DEAR DR. ROACH: My mother, who is now 81, has very low iron. She has to have iron infusions. The infusions last from six to eight weeks. Afterward, the iron level is fine for a little while, and then she has to go back again. They have done several tests, including a colonoscopy and a […]
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Infection after hip replacement may require second surgery
DEAR DR. ROACH: I had a hip replacement seven weeks ago. Three weeks ago, I went to physical therapy, where the therapist stretched my leg. That evening, I was in severe pain. The surgeon checked my hip and said that the pain was muscular. Since that time, I have had severe pain, for which I […]
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Making sense of mixed connective tissue disease
DEAR DR. ROACH: One rheumatologist diagnosed me with unspecified mixed connective tissue disease and Raynaud’s syndrome. I was put on Plaquenil, which caused some hair loss and thinning. I got a second opinion from another rheumatologist, who said that based on my bloodwork, I do not have Raynaud’s or mixed connective tissue disease. Is it […]
Posted inDr. Roach, sj-web
Post-whiplash visit to physical therapist is in order
DEAR DR. ROACH: My sister was rear-ended last summer and suffered whiplash. She went to a chiropractor for adjustment, but that did not help. Ever since the accident, she has experienced excruciating head pain whenever she bends over to do anything! If she lowers her head at all, the pain is so intense that her […]
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Some hygiene suggestions when facing recurrent UTIs
DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m asking on behalf of my mother, who will be 80 in August. She recently had breast cancer. Her recovery was slow. She had only one chemotherapy treatment; she couldn’t handle any more, and declined radiation. In May 2016, she was hospitalized for a week due to dehydration and a bladder infection. […]
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Authorities agree that too much sugar intake is risky
DEAR DR. ROACH: There was some controversy recently in a medical journal about the risk of sugar intake for heart disease. What is your take? — M.P. ANSWER: There was a recent article in the Annals of Internal Medicine that evaluated recommended limits on added sugar in food. The guidelines came from the World Health […]
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A1c is better screening test for diabetes
DEAR DR. ROACH: My A1c test on blood sugar is always higher (prediabetes) than my fasting glucose test (normal) on the same visit to the doctor. Which result should I believe? My latest test at a doctor’s office showed that my A1c is 6.2 percent, and fasting glucose is 88 mg/dL. The A1c pretty much […]
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Essential thrombocythemia comes with bleeding risk
DEAR DR. ROACH: Recently, I was diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia. The recommended treatment is the drug hydroxyurea because I turned 60 this past year and have a mutation in the JAK 2 gene. If I had not turned 60, the recommended treatment would be aspirin alone. Currently, I am taking the recommended 81-mg aspirin dose […]
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Dietitian is important resource in treating celiac disease
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 78-year-old woman who was just diagnosed with celiac disease. I had an endoscopy in 2007 because I was anemic, and the doctor told me I had an ulcer that healed itself. This year I had an endoscopy because I again was anemic, but this time he did a biopsy, […]
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Bullous pemphigoid is an autoimmune condition
DEAR DR. ROACH: I have had an autoimmune disease called bullous pemphigoid for the past four years. I originally was treated with prednisone therapy for over a year, which was then tapered and changed to mycophenolate. Currently my illness is under control with this treatment. How long is this illness likely to last, and is […]