Opinion

Q: My mother is developing age-related macular degeneration.

Dear Readers: To mark my last week of publishing “Ask Amy,” I’ve fired up the Ask Amy Wayback machine, and will run some favorite previously published Q&As.Following is my very first column, published in July 2003.Dear Amy: I have a major problem that has come up just before my Wedding in Chicago.

DEAR DR ROACH: I am a 75-year-old male who has had benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) for about 20 years and have taken tamsulosin during this time.

Dear Readers: Over my 21 years writing this column, I’ve stayed in touch with many readers whose questions have particularly affected me.One such reader, whose question first ran in 2021, provided an “update,” published in 2023.He and I have continued to correspond, and I’m happy to share an update to his update, as a reminder – to all of us – that time plus wisdom can bring on a (mostly) happy ending.Below is the original question and my answer (edited for length).

Q: My doctor says that I have to lower my triglycerides by changing my lifestyle choices -- but what are triglycerides exactly and how do I lower them?

DEAR DR.

If you don’t think life is amazing, consider the fact that you are sitting on a large rock orbiting the Sun in a galaxy called The Milky Way.