DEAR DR. ROACH: After I eat breakfast, I feel really tired and just want to lie down and take a nap. I am a 71-year-old woman in good health. Any ideas? — D.M. ANSWER: We use the Latin-derived term ”postprandial somnolence” (which just means ”feeling sleepy after eating”) to describe this common situation. Eating changes […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 51 years old, very healthy and fit. I run 20 miles a week, competitively. I had a sonogram, which revealed a growth in my breast. It was removed during excisional biopsy, and I was told that I have LCIS (lobular carcinoma in situ). This puts me at a very high […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 68-year-old woman. In June 2012, I would get out of breath going up or down my stairs or down the street. I had to sit down and rest for at least 15 minutes, after which I felt better for a while. In June 2014, I called my doctor’s office, and […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 72-year-old woman in good health, generally. Three months ago, I woke one morning with a very sore neck that I attributed to ”sleeping wrong.” As I massaged it, I found a firm lump about 1 cm in size that I assumed was a lymph node, located on the right […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Can a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis cause discomfort for weeks after the scan? Also, can it be reread by another radiologist, and if so, what is the procedure? My scan was fine, but I am still having symptoms. — L.G. ANSWER: No, a CT scan does not cause symptoms. […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: A year ago, I was diagnosed with colon and liver cancer, and was treated with chemotherapy. The last chemo was in June 2016. My post-treatment CT scans have shown me to be negative for cancer. At the beginning of treatment, I read in clinic material that ”sugar” is the No. 1 cancer-causing […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 64-year-old male in excellent health. My mom and dad both developed dementia. Dad died from a stroke at 76, a few months after diagnosis. Mom is 85 and has severe short-term memory loss and sudden-onset dementia. She will be evaluated for Alzheimer’s disease soon. If genetics might be an […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: After a capsule endoscopy for unexplained chronic diarrhea and gastrointestinal bleeding, I was told that I most likely have an arteriovenous malformation in my small intestine. Since diagnosis, getting further help with this has been frustrating. Some doctors have suggested that the diarrhea and pain could be vascular-related, while others dismiss that […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have psoriasis. I have used clobetasol for 22 years. The psoriasis is not severe, but it’s constant. Should I be concerned about using this treatment for so many years? The only time it cleared up (and that was for two years) was when I had to take steroids for poison ivy. […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have a red lesion inside my lower eyelid, with minor occasional symptoms of burning, discharge and blurred vision. The eye just doesn’t feel ”right.” The lesion was removed and biopsied in December. The lesion is already back, and the pathology report suggested ”ocular cicatricial pemphigoid.” I am 61 years old and […]