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Dear Annie: The power of being a present parent

Columns

Dear Annie: I am a working mother of two young children, and lately the guilt is eating me alive. I love my job. I worked hard to get where I am. But every morning when I leave the house, my 4-year-old asks why I have to go again, and my heart sinks. My husband is supportive. We have good childcare. Still, I feel like I am missing the little moments. The slow breakfasts. The preschool pickup stories. The random hugs in the middle of the day. By the time I get home, I am often tired and still checking messages on my phone. Last week, my daughter drew a picture of our family. My ...

Pelvic floor dysfunction persists in man without much relief

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: My son was diagnosed with pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) by a urologist. He went to another doctor who never found anything conclusive. My son has complained of stinging and burning in his urethra, as well as an uncomfortable feeling when trying to sit. He’s on his feet most of the time. He quit his job because of the problems that he encountered with this condition. He’s had two MRIs, a cystoscopy and an ultrasound. The problem persists. He uses a hot tub, which offers some relief but not much. According to his current doctor, the tests are inconclusive without a ...

Muhammad Ali knew his worth. We can still grow from that lesson

Columns

The first thing Mariel Gardner mentioned was the sound. Cicadas and katydids buzzed while butterflies and bees drifted among bright yellow blooms in Louisville’s Chickasaw Park. Gardner smiled. “This is what I wanted to hear,” she said. A new aptly named Butterfly and Bee Pollinator Meadow honors Muhammad Ali, but Gardner hopes it also reminds Louisville of something else: what believing in yourself can grow. Everybody knows Muhammad Ali as the Champ, the GOAT. What they don’t know is the Kentucky kid who believed in himself and understood his worth long before the world ...

The New Normal: Abnormal

Columns

There’s poison in the air outside my house, a bitter smoke of ashes and hot freeway, and it is keeping us all inside. Yesterday morning, the kids’ summer camp announced that the planned trip to the pool had been cancelled. They would do activities indoors all day. “How high can it get?” one of the boys asked, and I admitted I didn’t know. We had gone through a stretch of bad air a few years earlier — also due to invading smoke from Canadian wildfires — and I remembered feeling worried back then, seeing numbers in the 180s. The air quality index for the town today ...

Patient who underwent surgery for femur walks with a bad limp

Columns

DEAR DR ROACH: I’m an 80-year-old female who sustained a right femur fracture in February. I had surgery within 24 hours of the incident. Surgery went well, and I was discharged two days later. Recovery at home has also gone well. I’m using a walker and a cane for mobility assistance. The hospital referred a home-based physical and occupational therapy company that set up a twice-a-week program at my home. So far, I’m doing well at 14 weeks, just not quite back to my usual activities. When I try walking around my house without the walker or cane, I have a very distinct limp, and ...

Dear Annie: Kids’ sports have squashed our summer fun

Columns

Dear Annie: I always pictured summer as the one time of year when our family could finally slow down. During the school year, we are all racing from homework to practices to carpools to late dinners. I thought summer would bring beach days, lazy mornings, cookouts and maybe one real vacation where we could reconnect without everyone checking a team schedule. Instead, our summers have become just as busy as the school year, maybe busier. My 13-year-old son plays on a travel baseball team, and my 15-year-old daughter plays competitive soccer. Between practices, tournaments, showcases and ...