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Blood Thinners Are Critical in First Year After Stent Placement

DEAR DR. ROACH: My 75-year-old wife had two third generation medicine-eluting stents inserted into a branch of the left anterior coronary artery in January 2020. On 75 mg of clopidogrel and 81 mg of aspirin for nine and a half months, she has endured several serious nosebleeds, one of which required hospitalization for three days. She just had emergency surgery for a life-threatening perforated ulcer. Going forward, we are scared to put her back on those blood thinners. Could she get by with natural blood thinners, such as gingko, curcumin, vitamin E, natokinase, etc., since she is ...

Fiancee Loses Sleep Over Widower’s Many Mementos

DEAR ABBY: In three months, I will be marrying a wonderful man I’ll call Harold. We are in our 60s and widowed, me for more than 30 years and him just under two years. At first, I thought he had worked through his grief because his wife suffered from early-onset Alzheimer’s and the last six years of their marriage she was very ill. We are not living in the home they shared, but a lot of their life together is in the home we are trying to create together. Harold is a good man. I know he has a big heart with plenty of room for me as well as love for his late wife. My dilemma is ...

Noticing Memory Problems? What to Do Next

Dear Savvy Senior, My mom, who’s 76, has become more forgetful lately and is worried she may be getting Alzheimer’s disease. What resources can you recommend to help us get a handle on this? Oldest Daughter Dear Oldest, Many seniors worry about memory lapses as they get older, fearing it may be the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease or some other type of dementia. To get some insight on the seriousness of your mom’s problem, here are some key warning signs to be vigilant of and some resources you can turn to for help. Warning Signs As we grow older, some memory ...

For Many OTC Drugs, Listed Dose Covers Most People

DEAR DR. ROACH: In the majority of over-the-counter medication, the dosing references “adults 12 years and older” and then gives a maximum dose. I’m 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weigh 220 pounds. The average 12-year-old is 125-ish pounds. I don’t get it. Are we overdosing the 12-year-olds or limiting effectiveness for the older (or much heavier) folks? Please consider my question, and answer in a thoughtful way considering the blood concentration level of a 12-year-old taking two aspirin vs. me taking the same two aspirin, and why that’s OK. Should I be taking a weight-correlated ...

Mom Feels Betrayed by Friend Who Snitched on Her Daughter

DEAR ABBY: I have recently found out that someone I thought was a good friend is the person who snitched and got my daughter in serious trouble at school. Our daughters attended the same preschool, middle school and high school. Although they were friends, the friendship was more between us moms. Before middle school graduation, the students had an outing at the beach. Some of the girls, my daughter included, decided to bring vodka and orange juice. A few days later, my daughter was called to the principal’s office where she was thoroughly reprimanded. Any awards she was to receive ...

Washing An Iron Skillet

Dear Heloise: The advice to not use soap on seasoned cast iron is a fallacy. It comes from the days when soaps were commonly made with harsh ingredients such as vinegar and lye. It’s perfectly OK to use a gentle dish soap, especially the newer eco-friendly kinds. As a reminder: 1. Never soak a cast iron pan and never put it in the dishwasher. 2. Use wooden or plastic spatulas. 3. Don’t “shock” the pan by running cold water into a hot pan. 4. For stuck-on foods, use a mild dish soap and, using a sponge, gently scrub off cooked-on items. You also can use a coarse salt, but ...