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Patient winds up with aspiration pneumonia after an adenoma

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was 47 when my first colonoscopy found a villous adenoma, and during the past 21 years, I’ve had eight or nine more without problems. But this week, I had another and wound up with aspiration pneumonia, despite having followed the prep instructions to the letter. I know my stomach was empty. How could this happen, and what can be done to prevent it from happening again? A friend suggested that it might have been “water brash,” which is associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Would they let me take an acid-suppression drug before the next ...

The quiet man

Thomas Tull is walking along the old wooden brick floor of what began as the Pittsburgh Reduction Company and later became Alcoa, a place where researchers and manufacturers created a hub of foundational aluminum manufacturing for nearly a century. In truth, this was the center of innovation and manufacturing in America. And after lying dormant for decades, Tull took his vision for remaking and rethinking U.S. manufacturing from an idea and ethos into reality two years ago. For exactly 80 years, the people who stood along these wooden floors fueled America’s leadership and ...

Who is monitoring the debt?

People of a certain age will recall a lyric from the Tennessee Ernie Ford song “Sixteen Tons”: “Another day older and deeper in debt.” I thought of that song as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth asked Congress to approve a $1.5 trillion budget for fiscal year 2027 to put the military on what he called a “wartime footing.” Hegseth says the Pentagon needs the money for more drones, munitions and modernized systems. Though President Trump has denied it, bragging that we have the strongest military in the world, it would appear that the Iran conflict has significantly depleted U.S ...

Dear Annie: Respect starts small

Dear Annie: I am the grandmother of two. My almost-3-year-old granddaughter told me she does not love her “Uncle Dave.” I asked her why and she said because he tickles her. Her parents, my son and his wife, push their kids to “give hugs” upon visiting and leaving friends and relatives. I mentioned this to my daughter-in-law, and she seemed to brush it off. I also texted my son and he replied, “k.” My granddaughter’s birthday party is coming up soon, and Uncle Dave will be there. I plan on being vigilant so that she won’t be subjected to being touched in a way she is ...

Doctor refuses to order magnesium test for patient on PPIs

DEAR DR. ROACH: I recently read in your column that you test your patient’s magnesium levels when they have been on long-term proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs). When I asked my doctor to include this in his order for blood tests, I was told that the test isn’t accurate, and he wouldn’t order it. Is there a special magnesium test that I can request? When I looked it up on the internet, this is what I found: “Standard magnesium blood tests (serum) are generally not considered an accurate indicator of total body magnesium. While they can detect severe deficiency, they are unreliable ...

We lost one of the great grumps this week

In every school, work or personal gathering, you need at least one grump for the group to thrive. Grumps do the work that no one else will. When everyone else is being mercilessly upbeat, they swim against the tide and complain. The grump may follow your inane rules — but grudgingly, oh, boy, will it be grudgingly — but they never let them pass unremarked upon. Where other folks try to fit in, the grumps stand out, not because they want to, but because they must. Even in a children’s show like “Sesame Street,” you need an Oscar the Grouch to balance out what otherwise could ...