DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have had two back surgeries. Since before my first surgery, I have been in nonstop pain and have had numerous treatments – physical therapy, ultrasound, aquatic therapy, nerves numbed and steroid injections into the spine. None has been successful.

I see a pain specialist, who talked me into taking narcotic medicine. I take OxyContin, 20 mg, every 12 hours. I am concerned about addiction, but I am even more concerned about the social stigma attached to it. The medicine enables me to function. Without it, I would be bedridden. Should I worry about addiction and social stigma? – L.M.

ANSWER: In the 21st century, pain control is something that should be attainable by almost all who suffer. Doctors often fear prescribing narcotic pain relievers because of legal repercussions. Patients fear taking these medicines lest they become addicts, living on the street, their sole thought obtaining more medicine. These fears are not justified.

Addiction is the irresistible urge to use and the total preoccupation with the procurement of drugs for the blissful state they produce. Patients in pain rarely obtain the euphoria that these drugs can provide to people who are not in pain. They take them in order to live a functional life, one they could not lead without pain suppression. They rarely become addicted. They take the medicines under supervision.

Dependence is a state in which sudden withdrawal of a drug produces symptoms. Dependence can happen to people using pain relievers. However, it’s quite possible to wean dependent people off pain relievers without their having to suffer the lurid symptoms of withdrawal so often depicted in films and on television.

You have no reason to buckle to others’ stigmatization of the use of these medicines. If an employer were to give you a hard time, a letter from your doctor should settle the issue. If it doesn’t, a letter from a lawyer will.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My question concerns sugar. Sugar is found in many fruits. This is natural sugar, while sugar that is refined from sugar cane is thought to be very detrimental. Does the body treat sugar from fruits differently from refined sugar? – C.P.

ANSWER: Sugar is sugar, regardless of where it’s found or what’s done to it. There are different sugars – glucose, sucrose, lactose, fructose and many more. They all taste sweet. Life would be grim without them. The body treats all of them in much the same way.

Table sugar isn’t evil. In excess, it can foster tooth decay – all sugars can. Sugar by itself, without any other nutrients, provides no great nutritional boon, but it does make many foods palatable. It adds “empty” calories – calories without any other nutrient. Don’t use it by the shovelful.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My husband, age 38, recently had an eye exam and was told he has a cholesterol buildup around his eyes. He was told to have his cholesterol checked.

I am worried about him. How serious is this? Is this a precursor for what could happen down the road? – A.W.

ANSWER: Your husband has xanthelasmas (ZAN-thul-AS-muhs). They’re yellowish, oblong, raised splotches on the upper eyelid, on the side closer to the nose. They’re deposits of fatty materials, including cholesterol.

About half of those with xanthelasmas have high blood cholesterol. All your husband has to do is have his cholesterol checked. If it’s high, then he needs to go on a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet. He is not on death’s door, now or in the immediate future.

READERS: People who would like to learn more about varicose veins can order the booklet on that topic by writing to: Dr. Donohue – No. 108, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6.75 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

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