DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 70-year-old woman in excellent health. For the past few years, I have had a creeping, bloody discoloration of my feet, starting at my ankles and going toward my toes. When you touch one of my feet it is momentarily normal but quickly goes back to looking bloody even sometimes […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 68-year-old woman in good health, but I am overweight. For the past few months, I have been vigilant about keeping track of my diet and have been walking 13,000-14,000 steps each day. I have lost enough pounds to be noticeable. About half of my steps are on a treadmill; […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband had many tests for bacteria in his urine. Three months ago, he had no protein in the urine; two months ago, the number of protein was 20; one month ago, the number was 100. His urologist is not concerned. My sister, who had amyloidosis that eventually took her life, always […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have a friend whose 50-year-old son is healthy except for having had his spleen removed in his 20s after an auto accident. Recently, he was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs. He has had extensive tests, but none of his doctors could tell him why he was getting these clots. […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I know you are not a dentist, but I have a question connected to high blood pressure, which I’ve had for 20 years. I am 75, in fairly good health and have gingivitis. For high blood pressure, my doctor took me off amlodipine 5 mg and prescribed a different calcium channel blocker, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 60-year-old healthy man. I am very active as a team roper. My arthritis bothers me every day, every waking hour. We ride two or three days a week. I take a tramadol with acetaminophen (37.5/325) and a 500-mg acetaminophen in the mornings. This works well during the day. But if […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I recently had a full spinal health check done, since I have a history of scoliosis and a few other things I can’t pronounce in my spine in my neck. My neck no longer has a 45-degree curve — it is now straight up and down, and it has my thyroid completely […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 67-year-old woman in good health. I received two doses of the Moderna vaccine. Within 16 hours of receiving the second dose I developed what was ultimately diagnosed as transient global amnesia after an extensive workup at our local hospital. My family was extremely concerned, and now they all say […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was diagnosed with paroxysmal atrial tachycardia when I was 5 years old. I had an ablation to treat it when I was 48, which was successful. I have always had and continue to have abnormal heartbeats, especially when I get sick or tired, and when I was pregnant. For the past […]

DEAR DR ROACH: I am a 70-year-old man in good health. I have had regular colonoscopies since my 50s, but I wonder about the wisdom of a colonoscopy at my age. My doctor has sent repeated requests for me to schedule the procedure. Is this a valid exam at my age, or is the clinic […]