Elderly Man Weighs 84 Pounds Decades After His Stomach Removal

DEAR DR. ROACH: Is 18 years a record for living without a stomach? A family member had stomach cancer when he was 70 and had his stomach removed. He consulted with a dietician and has been able to eat small but frequent meals. He can also take enzymes, vitamins and other things, but slowly he has lost weight.

Now at 88, he is down to 84 pounds, and his muscles are also affected. He used to play racquetball regularly, but this came to an end during COVID and wasn’t picked back up after the pandemic. He can no longer walk without assistance. They are putting a feeding tube into his small intestine to supplement what he usually eats.

Are you familiar with this type of thing? What else can be done, or is this the end? Will he starve to death? — Y.F.

ANSWER: I have seen many patients with stomach cancer and have never seen this degree of weight loss, but weight loss is very common after removing the stomach. This degree of weight loss is very disturbing and usually results in a worse outcome, so effective treatment is overdue. A feeding tube, which isn’t often the appropriate treatment for weight loss, seems to be an important short-term treatment. I assume that he has had extensive evaluations for the recurrence of diseases, including CT scans.

You mention that he has been getting vitamins; B12 and vitamin D levels are often profoundly low after gastrectomy (removal of the stomach), so these should be checked, even if he has been on replacements. If no other cause is found, it might be worth a try to use an appetite stimulant.

In addition, I would formally measure his total calorie input in a day to see whether the problem really is that he isn’t getting enough calories. I would be worried that he isn’t absorbing all of them.

There is no reason for him to starve to death. In the very worst case, nutrition can be given intravenously while they figure out why he is losing so much weight.
• • •

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 84-year-old male in amazingly good health and have great physical abilities, but after running about 3 miles, I noticed some minor chest discomfort. After a calcium score test and stress test, my doctor wanted to place stents in my
coronary arteries.

I read a National Institue of Health study from 2020 regarding stent outcomes versus medication and lifestyle changes, and it showed no difference in the outcomes. So, I decided not to do the stents.

I no longer do any distance running, but I do weight training and a stationary bike exercise for 10 minutes without any chest issues. I now take statin drugs, blood pressure medicines, and baby aspirin.

Are you familiar with this study, and am I doing a reasonable thing by not having the stents inserted? — T.E.

ANSWER: Whether stents are beneficial in people with stable coronary artery disease remains somewhat controversial. Although stents in combination with a healthy diet, exercise and medication may improve symptoms better than lifestyle changes and medication alone, there are no data to show an improvement in lifespan or in preventing heart attacks.

Your cardiologist wanted to reduce your symptoms, but if you aren’t having any now, then stenting isn’t indicated. If you had to reduce your running because of chest discomfort, then stenting might possibly allow you to do more exercise without having these symptoms.

Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer
​individual questions, but will incorporate them 
in the column whenever possible. 
Readers may email questions to [email protected]. 

© 2025 North America Synd., Inc.
All Rights Reserved

Food Safety:
​Avoid cross-contamination

Cross-contamination is a potential risk when preparing different types of food. It occurs when harmful bacteria from one food, especially raw meat, are transferred to another food. This often happens when cutting boards, knives, countertops, and hands are not washed after handling each item. Preventing cross-contamination is essential for protecting yourself from foodborne illnesses.

To prevent cross-contamination, follow these steps:

• When shopping, use plastic bags to separate raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs from other foods in your cart. 

• Keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood separate from other foods when you check out by placing them in different grocery bags.

• Use soap and warm water to wash your hands for 20 seconds before and after handling food. 

• Always use a clean cutting board. If possible, use different boards for fresh produce and raw animal products. Also, do not use excessively worn cutting boards; replace them.

• Wash dishes and counter tops with hot soapy water before and after preparing each food item.

• Never place cooked food back on the same plate or cutting board that previously held raw food

• Don’t serve cooked food with the same utensils that handled raw food, unless they have been washed first in hot, soapy water. 

• Make sure juices from raw meat and other animal products do not drip onto other foods in the refrigerator. Keep them in sealed plastic bags or containers and stored below ready to-eat food items.

For more information on how to avoid cross-contamination contact AnswerLine call 1-800-262-3804, Monday-Friday from 9 am-noon and 1-4 pm. or visit the website at: www.extension.iastate.edu/families/answerline

Source: Adapted from PM2099R, Words on Wellness (WOW) Newsletter, March 2012, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, at least 25,000 fire or overheating incidents in lithium-ion batteries occurred in a five-year period. Lithium-ion batteries are in many products we use every day such as power tools, electronics, children’s toys, appliances, smoke alarms and many other products. However, lithium-ion batteries do have some safety issues as well. Here are some safety tips on how to properly use, store and handle lithium-ion batteries.

When looking at purchasing items using lithium-ion batteries, only purchase devices that have been listed by a qualified testing laboratory such as the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) or other qualified testing laboratories. When a product has been UL listed or another qualified tested laboratory listed, it means that the product has met and passed national safety and testing standards. This doesn’t mean that the product can’t still fail or have issues, but it does mean that it has been thoroughly tested and has met all the vigorous standards to be as safe as possible.

Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the device and battery. Do not use a different battery for a device it wasn’t intended to be used with. Do not use a different charging cord than the one the device came with. If the cord or other part needs to be replaced, most companies have a site where you can order replacement parts for that same brand, make and/or model. 

