ArcaMax

DEAR DR ROACH: My husband will be 80 in a couple of months. He is experiencing what I fear is primary progressive aphasia (PPA). He will not agree to get tested. Five years ago, a neuropsychiatrist diagnosed him with slight cognitive deficiencies. He struggles to find words, uses incorrect words, and has a poor concept of time. His short-term ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 71-year-old male in good health. I read your recent column on the use of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs). About eight years ago, I was hospitalized for 10 days due to a severe case of pancreatitis. The pain was beyond horrible. A scan indicated that I had a severe infection. It was finally determined that it was caused by ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 88-year-old male who has been taking tamsulosin twice daily for several years because of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In October 2023, my urologist added finasteride once daily. One year later, in October 2024, I developed extreme tenderness on my left breast that wrapped around my left side.

I had a routine ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was offered a low price to get abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening. Is it worthwhile? Who should get screened? -- K.D.

ANSWER: The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the body that comes directly off of the heart, goes down through the chest and diaphragm via the aortic hiatus, and into the abdomen. From there, it ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: In 2022, I took a trip to France to visit friends and sightsee. My hip/leg pain started after I spent my days walking and climbing stairs in Paris. (I walked 16 miles one day!) I rested during the evening and took ibuprofen before going to bed. I did not stop my activities because this was a special trip.

Later during my ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have suffered from chronic low back pain that affects my knees. I have seen at least six physical therapists, and nothing helps. At times, I have been prescribed 4 mg of methylprednisolone for six days. It helps calm inflammation down and helps me move without severe pain. (I still have pain, but it's not as severe.)

I'm ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 70-year old woman with a prior history of asymptomatic atrial fibrillation (AFib). I've been in normal sinus rhythm since having two catheter ablations in 2018. I take Eliquis since my CHA2DS2-VASc score is 2, but I would like to get off of it due to the bleeding risk. (I tripped and fell recently while traveling abroad,...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband, who is 71, has been having some short-term memory problems over the past two years. We recently saw his primary doctor, who asked him some questions and had him do a few tasks. He did fail a few of them. She agreed that there was something going on, and now we have to wait to see a neurologist.

He has an ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 67-year-old male with generally good vision. I have had a few floaters in my eyes over the years, but they have generally been small and have not significantly affected my vision. However, about six months ago, I suddenly had a large floater appear in one of my eyes that did affect my vision; it is right in the center of...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 69-year-old woman who was diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). I used statins for over a decade but developed vulvar lichen sclerosus (LS), which only went away when I stopped the statins. They weren't very effective; on a statin, my total cholesterol was still 226 mg/dL. Without medicine, it was 310 mg/dL....Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: Every time I get on my phone, there are a ton of ads on how to cure Type 2 diabetes. Are any of them worth looking at? -- F.N.

ANSWER: If the ads are for comprehensive diet and exercise programs with education provided by a diabetes educator and a registered dietician (combined with medication if necessary), then they are ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 71 years old and was diagnosed with pernicious anemia in October 2024. My B12 and folate levels were low. My antiparietal antibodies were abnormal, but the intrinsic factor antibodies were negative. I received daily B12 injections for six days, and now I'm on them once a month. I'm also taking folate daily.

I still feel ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I've been diagnosed with silent celiac disease at the late age of 62, but I probably had it for decades. (It may have led to my serious osteoporosis.) A biopsy revealed totally flattened villi.

I am gluten-free and will be getting celiac-antibody, nutrient, and other regular lab work from now on. But my doctors stated that no ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: What happened to Darvon? It wasn't addicting and didn't cost much, and I never heard any reason why it was withdrawn except that "it didn't work." It sure worked for me, and when they took it away, I ended up on Oxycontin because everything else that wasn't more dangerous made me vomit!

I have fibromyalgia. After I had my ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 70-year-old female in excellent health, and I have a very healthy diet and fitness regimen. But I have had a persistent dry cough for 20 or so years. After seeing many doctors, it was determined to be acid reflux. I was then prescribed various acid-suppressing prescriptions such as Pepcid, Prevacid, Protonix, etc. When ...Read more