DEAR DR. DONOHUE: What can you tell me about chronic lymphocytic leukemia? About three years ago, at age 57, a blood test indicated I had a high white blood cell count. I was not feeling sick. My family doctor sent me to a hematologist, who confirmed the diagnosis. At that time, my lymphocyte count was […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Please write something about polycythemia. My wife was just diagnosed with it. Before she was diagnosed, she complained about severe itching and tried many different creams, lotions and ointments without any relief. Finally a doctor made the diagnosis. She has blood taken periodically. The itching has stopped. How did she get this? […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My hands shake, sometimes uncontrollably and always embarrassingly. People ask me if it’s my nerves. I tell them I don’t think so. I’m really not the least bit nervous. If it’s not nerves, what is it? What can be done for it? — L.H. ANSWER: It’s not nerves; it’s not Parkinson’s disease. […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: All through high school my son talked about joining the Marines. When he graduated, he applied and was turned down because his blood pressure was high. We never suspected anything was wrong with him. Our family doctor sent him to an endocrinologist, who has diagnosed an adrenal-gland tumor. Will you explain this […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: When I was 22, I rode a motorcycle all the time. I got into a bad accident on an interstate highway and was taken to a hospital. Soon after arriving, I found myself in an operating room to have my spleen removed. It was bleeding. I am now 35 and no longer […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I come from a family of “full-bodied” people. My father and mother both died in their early 60s. They were overweight. All my life I have been overweight. I currently weigh 250 pounds and am 5 feet 5 inches tall. I have just developed diabetes, and I am scared. You name the […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I’ve been going to the gym for a year to lift weights. Some of my gym friends and a trainer have told me to take whey protein to build up muscles. I don’t know how much protein I should take. I consulted my doctor, and he said excess protein will damage the […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I think I have irregular bowel syndrome. Has it anything to do with diabetes? I have real bad stomach cramping and pain, and a lot of bowel movements. I’ve been tested for everything else. All my tests have come back normal. What can be done? — N.N. ANSWER: I’m sure you mean […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My 52-year-old daughter, who has been healthy all her life, now has gastroparesis. Can you give me some information on this disease? Is it curable? — M.M. ANSWER: Normally the stomach takes two to four hours to empty. Liquids pass through it even more quickly. The stomach has to grind solid foods […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Will you write about diverticulosis? I was twice hospitalized for it and had to stay there 12 days in all. When I left, they didn’t give me any diet or medicines. I saw my primary doctor later, who didn’t think I had diverticulosis because they didn’t do much for me. Some tell […]