DEAR DR. ROACH: I was diagnosed in March 2015 with giant cell arteritis. I was started on 60 mg of prednisone, but it has decreased steadily and I am now on 5 mg. Can you tell me what prednisone does that’s harmful to the body? I hear not to take it long term, but I […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 75-year-old white female who recently was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. My doctor, a hematologist, completed a FISH blood test, which showed it to be the type of leukemia associated with an abnormal chromosome called del(13q). I am in relatively good health, and my doctor says that at this […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I would appreciate any advice on my recurring kidney stones. In 2013 and 2014, I had kidney stones that got stuck in my lower left kidney tube. It required a lithotomy procedure to break up the stone fragments so they could pass easier. I had to visit my urologist again this month […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My mother, who is in her late 70s and who always has enjoyed eating meat, can no longer do so. She says that she just has a hard time getting it down. So sometimes she just chews on a piece of meat (e.g., chicken) and then spits it out. Her teeth are […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was started on hydralazine while in the hospital in October and required a large dose in addition to my other two medicines for hypertension. I felt terrible when I went home, and the weakness and fatigue continued. I began having wrist and ankle pain as well as joint stiffness in the […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In April 2014 I had an outbreak of shingles — right hip, leg and foot. I got the shingles vaccine in 2010, but apparently it did not work. My doctor prescribed Neurontin. The following month, I was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, and for the next year, I received six rounds of chemotherapy […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was warned not to use the water agitators in the spa at the municipal facility where I live, because inhaling the chemicals can cause cancer. I inquired at the facility, and was told that they use calcium hypochlorite and test the pool three to four times daily. Should I be worried […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was diagnosed with having a borderline phyllodes tumor in my right breast. The general surgeon also referred to this type of tumor as a ”cystosarcoma.” My understanding is that this type of tumor occurs in only 1 percent of all breast tumors. The tumor was removed (it was 6.9 cm), and […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My dad is 89 and had polio when he was 6. He had to learn to walk again. Over the years, I have watched the pain he has endured. His legs hurt so much that my mom and I would take turns punching the back of his legs, as they would cramp […]

DR. ROACH WRITES: A recent column on Medicare’s wellness exam has generated a lot of confusion. A Medicare wellness exam is intended to go over the results of a health risk assessment, based on a person’s answers to questions about health behaviors and risks. It also is supposed to make sure that the entire health […]