Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/57942
6B Daily News – Saturday, March 10, 2012 FEATURES Hubby's heedlessness hurting her Meniscus tears may not mean surgery Dear Annie: "John'' and I have been married for 15 years. He is a wonderful person and a great father to our two young girls. Our relationship is fine on the sur- face, but it's emo- tionally empty. There is little inti- macy, which has been an issue Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar throughout our marriage. It manifests itself periodically in arguments that never seem to get resolved. John refuses to go to counseling. He wonders why I cannot "just be happy,'' because from his perspective, every- thing is fine. I have told him clearly that I need more attention and affection, but I have come to the realization that he is ''just not that into me.'' I have tried counseling on my own, but I was told to accept things as they are or end the marriage. Annie, I love my family. I am not asking for a magical romance. I don't think it's too much for a woman to need occasional loving physical gestures from her husband. I can't figure out why it's so hard for him to express his love if he cares for me as much as he says. I don't want to leave, but things could be so much better if John would only put a little more effort into our marriage. Any sugges- tions on how to improve things? Or am I just des- tined to have an emotionless relationship? — Lonely in the Ville Dear Lonely: There is a variety of reasons why a man may not show any interest in his wife: He could be gay, asexual, not attract- ed to you or having an affair. He could have low testos- terone or other medical or emo- tional issues. The real problem is that he refuses to address it. Start with the approach most likely to get results. Ask John to see his doctor to have his testosterone levels checked. If he refuses or it doesn't help, move on to the other possibilities. Talk frankly with him. He needs to understand the level of your unhappiness. Dear Annie: Last week, my sister surprised me by showing up unannounced with her two dogs. She said she planned to stay for a week. I do not have dogs, and that is my choice. My sis- ter's dogs are kept in a truck while she travels, and I feel sorry for them. But I don't want them in my house. Please tell people not to bring their beloved animals to other people's homes. We don't find them nearly as cute as they do. I don't care how well mannered they are, they still shed, need attention and occa- sionally dig a hole in the yard. — Annoyed in Yuma Dear Yuma: No one, relatives included, should drop by unannounced and expect to be put up for days on end. And bringing their animals with them is terri- bly inconsiderate unless they have been specifically invited. We know how much people love their dogs and cats (and birds and pet Charles Rouse, candidate for Assembly District 3, will meet with Tehama County Democrats at their March 15 meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the Los Gordos Taqueria, 200 S. Main St. in Red Bluff. Rouse, a retired postal worker and Corning olive farmer, recently announced his candidacy for this newly configured Assembly District, which includes Tehama, Butte, Glenn, Sutter Colusa and Yuba counties. He will dis- cuss his background and issues he plans to pursue as a member of the State Assembly. snakes), but asking others to be responsible for housing them is inappropriate and makes the entire crew unwelcome. Please, people, be the type of guest who is enthusiastically invited back. Dear Annie: I agree wholeheartedly with your suggestion to "Desperate in Colorado'' to bring in her younger brothers to live with her. However, I dis- agree that she should con- sider including her alco- holic mom. Her mother must show that she desires help by attending AA meet- ings, going to counseling or joining a rehab program. Otherwise, "Colorado'' will only be inviting problems into her household. My mother was a violent alcoholic who died when I was 23. I'm 53 now and still recovering. — Concerned About Her Brothers Dear Concerned: We agree that living with Mom would be difficult, but it may be the only way ''Col- orado'' can extricate her brothers and have any con- trol over how they live. Dear Readers: Remem- ber to set your clocks ahead before you go to sleep tonight. And please change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monox- ide detectors. Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Rouse to meet with county's Democrats In addition, Democrats will finalize plans for their Second Annual Salute to the American Worker Dinner to be held Saturday, March 31 at the Red Bluff Community Center. Keynote speaker for this event will be John Burton, chair- man of the California State Democratic Party. The public is invited to attend this meeting, which starts with a meet and greet at 5:30 p.m., the presentation by Rouse at 6 p.m. and a business meeting at 6:30 p.m. For further information, send Sue Gallagher an email at suedan@saber.net. Q: I am 72 years old and in good health. I've had left knee pain on and off for almost six months. It's not too severe, but it aches if I walk more than a mile or so. I also sometimes get sharp pain when climbing stairs. My doctor sent me for an MRI of both knees. It showed "mild to moderate osteoarthritis" in both knees and a torn meniscus in my RIGHT knee, which feels fine. I think I know what to do about my painful knee — but what should I do for the torn meniscus in my "good" knee? A: Before we get to your interesting question, some background information may be helpful. The meniscus is a cres- cent-shaped disk of fibrous tissue and cartilage. Each knee has two menisci locat- ed between the femur (thighbone) and tibia (lower leg bone); one is on the inside of the joint, the other on the outside. Together, the menisci act as shock absorbers, protecting the other cartilage tis- sue that covers the end portions of the femur and tibia. As you age, the menisci weaken and fray. Even such a simple motion as getting in and out of a squatting position or rising from a low chair can tear a meniscus. Your osteoarthri- operation in the United States. