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Doctors leave stroke patient without a single treatment option

DEAR DR. ROACH: A dear friend of ours was diagnosed with lung cancer and subsequently had a stroke. Since then, he was told that he had disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and that there wasn’t any treatment for it. The doctors don’t want to do surgery for the cancer because they’re afraid that he might have another stroke, so he’s been left without options. They told him that he could spend his time going from doctor to doctor or go home and be with his family for whatever time he has left. Does all this sound reasonable to you? Any light you can shed on this would be ...

AI can make life easier. But it can’t build character.

This summer, my son learned to tread water in the deep end, worked through awkward guitar chords and chased pickleballs that sailed just beyond his reach. Watching him fail, grapple with frustration, try again and improve made me realize something. Technology still can’t build character; you need lived experience for that. As artificial intelligence grows more capable of writing, researching, calculating and creating, the question parents should be asking is: What experiences still require my child to struggle, adapt and grow? It’s the learning spaces that matter. Sure, I have ...

Dear Annie: The gift — and challenge — of having two cultures

Dear Annie: My mother is German, and my father is American. Growing up, I was raised with traditions from both cultures, but I have never felt fully part of either one. Last Christmas, my mother made a traditional German dinner and invited several relatives. I tried to join the conversation, but my German is not fluent, and everyone kept switching to English for my sake. They were being kind, but I felt embarrassed and strangely separate from my own family. A few weeks later, I brought homemade German cookies to an American friend’s party. Everyone loved them, but they treated the ...

Sixty-five-year old gets hospitalized due to hypercalcemia

DEAR DR. ROACH: A few years ago, at the age of 65, I was hospitalized and in critical condition with a calcium score of 14 mg/dL. After many tests, the diagnosis was hypercalcemia. After a 10-day hospital stay, I was discharged, and every test in the book was done to find the cause. All tests came back negative as to the cause, and still to this day, it isn’t known what could have caused this. Any ideas? — G.V. ANSWER: “Hypercalcemia” just means a high calcium level, and there are many causes — some of which are quite serious, including several cancers. A level of 14 mg/dL ...

Senate women losing numbers — and power

Quick: How many women elected to the Senate are serving right now? The answer is 25, or 25%, one-fourth of all members, according to the Senate Historical Office. And, I just noticed, there may be an exodus of Senate women coming up in the November election. That number of 25 is a record-breaker, as high as it’s ever been. But after a steady climb, a dramatic decline of women senators is likely on the horizon. On the Republican side, Joni Erst (Iowa) and Cynthia Lummis (Neb.) are getting out of the game: retiring. Susan Collins (Maine) is vulnerable to a challenger. Most ...

Dear Annie: Bothered by bad breath

Dear Annie: I have been married to my husband for over 50 years. While we are physically unable to have sexual relations due to several health factors, I’m not missing it. Why? Because he has terrible hygiene practices and the biggest is not brushing his teeth enough. He has horrible halitosis now. I can barely manage to travel short distances in the car with him. He likes to listen to music, but in the car, he whistles to it. He’s always unaware that when he does this, I put my hand over my nose and mouth, and direct the AC vents up toward him to help blow it away. He angers ...