DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I saw my doctor for a sore right shoulder. I didn’t injure it. The pain came on almost out of the blue as I was reaching for a cup on the upper shelf of the cupboard. I am 62, in good health and take no medicine on a regular basis. The doctor […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have an unusual problem, and I would deeply appreciate your helping me to better understand it. I had been having chest pain, which I thought might indicate heart trouble. The pain lasted only a few minutes and always happened when I was sitting and relaxed. My wife took me to the […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: To celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, my mother and father took a trip to Hawaii. They live on the East Coast, so this involved lots of time on an airplane. My father died on the plane before they landed in Hawaii. My mother thought he was sleeping until it was time to […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: For the past five years I have known that I have aortic stenosis. I have no symptoms and no restrictions on what I do. My doctor says I need no treatment. I’m happy about that. I’d like to know when I will. Will I have a shortened life? I’m 55. — S.B. […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I did a very foolish thing. I joined a walking club. I am a 63-year-old woman whose only physical activity is taking care of our home. I thought I should be doing more exercise, so I joined the club. On my fifth walking day, I started to have pain on the top […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 50. About a month ago, I was told I have a muscle problem in my eyes — myasthenia gravis. I have double vision. It’s hard for me to keep my eyelids open. I am on pyridostigmine and prednisone. Will this ever go away? Where did it come from? I am […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: For several years I have had spasms in my left leg at night while asleep. Now I get them in my right leg. They are intense and painful. My calcium is normal. I have taken magnesium and leg-cramp pills without results. I have put soap in the bed, used mustard and tried […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 71 years old, and the doctors tell me I have narcolepsy. Can you explain it? Do you know anything that can control it? Sometimes it causes me to jerk, and I lose control over my body. I fall to the floor wherever I am. — Anon. ANSWER: Narcolepsy is an […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: For the past two years, my husband has been trying to deal with constipation. We have tried everything — lots of fruits and vegetables, prunes and fiber. He takes a spoonful of mineral oil daily. He is active and plays golf twice a week and walks 2 miles on the other mornings. […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have some questions on flu and the flu vaccine. I don’t intend to get the vaccine. I have had the flu a couple of times, and all it amounted to was a day of diarrhea. I don’t need a vaccine for that. I also have heard that the vaccine can paralyze […]