DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 88 years old and in good health except for a small stroke I had a year ago with no lingering deficiencies. I have had an enlarged prostate for most of my adult life, but a biopsy showed no cancer. I have had problems with urgency. I tried a medication, doxazosin, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: At the age of 19, our son started having seizures in his sleep. The first one was a grand mal seizure, and we were able to get him to the hospital. After that he had a few petit mal seizures, always right after he got out of bed in the morning. He […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 82-year-old male. In my younger years, I participated vigorously in sports. As a result of that, I ended up with a degenerated joint in the big toe of my right foot. Forty years ago, the doctors gave me an artificial joint. Prior to the joint installation, I was in […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 85 and in fairly good health, but I am in my ninth year of extremely painful post-herpetic neuralgia. Instead of diminishing, the pain is increasing. It could be that the gabapentin (600 mg, three times daily) is wearing off. I tried Lyrica, but stopped when it hurt my eyes. The […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Two years ago, I was operated on for spinal stenosis. The pain I had in my lower back was virtually eliminated. However, the drop foot I had been experiencing in my right leg continues. The surgeon told me that the stenosis had irritated the nerve(s) going to the muscle in my leg. […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read with interest your recent column on prostate-cancer prevention. I am 42 years old and have been taking finasteride for a number of years for hair loss. I have not noticed any side effects. I take a 5 mg pill and cut it into four pieces, and take one piece every […]

DEAR DR ROACH: I am a 71-year-old male recently diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Three breathing tests and two lung CT scans have shown mild restrictive lung capacity and that the fibrosis is not progressing at this time. Also, fortunately, I am not experiencing any breathing problems. My lung specialist suggested taking 600 mg of […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In your response to a question regarding Paxil for anxiety attacks, you suggested that there are some nonpharmacologic treatments that are effective. I would suggest that most physicians are possibly not aware of all such therapies. I would appreciate any information you can provide. I have a son who is affected by […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 75-plus-year-old female in excellent health. My doctor’s comment on my most recent annual physical test results was: “Great results on all tests. Excellent report.” My question: Is it necessary to have another colonoscopy at my age and with my good health. My mother died of colon/rectal cancer at age 85 […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I became extremely sick and was taken to the hospital. My physician thought I had regular pneumonia. I was so dehydrated that they couldn’t find a vein. I was intubated and had trouble getting enough oxygen. I had dialysis. My family was told I probably would not live. They discovered that my […]