Lifestyle

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 76-year-old male who has had nighttime urination problems for many years. I must get up from sleeping every 1.5 hours. I can set my clock by the urge! I was prescribed tamsulosin, which I took for many months, but it wasn’t effective. I was then prescribed tadalafil, which I have been taking for a month with no relief. You can imagine how disruptive this situation is to my daily sleep. Is there another alternative? -- D.T.

DEAR ABBY: My husband died three years ago, and I met someone shortly after. This man is kind and loving, and he treats me well. He happily moved with me to another state to be near my family. I’m 67, and he is 63. I’m retired, and hopefully have enough to live on for the rest of my life, although as everyone knows, anything can happen.

DEAR DR. ROACH: Do meds for high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes lose their efficacy if the patient is noncompliant with diet? My partner thinks a meal of wings, French fries, cake and ice cream is OK as long as he takes a statin, Glucophage and Norvasc. I think the meds will eventually become ineffective. Your thoughts? -- W.G.

1. Dino Days As the weather gets warmer and warmer in Texoma, the number of outdoor activities available to area residents is growing as well.

Dear Neil: Why do rose leaves turn yellow and brown? Looking at the one or two leaves in your photo it appears that droplets of water or some other spray have been on the leaves when the sun was shining brightly. That would account for the tiny brown “freckles.” The most common rose disease is called black spot, and it causes yellowing with large dark brown blotches in the centers of the yellowed leaves.

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“I was prone to panic attacks since I was a kid — more like overwhelming fear. Not sure why. I made decent grades, had parents who provided, and had a dog named Buster that did not die until after I left for college.”

DEAR DR ROACH: I am 83 and in great health, with mountain biking about four times a week and generally staying active. I had atrial fibrillation (AFib) at age 75, which appears to have abated after two ablations; this was confirmed by Holter monitoring for two weeks, then an additional week last year. Additionally, I don’t have any AFib symptoms.