Sports hernia is a confusing diagnosis DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Our son plays football for a small college. During preseason practice, he developed pain in his upper left leg. Now he says it is in the groin. The school’s athletic trainer took him to an orthopedic doctor, who made a diagnosis of sports hernia. According to […]

SERMS help some menopausal symptoms DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My doctor recently put me on Evista. I had a complete hysterectomy when I was 40 years old. I have taken Fosamax for almost seven years for osteoporosis. My question is: Is Evista safe? The material that comes with it said it can cause strokes, heart attacks […]

Cluster headache provokes horrendous pain DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My son has three or four cluster headaches a day. His insurance allows him only nine pills a month to control these horrible headaches. He uses Imitrex, and there is now a generic form of the drug, but it still has a high price. He does not […]

Inflammation makes finger snap like a trigger DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I would like some information about a condition called trigger finger. About nine years after my retirement, at age 73, I had three trigger finger operations — left middle, left ring and right middle fingers. Generally, my health is good. I take no medicines. What […]

Infant’s skull designed for growing brain DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have a question I have never seen in your column. Twenty-five years ago, my grandson was born with closure of the skull. They operated on him to let the skull grow. He saw a doctor regularly until he was 5 years old. The doctor remarked […]

Defective lymph drainage leads to swelling DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My granddaughter has been diagnosed by a lymph specialist at Stanford University in California as having Milroy’s disease. Her left hand and part of her forearm are affected. She was 2½ years old when she was diagnosed. The doctor recommended massage therapy, a pressure bandage, a […]

Muscle shrinkage comes with aging DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I was my state’s wrestling champion in 1944, when I was a high-school senior. I became an accountant and haven’t done any real physical activity since high school. I am 6 feet tall and weigh 175 pounds. My doctor says I’m in excellent health, but I have […]

Chronic cough has three major causes DEAR DR. DONOHUE: For about a year, I have been plagued by an irritating cough. When it started, it was so severe that I fractured my spine. An ENT (ear, nose and throat) doctor said it was due to the trickle of postnasal drip. I then saw an allergist, […]

Automatic nervous system is on autopilot DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Just today my wife was diagnosed with autonomic dysfunction, or dysautonomia. We know absolutely nothing about this. Will you please expand? Could it have anything to do with her having extremely high blood pressure (220/91) one day and the next day low pressure (90/40)? — J.S. […]

Keloids are scars that don’t stop growing DEAR DR. DONOHUE: What can be done for a very bothersome scar on a teenager’s leg? — L.M. ANSWER: If you could be a trifle more specific, I could be sure if my answer applies to you. If it doesn’t, write me again. A keloid is a scar […]