EAR DR. DONOHUE: I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea. I have a very difficult time with the mask and air intake. I think I sleep less now, from fighting the hose from the machine and from the pressure of the mask on my face. No one tells me how to handle these problems. Any […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: A dear friend has a very rare disease, Cronkhite-Canada syndrome. It started last summer with her hair falling out, then her finger and toenails were affected. Can you tell me more about it? — M.Y. ANSWER: Cronkhite-Canada syndrome is named after the two doctors who first described it in 1955. It’s a […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: You have discussed mostly dry macular degeneration. I was diagnosed with wet macular degeneration and was given intraocular injections of Lucentis. My vision has been restored to 20/20. Not everyone will achieve the same results, but please advise your readers about the wet kind of macular degeneration and that help for it […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have been getting bimonthly testosterone injections for close to a year. I’ve noticed that my testicles are shrinking. Is this normal with testosterone replacement? What are the complications of this? Is there a drug that increases the natural production of testosterone? The reason for my injections was a low testosterone level. […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am in my 70s and attend vigorous aerobic exercise classes three times a week. We monitor our heart rate. Mine increases only about five feats. Others get significantly higher increases. I take nadolol to control a heart-rhythm problem. Is my exercise regimen benefiting my heart? — W.S. ANSWER: An increase in […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I hope you can shed some light on a condition our 2-year-old grandson has — eosinophilic esophagitis. His eosinophil count is high. When he eats, even soft food gets stuck on the way down, causing him to gag or upchuck. Once his parents had to rush him to the emergency room because […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Is there any help for people whose hearing is too good? I feel like I am constantly bombarded by noises that others don’t notice. Having to listen to people’s conversations, eating and crackling papers have been particularly stressful in the office. At home, lawnmowers, power tools and ice-cream trucks have left me […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 79-year-old woman with peripheral neuropathy. I have a numb left foot and pain extending the length of my leg and occasionally into the hip. Early in the mornings, as I begin to move about, my leg seizes up, and the pain is intense. I use a heating pad, which […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I would like to know the course, prevention and treatment of hepatitis B. Is this illness active inside the human body for life? — M.M. ANSWER: Hepatitis B is an enormous worldwide problem with approximately 400 million humans infected with this virus. Half a million people die from it yearly. In the […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 75-year-old woman who was treated for breast cancer in 2008. What I am concerned about is that my oncologist tells me I have Paget’s disease. I asked how he knows I have it. He said from my X-rays and bone scans. I went on my computer, and the information […]