DEAR DR. ROACH: Next month, I am scheduled for cataract surgery. The procedure has been approved by my cardiologist and my primary doctor. I am pretty healthy, feel like I’m doing OK, and have been told so by my medical providers. My problem is that no one seems to be listening to me. I have […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 81-year-old man (5 feet, 2 inches tall at 122 pounds) in good health, except that I have Type 2 diabetes. My A1C level has been in the range of 6.3% to 6.8% for the past five years with the help of metformin. Five times a week, I walk on […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am Greek and have thalassemia minor. In general, my red blood cells are much smaller than typical ones, and my iron content is significantly low. Every time I see a different doctor who prescribes a blood test, they always emphasize that my iron content is low and that I should take […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Is 18 years a record for living without a stomach? A family member had stomach cancer when he was 70 and had his stomach removed. He consulted with a dietician and has been able to eat small but frequent meals and take enzymes, vitamins, and other things. But slowly, he lost weight. […]

DEAR DR ROACH: I am a 74-year-old woman who has been on 40 mg of atorvastatin for years. During the past year or two, I started feeling tired all the time. I did have spurts of energy at times, but mostly everything started feeling like an effort. It got so bad this past year that […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 77-year-old female. After experiencing hair thinning for over a year, I was diagnosed with incomplete lupus by a rheumatologist. My blood markers were high, but I don’t have typical symptoms. My primary care physician and cardiologist aren’t convinced, and I don’t “feel” like I have it. I started taking […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 63-year-old male in good health. A few weeks back, I could not urinate while standing. The only way I could was by laying on my side, and it was very painful with a burning sensation. I went to urgent care and was then sent to an imaging center. My […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: After about 10 months of being on Ozempic and working my way up to a 1-mg dose, I lost 40 pounds effortlessly. Sugar cravings disappeared as if by magic. I then noticed myself drifting backward and craving sweets again. My doctor increased my dose to 1.7 mg of Wegovy instead of 2 […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I had a comment about your recent column on nuclear stress tests. As an 87-year-old person who has experienced atrial fibrillation and a mild stroke, I have had two nuclear stress tests done. In both cases, I told the supervising nurse that I wanted to go the max limits they would allow. […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a healthy 84-year-old who exercises regularly, eats meat and dairy sparingly, doesn’t smoke, and has a BMI about 25. (I’m 6 feet, 1 inch tall, at 185 pounds.) My yearly wellness test was excellent, except my cholesterol and LDL levels were 250 mg/dL and 150 mg/dL, respectively. What is the […]