Dear Annie: I raised my son, who is now 41, as a single mom. I am 75. My son and I have always been very close. Ten years ago, he married a very intelligent woman, and now I have two beautiful grandchildren. I was getting along well with everyone, but now my life is so depressing because my ...
The 1950s were pretty good years throughout the US, and there’s no shortage of 50s’ memorabilia today reminding us of those great times. But growing up in Houghton during that era was an especially rich experience. I often think of it as my “Mayberry, Michigan,” experience – a source ...
DEAR DR. ROACH: I have had low GFR readings ranging from 53 to 37 for the past 15 years. I’m an 87-year-old female in good health. I do strength training and Pilates, and am quite active walking my dog and doing my own yardwork. I’ve had heart disease for 10 years with no symptoms, and ...
As one gets older, it is natural to look back to those who were and always will be part of who we have become. I grew up in a family of eight children, and our sister Barbara was number 5 in the chain. Even though it was some years ago, I want to share the memory of Barb’s final day in the ...
Dear Annie: I’ve been in a relationship with “Stuart” for almost three years now. In that time I’ve grown a lot, working to become healthier physically, mentally and financially. I eat healthily and work hard at my job. I no longer drink alcohol. I want to be the best version of ...
DEAR DR. ROACH: My wife and I tested positive for COVID-19 on December 20, 2020. Due to our ages, we qualify to receive a vaccine now. But we have heard and read conflicting advice relating to the appropriate vaccination timing for people who have tested positive, ranging from get it as soon as ...
Dear Annie: My boyfriend and I have been together for 10 years. Everything was good until three years ago when a woman contacted me to tell me that she’d been seeing him. She apologized to me for it. After we got off the phone, I found her on Facebook and realized that they’d been ...
DEAR DR. ROACH: What is celiac artery compression syndrome? I’m told I have this, and it’s causing an aneurysm that needs to get repaired. I found out on a scan taken for another reason. I have had some pain after eating. -- I.J.M. ANSWER: The celiac artery is one of three large arteries ...
Dear Annie: Just wanted to say thank you for including the letters from people who really love and appreciate their spouses. Life has been difficult lately for many of us, and reading positive words is uplifting. Dwelling on people’s often-petty complaints makes me feel down while reading ...
DEAR DR. ROACH: My doctor is insisting I take cholesterol medicine after I’ve refused to take it for years. I am 66 years old, and my total cholesterol is 301 (triglycerides 76, HDL 83 and LDL 206). He has prescribed rosuvastatin, 20 mg a day. I feel with my triglycerides and my HDL being ...
Dear Readers: On International Women’s Day, March 8, I answered a reader who has three boys and wants to add a girl to their family. Her husband is wary because, if they have another baby, it might be another boy. But his wife said that even if there is another boy, she will be happy and love ...
DEAR DR. ROACH: I have had over 50 vaccinations in my life (I’m 78), most of them while I was in the military. I have often wondered how the vaccine spreads throughout the body, as the shots are almost always given in the upper arm. I would welcome your explanation of what exactly takes ...
Dear Annie: I have struggled almost all of my married life with never being accepted by my mother-in-law. I have tried everything, just shy of learning how to do backflips. No matter what I do, it is never right. It is extremely hurtful, especially because my husband never stood up for me ...
This is my all-time favorite Tech organ story: I began playing the organ at age five. We were living in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Dad was the pastor in a large Reformed Church. We lived next door to the church, what is known as a “parsonage” (a house owned by the church to house the ...
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 78-year-old woman. Last September I had severe pain in my right hand. The pain was so bad that I had to go to the emergency room, where they did an MRI. Results showed I have cervical radiculopathy, a pinched nerve in my neck. They put me on hydrocodone and prednisone. A ...
Dear Annie: When I was in my early 50s, I became very ill and eventually found out I had severe rheumatoid arthritis. During that time I was in and out of hospitals. The last time I was hospitalized, my husband was too busy to come visit me. On arriving home, I discovered he had changed the ...
DEAR DR. ROACH: My mother was diagnosed with right frontal lobe meningioma 17 years ago when she was 83 years old. Surgery was successful in that most of it was removed and it was found to be nonmalignant. The doctor told us he couldn’t remove it completely, and that it was a very ...
Dear Annie: I have a friend, “Raphie,” with a wife, “Diana,” who has abused him physically and verbally over the years and is very controlling. Many times, I’ve witnessed dismissive and demeaning ways that Diana treats him. I know he is not happy and never will be as long as he is ...
DEAR DR. ROACH: My doctor recently retired, my new one is very concerned about my systolic blood pressure, which was 150. I made quarterly visits to my old doctor, who never had a comment about my pressure numbers. My new doctor wants me on medication, and we agreed I would buy a home blood ...
Dear Annie: I was raised, along with my two sisters, in a very strict religion that frowns upon cultivating personal relationships outside of the church. In my teens, I realized I wasn’t a religious person, so I stopped participating after I moved out of my parents’ house. My decision to ...