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. tis diagnosis is a separate issue from your meniscal tear. Again, some back- ground: Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, involving damage to the cartilage that covers the end of the bones. As it progresses, it can lead to abnormalities in the bones themselves. Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, involves damage to the car- tilage that covers the end of the bones. As it progresses, it can lead to abnormalities in the bones themselves. Ordinary X-rays can diag- nose arthritis in the knee, but MRIs are necessary to eval- uate the menisci. As MRIs have come into widespread use, arthroscopic meniscal surgery has become the most common orthopedic A torn meniscus can cause pain, and surgery can help. But MRIs are so sensitive that they often detect abnormalities that are not causing any clinical problems. It's a well-known issue in many parts of the body, but does it also apply to the meniscus? To find out, doc- tors in Massachu- setts performed MRIs on the knees of 991 people between the ages of 50 and 90. The subjects were cho- sen at random, and researchers didn't know whether or not they had any knee symptoms. These MRIs found that meniscal damage was com- mon. The prevalence ranged from 19 percent in women ages 50 to 59, to 56 percent in men ages 70 to 90. Meniscal tears became more common with increas- ing age. And they were more common in people who had knee arthritis than in people who didn't. None of these observa- tions were surprising. But another finding was unex- pected, and it relates directly to your question. Meniscal tears were nearly as common in people who had no knee pain as in those with painful knees. In people who also had knee arthritis, 63 percent with knee pain had tears and 60 percent who were pain-free had tears. In peo- ple with no arthritis, 32 percent with pain had tears and 23 percent without pain had tears. Doctors should always treat patients, not X-rays or MRIs. Since your right knee feels fine, there is no need to treat the meniscal tear. But if you had pain, the decision would be more difficult, since it would be hard to know if your pain was caused by the arthritis, the tear, or both. If your symp- toms were mild, it would probably be best to treat the arthritis first, keeping meniscus surgery in reserve in case your symptoms got worse. That brings us to your painful, arthritic left knee. A standard program would include limiting high- impact exercise, bending and kneeling. Applying ice after activity may help. A knee brace, even a sim- ple drugstore knee sleeve, can provide beneficial support. Most doctors rec- ommend acetaminophen (Tylenol and other brands) for pain relief. Tehama Country This Week Real Estate FOR SALE BY OWNER Rent To Own!! $1,000 to $5,000 Down, O.W.C. Reduced! Great Community, Lots of Extras - Owner Financed with $5000 Down Price: $167,000 $136,000 • Street Address: 22140 River View Dr, Cottonwood, CA 96022 3/2, 1550 sq.ftt, nice big kitchen with very nice cabinets, pretty counter tops, new paint inside/out, new carpet, huge dining area between kitchen and living room, covered patio, pellet stove insert in lovely brick hearth, new central heat/air, central vacuum system, community amenities include tennis court, swimming pool, club house, equestrian center, private air strip, private lake with great fishing, convenience store. Home also offers 2 car garage with automatic opener, nice brick and wood exterior. Storage shed, doughboy pool, private fenced yard on a nice corner lot. 1 year warantee. OPEN HOUSE RED BLUFF - 4.9 ACRE PARCELS Rolling Hills With Oaks Power/Phone Available, Perk Done, Paved Roads Starting at $34,000 with $3K Down Owner Will Carry (530) 925-4075 Reduced! Great Community, Lots of Extras - Owner Financed with $5000 Down Price: $167,000 $136,000 • Street Address: 22140 River View Dr, Cottonwood, CA 96022 3/2, 1550 square feet, nice big kitchen with very nice cabinets, pretty counter tops, new paint inside/out, new carpet, huge dining area between kitchen and living room, covered patio, pellet stove insert in lovely brick hearth, new central heat/air, central vacuum system, community amenities include tennis court, swimming pool, club house, equestrian center, private air strip, private lake with great fishing, convenience store. Home also offers 2 car garage with automatic opener, nice brick and wood exterior. Storage shed, doughboy pool, private fenced yard on a nice corner lot. 1 year warantee. Directions: 10 acres in Red Bluff $98,000 $2K down Call (530) 921-4849 Lots of parcels $1K to $2K down Bankruptcy, Foreclosure, Short Sale Low Credit Scores 100% Financing Still Available YOU CAN STILL BUY A HOME Call Access Mortgage & Real Estate Buyers Agent: Tim Arrowsmith 530-200-2929 Tim Arrowsmith NMLS# 502254 MLS# 01220716 SAT., FEB. 10th Or by appointment • 11:30 am - 1:30 pm Rio Vista Mobile Estates #92 ON THE RIVER, 2/2 Doublewide 1300 sq ft $47,000 $39,500-obo. Financing available. Call 527-7297 Tehama Country Real Estate THIS WEEK online received 451 unique visitors last month! Our online version has Exclusive features like Recommended Realtors and much more. Did you know that www.redbluffdailynews.com was visited by over 50,000 visitors with ISPs in cities outside the Shasta-Tehama -Butte market? If your listing is on this page, it's online too, as part of the online Real Estate magazine on Tehama County's most visited Website! WESTERN REAL ESTATE MINCH PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 760 Main St. • 530-527-5514 Commercial Properties For Sale: • 455 S. Main St. SALE PENDING • 840 Main St. Major Price Reduction! • 1870 Montgomery • Flores Ave/I-5 ( • 13545 Saint Marys Ave. Major Price Reduction! 2.67 Acres 11,400 sq/ft 2 Acres SALE PENDING . . . . . . . . . . . . 24, 53 or 62 Acres 40,000 sq/ft Commercial Properties For Lease: • 22680 Antelope Blvd. • 22660 Antelope Blvd. • 460 Antelope Blvd. • 731-741 Main St. • 225 Walnut St. • 955 Main St. 5,600 sq/ft 18,000 sq/ft 1 to 3,000 sq/ft various size suites 2,000 sq/ft 2,995 sq/ft • Medical Suite available in St. E campus area ................................. 2,000 sq/ft • 218 Washington St. • 1156 Monroe St. ..... 1,350 sq/ft 6,580 sq/ft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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