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Tuesday, August 24, 2010 – Daily News – 5A FEATURES Dear Annie: My hus- band and his brother are very close. Too close. ‘‘Chris’’ calls his brother every day, sometimes twice a day, and talks for an hour or more each time. Whenev- er we go out, it is to his brother’s house two hours away. Fraternal friendship foments fuming Meds Make reader dizzy Recently, Chris and I cel- ebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. We reserved a room in a nice hotel, which just happened to be near his brother. Shortly before we arrived, his brother called to say he’d meet us at the hotel and take us out to din- ner for our anniversary. This was a nice gesture, but we had already made other plans, which we then canceled. After dinner, his brother came back to the hotel and spent most of the evening with us. In the morning, we immediately went to my brother-in-law’s, where we spent the next few days. I was really upset. Chris insists his brother was being nice and I am being selfish and jealous. He says families should celebrate together on anniversaries. I think it should have been a private time for my husband and me. Am I overreacting? I am still upset. — Coming in Second Dear Second: You are not over- reacting. Chris and his brother seem quite enmeshed, and that relation- ship is more important to him than the one he has with you. But we don’t understand why it has taken Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar you 50 years to decide it bothers you. At this point, it may not be possible to change your husband’s behavior, although you might discuss it with him and see if he would be will- ing to make anniversaries private celebrations — for your sake. Dear Annie: There are so many articles written on how to get the spark back into a relationship, but I’ve never seen the obvious one — committing to taking care of the way you look, for yourself, your health and your partner. During my 18 years of marriage, I have worked hard to maintain my weight. I am still in good shape. I think everyone has an unwritten expectation that their partner won’t go to pot, but some people take bet- ter care of their cars than their bod- ies. My husband is 60 pounds over- weight, and his doctor told him he qualifies as obese. I know how very hard it is to lose weight, but if cou- ples took pride in their health and looks, there would be a lot more excitement in the bedroom. Turning out the lights is not what I had in mind. I know I cannot make my hus- band lose weight, but maybe if you print this, he will understand my point. And maybe a few others will, as well. — Married to Tubby Dear Married: It’s true that some folks decide that marriage means never having to take care of themselves again, but it usually is more complicated. Pregnancy can make future weight loss difficult, stress can cause people to compen- sate with food, and heavy workloads limit exercise time. Sometimes severe weight or hygiene problems can indicate depression. Please talk to your husband about this and see if you can interest him in eating healthier and getting some exercise — because you love him and want him to be around for a long time. Dear Annie: I read the letter from ‘‘Stiffed in Iowa,’’ whose par- ents are giving half of their estate to their alma mater and the rest to their three children. ‘‘Stiffed’’ thinks she and her siblings are entitled to all of her parents’ estate. I hope her par- ents see that letter and are able to teach one more lesson: It would be beneficial to their greedy child to take her share of the estate and donate it to a charitable cause, leav- ing that child only their best wishes. How proud I would be if my parents had the foresight to do something so wonderful. — Grateful in North Dakota Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Hawaiian Days winners enjoy luau DEAR DR. GOTT: I am con- stantly dizzy. I was taking 160 mil- ligrams of Diovan for a long time, but my doctor changed me to 150 mil- ligrams of Tekturna. Now I’m dizzy on that. My blood pres- sure is 118/66, so what causes the dizziness? Dr. Peter Gott DEAR READER: There are a number of causes for dizziness, including vertigo, benign paroxysmal posi- tional vertigo, Meniere’s disease, inflammation of the inner ear, migraine headaches and as a result of using specific medications. Dizziness can also result from specific medications, low-blood-pressure read- ings (hypotension), Parkin- son’s and other neurological disorders, nerve damage to the legs, inner-ear abnor- malities and anxiety. Your first step is to work with your physician