DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I hope you respond to my letter both from a medical standpoint and to save a marriage. My son-in-law snores so loudly he can be heard through a closed door, a 10-foot hallway and another closed door. Because of this, my daughter has been on medication for nearly two years to help her sleep. Her husband refuses to do anything about getting himself checked. At times, he wakes gasping for breath. He says he’s not going to undergo surgery to correct his problem. Could it be sleep apnea? — M.H.

ANSWER: Snoring results from the vibration of lax throat tissues as air passes through the throat. A few things help control snoring. One is lying on the side for sleep. It’s impossible to stay on your side through the night, but sewing a pocket in the back of the pajama top allows a tennis ball to be put in it. That keeps a person on his or her side. If your son-in-law is overweight, weight loss should rid him of snoring. He should not drink any alcohol after dinner. Alcohol relaxes throat tissues, an undesirable effect in a snorer.

Yes, your son-in-law could suffer from sleep apnea. One of its signs is loud snoring that stops suddenly. The cessation of snoring comes about because the sleeper stops breathing — apnea. At the end of the no-breathing episode, the sleeper makes a gasping sound and starts breathing and snoring again. If the no-breathing spells last for 10 or more seconds and if he has at least five such incidents a night, he has sleep apnea.

Weight loss, when applicable, is one treatment for sleep apnea. CPAP — continuous positive airway pressure — delivers pressurized air to the patient, and it can force its way through the collapsed tissues of the throat. The masks for CPAP come in many designs, and one will be comfortable for every patient.

Surgery to remove the lax throat tissue is an option, but it is rarely needed.

Untreated sleep apnea is a health risk for people. It causes them to be groggy during the day, it raises blood pressure and it might be a risk for heart damage.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: This might be a dumb question, but when a husband is treated for prostate cancer, can cancer cells be transferred to the spouse during intimate relations? — E.R.

ANSWER: It’s not a dumb question. It’s a frequently asked question. The answer is no.

The booklet on prostate-gland enlargement and cancer explains both conditions and their treatments. To order a copy, write to: Dr. Donohue — No. 1001, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Allow four weeks for delivery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Can you explain the difference between Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma? My mother passed away at age 78. The last three months of her life were a living hell. Many tests were performed, but no diagnosis was made. When she passed, an autopsy showed stage 4 Hodgkin’s disease. It was such a tragedy that she suffered the way she did. — H.B.

ANSWER: Both are lymphomas, cancers of tissues like lymph nodes. Around 75,000 lymphomas arise yearly in the U.S., with 85 percent being non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and 15 percent Hodgkin’s disease

Hodgkin’s disease most often occurs in younger people between the late teens and the early 40s. It’s often curable. When it happens in an older person, it doesn’t have such a rosy prognosis, as was the case with your mother.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has many subtypes, more than 50, so generalizations are difficult to make. Sites other than lymph nodes often are involved — the spleen, liver, bone marrow, digestive tract and skin. It can be an aggressive cancer with a short course or a slow-growing one that lasts for years.

I’m sorry your mother had such a terrible experience. You and your family have my sincerest sympathy.

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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