DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 71-year-old woman who still works full-time as a teacher. I have osteoporosis and have had two bone scans. My latest scan showed a slight deterioration from the first two years ago. My T-score in my spine went from -2.2 to -2.6. It was recommended by my endocrinologist that I […]
DEAR DR. ROACH: I have been taking Plavix (clopidogrel) for 15 years because of a mild heart attack that resulted in three stents. Next month, I am having a prostate MRI and biopsy. The urologist told me to stop taking clopidogrel seven days prior and substitute 81 mg of aspirin in its place. I am […]
DEAR DR ROACH: I am a 60-year-old female. I was diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in 2020. At the time, I had a bone density scan that showed osteopenia of the left femoral neck with a T-score of -1.3. My 10-year risk of any fracture was 6.9%, with 0.5 % for hip fractures. My […]
DEAR DR. ROACH: I have achalasia, which I understand is quite rare. Can you tell me the cause, and is it in any way related to the COVID vaccination? I heard from one professional doctor that it might be. I had excessive coughing before, during and long after recovery from COVID. Could it have damaged […]
DEAR DR. ROACH: My pulmonary specialist has recently suggested that I go on oxygen due to my low oxygen levels. He says that in order to diagnose a pulmonary blood pressure problem, I need to have this highly specialized test done called a cardiac catheterization. After reading about it online, I am wondering if there […]