me I need to get all the recommended immunizations up to date because, without a spleen, I’m at risk of getting a serious infection. No one ever told me this when all this happened. Is she right? I am 35. — S.K.

ANSWER: The spleen, which you could hold in the palm of your hand, is one of the body’s unsung heroes. It serves as a reservoir for blood. It also filters germs out of the blood, and it makes antibodies to immobilize bacteria and viruses.

Your friend is correct. Without a spleen, a person runs a small risk of coming down with life-threatening infections. Two of those infections are pneumonia and meningitis. Meningitis is an infection of the brain’s coverings. The pneumococcus (NEW-moe-KOK-us) is the bacterium that causes pneumonia. The meningococcus (muh-NING-go-KOK-us) is the bacterium that causes meningitis. Vaccines exist for both, and you should get them. Both of these bacteria also can cause fatal blood infections.

Your doctor will make sure you’re current on all immunizations.

You are far from being the only human being who doesn’t have a spleen. Plenty of people are missing their spleen, and almost all of them live to a ripe old age.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My husband and I are both 28. We have one child, a son. My husband felt a lump in his testicle and saw our family doctor. It turned out to be cancer. He was operated on. The doctor discussed many things with us, but we never discussed the prognosis.

We need to know: What’s the usual life span of someone who has had testicular cancer? — L.R.

ANSWER: If your husband had a seminona, one of the common varieties of testicular cancer, and if it was in its early stages, your husband’s chances of living a long, full life are very high, over 95 percent.

Your husband’s story is something that all young men should take to heart. Testicular cancer is a cancer of young men, most often males between the ages of 15 and 35. The earliest sign is a small, painless lump in the testicle.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have an ingrown toenail that’s giving me much grief. I’d like to take care of it myself. I’m out of work and have no insurance.

Will you give me some directions on what to do? — H.A.

ANSWER: You can try to handle it on your own, but be careful. Don’t traumatize the toe or skin.

Soak your foot in warm, soapy water for 10 minutes. To free the nail from the corner of the skin in which it is imbedded, try to work a small ball of cotton between the nail and the skin. Dental floss hooked under the corner of the skin helps you accomplish this.

From this day onward, cut your toenails on a horizontal plane. Don’t round off the edges. That’s an invitation to an ingrown toenail.

If all of this is a bit overwhelming, let a podiatrist free the nail for you. Make some arrangements for a later payment.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

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