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Cosmetic results of surgery for a fatty tumor can vary greatly

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was diagnosed with a large fatty tumor on my left thigh. It’s very ugly. What can I do to get rid of it? — V.O.P. ANSWER: Lipomas are common fatty tumors that may occur on the trunk or the limbs. The vast majority are benign, but very large tumors can possibly be liposarcomas. So, an ultrasound or MRI prior to treatment should be considered. Surgery is the standard treatment. I’ve had patients in whom surgery was done very easily and took very little time, while others have had much more extensive surgeries when the tumor is deep and not ...

Dear Annie: Our marriage is great, but our love has gone quiet

Dear Annie: I have been married for 22 years to a good man. He is faithful, hardworking and, by most people’s standards, a wonderful husband. He has never given me any reason to doubt his loyalty, and he has always taken his responsibilities seriously. From the outside, we look like a solid, dependable couple. We raised our children together, built a home, paid the bills and showed up for the holidays, the school concerts and all the ordinary moments that make up a life. But somewhere along the way, I seem to have disappeared. My husband still remembers to ask if the car needs gas ...

D-dimer blood test causes confusion in 83-year-old male

DEAR DR. ROACH: What are D-dimers? Are they something I should be concerned about? I am an 83-year-old male with the usual problems that men my age have, such as an enlarged prostate, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. With medication and monitoring by my doctors, all of these conditions are under control. I also exercise and play golf every week. This past August, I started to experience an extremely intense pain behind my left knee. It was in one small area and would come and go. After several hours, I went to our emergency room, where they did a sonogram that did not show ...

A bleak future

In January, the world’s biggest toy fair took place in Nuremberg, Germany. The event focused on toys equipped with artificial intelligence (AI): fluffy robots that recognize faces, gestures, and objects; race cars that can be tuned up with AI’s help; and humanoid robots to be built and programmed at home. Toys like these increasingly find their way into stores and are designed to learn about the child’s individual preferences and to assist with solving tasks. Advocates for data protection are concerned that if connected to the internet, these toys will create a detailed profile of ...

No low too low: A president gloats about a patriot’s passing

In 1968, Robert Mueller, poised to graduate from Princeton University, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, hoping to serve his country in the Vietnam War, which was then raging. It was the year that American troops would sustain their peak number of combat deaths, nearly 17,000. A son of privilege, a star athlete, Mueller was inspired by a fellow student who had died for his country. “We lost a very good friend of mine, a Marine in Vietnam, who was a year ahead of me at Princeton,” Mueller recalled decades later, asking about how he came to enlist in Vietnam. “There were a number ...

Dear Annie: When a friend’s ‘help’ feels like a put-down

Dear Annie: I’m having a problem that feels small, but it’s starting to make me dread seeing someone I care about. One of my closest friends has gotten into the habit of “correcting” me in public. If I tell a story, she interrupts to adjust a detail. If I mention a restaurant, she jumps in with the exact neighborhood and the chef’s name. If I pronounce a word slightly wrong, she repeats it back the right way with a smile that’s supposed to be playful. At first, I brushed it off. She’s smart and she has always been a little particular. But lately, it feels constant, and ...