to determine the cause of your hypertension. If there is an underlying condition such as an inappropriate diet, excessive salt consumption, obesity or lack of exercise, take steps to bring the matter under control. Both medications you Courtesy photo Pictured are the winners of the Downtown Hawaiian Days Grand Prize — Hawaiian Dinner for four cooked and donated by Hugh and Karyn Harvey of California Kitchen & Co. The winner, Sharon Eliggi and her husband Ray invited their friends Frank and Doreen Perino to go along with them. They had a menu of Mai Tais,Hawaiian style Pork Loin, heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese drizzled with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and fresh basil, purple potatoes baked in coconut milk and guava nectar, fried rice, corn on the cob, fresh pineapple, sweet hawaiian rolls and peach and raspberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream for dessert. CARE TO COMMENT? At redbluffdailynews.com, scroll to the end of any story, click the link and type away. Attention Tehama County Teachers! You could win one of THREE $100 gift certificates at Raley’s. Just sign up to receive FREE copies of The Daily News to use as teaching aids in your classroom. Request by 5 PM Tuesday, August 31 Contest details and order form online at http://www2.redbluffdailynews.com/special_section/171 or call 527-2151 ext 128 for more information D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY have been prescribed treat hypertension. Diovan car- ries such side effects as headache, diarrhea, back/joint/stomach pain and dizziness. Tekturna does not carry a side effect of dizzi- ness. You didn’t indicate what your blood-pressure read- ings were prior to being placed on medication. While I don’t know the spe- cific numbers your physi- cian is hoping to achieve, you might consider asking if you can reduce the dosage of your Tekturna. While it doesn’t come in doses smaller than 150 mil- ligrams, perhaps you can take half-doses. To provide related infor- mation, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Hypertension.” Other read- ers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDr- GottMD.com. DEAR DR. GOTT: Is it safe to have blood drawn while on a blood thinner? DEAR READER: Yes, it is. When you cut yourself, the body’s defenses kick in to halt the bleeding by form- ing a clot. The process is known as coagulation and is how things should happen. On the other hand, without that cut and with blood moving through your veins and arteries, clots should not occur. Unfortunately, they do, and for a number of rea- sons. When they occur, a physician will likely pre- scribe a drug to bring the disorder in line. Some of the causes are inherited, such as sticky platelet syndrome or factor V Leiden; some are acquired, such as occurs with HIV/AIDs, inflamma- tory bowel syndrome, obesi- ty, trauma and hormone- replacement therapy. These conditions and a host of oth- ers must be checked period- ically with laboratory testing so a primary-care physician or hematologist can correct- ly monitor a patient. The testing performed is com- monly a PT/INR and may include a PTT. Simply put, a physician will be able to determine through test results how fast your blood is clotting and whether med- ication should be modified. As an example, people may take prescription Coumadin (warfarin) to reduce the formation of blood clots. This anticoagu- lant works to prevent heart attack and clots from occur- ring. There are specific ranges a physician wants a patient to remain in, and the only way to achieve that goal is by testing on a regu- lar basis while the patient is on the drug. Once the fine- tuning occurs and a patient is stable on a specific dosage, testing might only be necessary on a monthly basis. Mention this ad Saw & Mower ORLAND We are the one stop shop for all your outdoor power equipment needs. Our certified trained technicians and friendly knowledgeable staff are here to help keep you mowing, trimming and full of power. Stop in and say hi to Joel & Rhonda Snow & Anna too! We are just a few minutes from anywhere... • Mowers • Chainsaws NOW OPEN! SALES • PARTS • SERVICE ® 21st Annual Olive Festival Schedule of Events Saturday, August 21 Miss Corning Program Veteran’s Memorial Hall 6 pm Monday, August 23 Missing Olive Contest Clues Begin Wednesday, August 25 Annual City Water Festival Northside Park, 6 - 8 pm Sponsored by City of Corning Thursday, August 26 Olive Festival Mixer Bell-Carter break room, 6 - 8 pm, look for direction signs in front. 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