Weight loss could mean serious trouble

Dear Dr. Gott: I would like to find a way to gain weight. Recently, I had a cold and lost a few pounds. I still do some coughing. I have always been small, but now I weigh only 92 pounds without clothing. I am 5 feet 3 inches tall and 85 years old. I feel almost desperate to gain weight. Do you recommend anything? In my younger years I weighed around 102.

Dear Reader: I unequivocally urge you to have an examination by your primary care physician. Weight loss despite adequate caloric consumption is a red flag for doctors because it could reflect a metabolic imbalance, a thyroid disease, a hidden malignancy or other chronic ailments.

If your problem is simply that you are burning more calories than you are taking in, you could gain weight by increasing your calorie consumption.

If your problem is more complicated than this, you will require medical assistance.

Dear Dr. Gott: I do not often disagree with your advice, but I take issue with the advice you gave regarding nasal surgery. An individual wrote that he had polyps in his nasal area, and you recommended against surgery, that he should seek alternative therapies such as nasal sprays. I disagree with your advice.

I, too, suffered from nasal polyps for 35-plus years. I finally elected to have nasal surgery to remove more than 20 polyps. This surgery was the best thing I ever did; I should have had it done years ago. The relief of being able to freely breathe again cannot be adequately described with words. I used to get colds, viruses, hay fever, allergic reactions to pets – whatever was airborne, I usually got it. Since the surgery, I have had one cold, it lasted about three days, and not once did it affect my breathing or ability to sleep.

Please reconsider your thoughts and advice regarding whether to have nasal surgery. It is relatively painless; I had mine on a Thursday, and I was back to work on Monday.

Dear Reader: I am not against nasal surgery. I’m just in favor of the least-invasive techniques. Surgery should be the last option; therefore, I recommended nasal steroids as a reasonable initial alternative for this reader.

Whether a patient needs surgery is a decision I leave to the surgeons. This isn’t my specialty. But if a nonoperative alternative is a possibility, I would prefer to try it before considering more aggressive therapy.

You have had a great result. You obviously needed the surgery. Good luck. I hope the polyps don’t grow back.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Allergies.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.