DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Do your readers a favor by telling them about Cushing’s syndrome. It took six years before I was diagnosed. The delay cost me my job and my fiance. I gained weight and had stretch marks all over. Doctors told me to lose weight by dieting and exercise. I did both, but continued […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have a small, soft bulge in my right groin. No pain is involved. I think it might be a hernia. I am active and 43. I don’t do any really heavy work. If it is a hernia, I can’t afford time off from my job right now. Is immediate surgery demanded? […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I’ve just hung up the phone after talking to my doctor. He has me scared out of my wits. This morning while reading the newspaper, I couldn’t hold it up. My right arm became weak. In about five minutes, everything returned to normal. I thought I had better call the doctor to […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: This past April, our family made a 300-mile trip to visit my husband’s mother. We have three children, ages 9, 7 and 5. About an hour into the trip, the 7-year-old complained that his stomach hurt. A little later we stopped for lunch, but he wouldn’t eat. An hour later, he was […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My 16-year-old son, an expert in getting injured, broke his collarbone while playing baseball. He said it happened when he slid into second base. I can’t picture what happened, but this is the sort of thing that my son does. They took him to the hospital, which called me. I OK’d treatment. […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am in the eighth month of my first pregnancy. I’ve a friend who keeps telling me to have a C-section. She says it’s quick and painless. I never considered this and wonder about its wisdom. What would you recommend? Does having a C-section mean all future deliveries have to be done […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My 28-year-old daughter, who has been healthy all her life, was recently diagnosed with lupus. Will she be able to live a full life, including having children. Is there a cure? How about exercise and diet? — R.K. ANSWER: In the 1950s, a diagnosis of lupus carried only a 50 percent chance […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: What can you tell me about peripheral artery disease in my legs? How about the ballooning of those clogged arteries? Where is a good place to go for that procedure? — E.K. ANSWER: Activity causes chest pain in people with clogged heart arteries. It causes leg pain for people with clogged leg […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Please explain ringworm to me. I have a rather large one at the top of my leg. My doctor prescribed ketoconazole cream. I’ve used it for longer than a week, but it’s no better. My girlfriend’s daughter just graduated from medical school. She told her mother that there’s a worm in the […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am trying to find out something about ankylosing spondylitis. I never heard of it until two years ago, when my grandson was told he had it. There’s no history on either side of his family. In less than a year he has lost 100 pounds. He is unable to work and […]