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Dear Dr. Roach: I have taken Armour Thyroid for 57 years. My T4 and TFTI levels are normal, but my TSH level is low. Why is this? M.P. Armour Thyroid is a mixture of two hormones: T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine).

Dear Dr. Roach: Does the water in coffee and tea count as some of the water a person is supposed to drink daily? People are often told to drink eight cups daily. C.L.

Dear Dr. Roach: My mom is 77聽years old. Three years ago, she developed a blood clot in her leg and needed surgery. This year, she developed an ulcer in that leg.

Dear Dr. Roach: I had my ears pierced when I was about 10, developed pea-size keloids, which I had removed from behind both lobes, and discontinued wearing earrings. I鈥檓 60 now, and have been thinking about trying ear-piercing again.

There鈥檚 nothing good about terminal cancer pain other than the pain finally ending with death. But there鈥檚 another type of chronic pain, arthritis, that goes on and on year after year. It can be a living hell.

Dear Dr. Roach: I wonder how we should view the expiration date on sunscreen. I would appreciate your medical view on this. Are they just put there to make us purchase more? H.L.C. All products lose effectiveness over time.

Dear Dr. Roach: Some time ago, you wrote an article on trigger finger. I have two on my left hand and one on my right. I鈥檓 94 and still work an eight-hour day, four days per week. But my job includes hanging clothes, folding, etc.

Dear Dr. Roach: In a recent column, you wrote, 鈥淔or many people, that [the release of sugars, from digestion of carbohydrates] increases the risk of diabetes.鈥� Your predecessor, Dr.

Dear Dr. Roach: I was diagnosed at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota with interstitial cystitis. They treated me by stretching my bladder for five full days, putting medicine in the bladder, and put me on the drug Elmiron.

Dear Dr. Roach: I just returned from seeing my husband鈥檚 doctor with him, and I鈥檇 gone this time to be sure the doctor knew how my husband鈥檚 use of painkillers has escalated.