DEAR DR. ROACH: I was diagnosed with Gilbert syndrome after I had a blockage of my common bile duct and became jaundiced. This was three months after I had my gallbladder removed (via an open surgery). How was it possible for me to develop a stone after the surgery? Was the Gilbert syndrome caused by […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: How does a person with a pacemaker die? Won’t the pacemaker keep the heart beating? My husband is 87 and on his seventh pacemaker. Please advise so that I know what to expect. — G.D. ANSWER: An electronic pacemaker is implanted for a variety of electrical problems with the heart when a […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have read online and in our local newspaper that doctors are no longer recommending metformin as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Can you please explain why metformin is no longer being prescribed? — P.K. ANSWER: I, too, have seen online ads saying that doctors no longer prescribe metformin, and if […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a white male, 70 years old, over 6 feet tall and weigh 140 pounds. I am healthy except for lymphocytic colitis, which is under control with Imodium. My physical last year included a complete blood count and an automated differential. Everything was good except the RDW. It was 18.7 percent, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I think I may have polymyositis. My thigh muscles (specifically, the lateral muscles) are weak and achy. I take a statin, and I don’t like what I read about them. — L.P. ANSWER: Statins indeed can cause muscle aches in some people who take them. In clinical trials, about 5 percent of […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband and I are taking a cruise around South America that includes several stops in Brazil. We both are 72 and in good health. What is your opinion about our getting the yellow fever vaccine? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it ”should be given cautiously to people […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In 2016, I had a brain MRI without contrast, which showed chronic small-vessel brain disease and a remote lacunar infarct in the right cerebellum. This brain MRI was done because I was experiencing insomnia, along with dizzy spells, brain fog, poor judgment and difficulty walking and driving. In May 2017, I had […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m 60. Pretty much 100 percent of the people I know, both older and younger, who have had stents installed, had a heart attack FIRST, before getting stents. Why must you have had a heart attack before this procedure is performed? Why almost die before this can be addressed? One buddy had […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a fit and healthy 60-year-old male. Recently I was troubled by a series of escalating symptoms: I occasionally got a bit of hoarseness, then I seemed to lose some capacity in my lungs. When breathing hard, it seemed I could bring air into only the top of my lungs, not […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 61-year-old female, and my recent DEXA bone density scan resulted in measurements of -2.7 in the lumbar region and -2.1 in both femoral necks. My doctor recommended that I take bisphosphonates. I have read many negative things about this class of drug. My main concerns are that it slows the […]