DEAR ABBY: For years, I suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes. I never had a clue that they are the two leading causes of kidney failure. After reading in your column about National Kidney Month, I decided to take your suggestion and go to the National Kidney Foundation website at kidney.org. When I attended […]

DEAR ABBY: I am a 19-year-old student taking courses at a community college. One of my classes is taught by a great professor who also works at a state college teaching other teachers. After an evening class with him one night, I returned to the classroom because I forgot something and ended up walking with […]

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend has proposed. I love him very much, but I’m worried about my kids. I look at his children — his son is 23 and barely made it out of high school. He got a girl pregnant at 17, has been in jail a few times and is an alcoholic. His 15-year-old […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m a longtime reader with a question I have never seen in your column: Why don’t they put something in pet food to keep dogs and cats from getting pregnant? Then people could control the pet population and it would stop the killing. — HARRISONBURG, VA., READER DEAR READER: Your idea is intriguing. […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m a sophomore at a religious university that is well regarded in both secular and religious circles. I came here to become a doctor because the pre-med program has an outstanding acceptance rate to medical school. However, in my third quarter I took a religious studies course and fell in love with the […]

DEAR ABBY: I have worked in a medical clinic for 35 years and hear a lot of complaints about the wait for doctor appointments. May I explain some of the reasons for it? Sometimes the doctor arrives late, but other factors can cause delays: 1. If you need to be seen, call first to get […]

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to “Roman” for 13 years. He has always been a man of few words who didn’t initiate much on his own, so I stepped up to bat and did everything. I took over all aspects of our married life — from bill paying to home maintenance to romance. He […]

DEAR ABBY: My otherwise loving, honest, generous, kind and attentive husband of 10 years feels it’s his right to walk into the bathroom whenever he wants, even when I’m in there. He says it’s coincidence, but I think he does it intentionally. We don’t have locks — or even doors — to shut our master […]

DEAR ABBY: I dated a guy named “Jake” for two years. He was my first love and he meant everything to me. Well, things happened and he broke my heart. After a year of not really talking, Jake is now texting and calling to convince me to be his “friend with benefits.” He tries to […]

DEAR ABBY: I respectfully disagree with the advice you gave to “Wants to Enlist” (Dec. 29). She is the 19-year-old woman who burns out of jobs quickly and is thinking about enlisting in the Air Force. You discouraged her. I served honorably in the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserves and the Air National Guard […]