DEAR DR. ROACH: Can you please provide details on which cholesterol numbers to pay attention to? Half of my numbers are in the “good” range, and the other half are in the “bad” range. My total cholesterol is 248 mg/dL, triglycerides is 77, cholesterol/HDL ratio is 2.8, HDL is 88, LDL is 142, and non-HDL […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 76-year-old male. A few months ago, I suddenly had the worst pain in my life, centered in the right side of my tongue, of all places. It felt like a live electrical wire was touching my tongue. It was excruciating. I had been to a dentist the week before, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Today was a real eye-opener for me. Two days ago, I visited my doctor, who prescribed vancomycin for a digestive problem I was having. Today I got a call from my usual big-chain pharmacy telling me my prescription was ready at a cost of $685 for a 10-day supply. I called my […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have always wondered if it matters if you swallow a bunch of pills in one swallow or if it would be better to space them out. I take a bunch, like Eliquis, dicyclomine, gabapentin, etc. — B.A. ANSWER: With most pills, it’s OK to take them as a bunch together, if […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, and along with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, I have been taking 1 mg of anastrozole daily. The bone mineral density of my left hip has not changed significantly. The bone density of my lumbar spine has decreased 6.3% compared to 2020. Several of the […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’ve had a leaky aortic valve for approximately six years. I recently had an echocardiogram using Doppler. The last test I received was three years ago, which came back with a reading of mild-to-moderate aortic regurgitation. It initially started out as mild, then increased to mild-to-moderate in 2019. My test results for […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 73-year-old female with atrial fibrillation (AFib) who recently had a pacemaker implant and has been doing well since. I also have a thyroid gland disorder, and I’m taking daily medication treatments for both my thyroid and heart. Over 20 years ago, I was hospitalized and diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 69-year-old male who has been very active throughout my life. Two years ago, through a fall which resulted in a compression fracture of the T12 vertebra, I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. I had a bone density test with a T-score of -4.2. My doctor said that’s the worst he’s […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a female and almost 75 years old. My vital signs are always normal, and I am active, but slightly overweight. I get quarterly blood draws, and every reading is in the normal range except for the lymphocytes. That count is higher, just outside the normal range (the lab’s range is […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I recently had a health scare about my prostate, but fortunately, I was able to get it treated successfully. Because of my close call (I was diagnosed with a moderately aggressive prostate cancer and was apparently cured by surgery), I encourage my male friends to seek medical advice for prostate issues. But […]