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Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 58-year-old woman with a long medical history of anxiety. In 2007, my doctor prescribed me clonazepam 0.5 mg to take as needed for anxiety attacks and obsessive-compulsive disorder, from which I constantly suffer.

Dear Dr. Roach: I hope you can help elderly folks (like myself, age 83) who have a very embarrassing situation wherein their stool seeps out of them. The problem is only noted when I sit down and find that my underwear sticks to me.

Permethrin, which can affect nerves, is likely culprit

Dear Dr. Roach: My husband had pacemaker surgery in December following a diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Three weeks later, he developed edema in his lower legs. He was treated by his doctor with a diuretic.

Dear Dr. Roach: I walk outside almost every day for at least an hour. I cover myself from head to toe — long pants and long sleeves, with the backs of my hands covered and a wide-brimmed hat with a bandanna covering my neck and lower chin.

Dear Dr. Roach: Back in the early 1930s, I had asthma. My dad had asthma all his life. When either of us had an attack, my dad would use a powder called Green Mountain Powder. He would set fire to some of the powder, and we would inhale the smoke.

Dear Dr. Roach: An 80-year-old was mistakenly prescribed prednisone, 40 mg, for six months and is now being weaned off over four weeks.

Dear Dr. Roach: I recently had a blood and urine checkup. Most everything was within normal range (doing well), except that I am low on vitamin D, at 24. The doctor recommended supplements, but said to be careful not to overdo.

Seventy-two years ago, I arrived in Boston. I’d been accepted as a student at the Harvard Medical School. That night, a full moon shone on the school’s white marble buildings, an awe-inspiring sight I’ve never forgotten.

Dear Dr. Roach: Fifteen years ago, I had a successful brachytherapy treatment for prostate cancer. Subsequent annual PSA results indicate minimal levels. I am 82 years old and in otherwise excellent condition, and generally very active.