When charging a battery or batteries, only charge them until they indicate they are fully charged and then remove them from the charger. Letting lithium-ion batteries stay in the charger indefinitely or until needed can overheat the battery or batteries, which can lead to a fire. Batteries should also only be charged in temperatures above freezing and no hotter than 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

Never charge a battery such as a cell phone or computer while it is sitting on your bed, clothes or other combustible materials. Batteries and the charger itself can become very hot to the touch while charging, which then can lead to the material they are laying on or against to heat up leading to a potential fire.

​And as always, make sure your smoke alarms are in working order. If you have any questions or would like further information, I can be reached at 1-563-589-4195 or at [email protected].

* When you finish a wood-working project, save your leftover bits of sandpaper and use them to sharpen your scissors. All you need is a piece long enough to make a few cuts through.

* "Plastic grocery bags are handy for so many uses, but keeping them organized was always a pain, until I discovered that I could use an empty tissue box to store them. I just ball up each bag individually (so there is no air trapped) and stuff it in the tissue box. You can do the same thing for larger amounts of bags by using an empty 12-pack box from soda. I store one of these in my shop." — Fred C. from Pennsylvania

* "Tired of squirrels on your bird feeders? String a line of 2-liter soda bottles (as many as you like) together, and hang them between two trees, with the feeder in the middle. Works like a charm." — C.V. in Maine

* If your kids (or you) like cereal, be sure to save the heavy plastic liners that hold the cereal inside the box. They are really handy when freezing meat patties in stacks. You can use them to separate layers of cookies, too. 

* "I just finished packing up my house to move, and this little tip was a dandy: Use a toothpick to keep the open end of your tape from disappearing. When you cut the tape, slip a toothpick at the end that's still on the roll. You will never have to go fishing for it again." — L.K. in New Mexico

* If your water takes a minute to warm up, keep a pitcher by the sink. Let the water flow into the pitcher until it gets warm. Then, use that water (that otherwise would have been wasted) on your houseplants and in your garden.

* Smartphones and computers are notorious for viruses — but I'm thinking of the kind that can make YOU sick. These devices are touched by us constantly. And then we stick them right to our faces! Take the time daily to clean off your device with an alcohol wipe to decontaminate it. Your respiratory and digestive systems will thank you.

* "We are always prompted to choose strong passwords, but a random collection of letters, numbers and special symbols can be hard to remember. I make a strong password by using a coded phrase, like "My three boys are number one," which might be "MY3boysR#1." Just thought I'd share my trick, but not my password!" — R.W. in Iowa

* Use secure networks to transfer data. When out and about, if you are using free Wi-Fi hotspots, choose ones that encrypt data. You can check the web address and look for a padlock icon, or addresses that begin with https://. The "S" means "secure."

* "Sign out of all accounts when you are using someone else's computer. I can't tell you how often I have used the computers at the library and went to sign into my webmail only to find that the previous user's email comes up. Navigating away from a page usually doesn't work, closing the browser sometimes doesn't work, but logging off ALWAYS works. The same for shopping sites, like Amazon. If you don't log off, because these sites use "cookies" to remember you, someone could potentially use your account." — M.L. in Florida

* Lock your device! Just as you wouldn't leave your door unlocked, so too should you not leave your phone unlocked, particularly if you have applications on your smartphone that can be easily accessed. Lock it up, and be smart.

Send your tips to 
Now Here’s a Tip,
628 Virginia Drive,
Orlando, FL 32803.

​© 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.

This No-Knead Bread Recipe is 
​Great for Busy Families on a Budget

PHOTO CREDIT: Donna Erickson

Get rolling in the dough with this amazing no-knead recipe that bakes up to four 1-pound loaves of tasty artisan bread for around $2. I’m not kidding — less than $1 a loaf! It’s not only easy on your budget but also quick and effortless to prepare, as authors Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois describe in their best-selling book that created a buzz far and wide: “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.”

When I stopped by Zoe’s kitchen, her active sons were home from school, shaping dough for their own pizzas. “Inventing nutritious recipes and eating together are important to our family,” said Zoe. “When kids get involved in cooking and baking healthy foods, they’ll eat what they make.”

For the master bread recipe, let kids loose to measure flour, salt, water and yeast in a bucket. They’ll love stirring up the concoction with a wooden spoon and their hands. Let it rise, and you’re ready to bake bread for up to two weeks. You can even adapt the recipe for sweet breads, flatbreads and pizza.

Give it a try and discover the fun of rolling in the dough! Here’s what you’ll need:

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Mix together ingredients in a 5-quart food-grade lidded bucket or container. Cover loosely, let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, then refrigerate for up to two weeks. Bake some of the dough now, if you wish.

To prepare a loaf, cut off a grapefruit-sized piece of dough, sprinkle flour on it, and briefly shape it into a ball with flour-covered hands. Allow it to rest for 40 minutes on a pizza peel or a wooden board covered with parchment paper (or sprinkled with cornmeal).

Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 F. Then set a baking stone on a rack in the center of the oven and an empty broiler tray on the lower rack. When ready to bake, dust the top of the loaf with flour. An adult should make a 1/4-inch-deep crisscross slash on top with a sharp knife and slide the dough onto the baking stone. Pour a cup of hot water into the broiler pan before closing the oven door.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is browned. Let cool. Slice and serve.

Extra Resource: Watch Jeff and Zoe prepare the complete recipe online at www.ArtisanBreadinFive.com.

•  •  •
Donna Erickson creates relationships
and community through food and fun.
​Find more to nourish and delight you at 
www.donnaerickson.com. 
​
© 2025 Donna Erickson
Distributed by King Features Synd.

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