DEAR HARRIETTE: One of my best friends came to town. We’ve known each other since college and have seen each other through a lot of chapters.
ASK THE DOCTORS
DEAR HARRIETTE: My roommate works out at 5 a.m. every day, which means that his alarm goes off at 4:30 a.m., and it’s been affecting my sleep in a major way. The noise alone is enough to jolt me out of my sleep, and by the time I finally manage to fall back to sleep, it’s almost time for me to get up for work.
This week was spent with the familiar sensation that I have no idea what I am doing.
DEAR HARRIETTE: Earlier this year, I met someone at a friend’s birthday party. I thought he was handsome, and my friend ended up fixing us up. We live in different states, so we exchanged numbers and kept in touch. We talked often on the phone, and I felt comfortable with him.
DEAR HARRIETTE: My dad’s a heavy smoker and has been for as long as I can remember. When I was growing up, he used to smoke inside the house constantly. I remember the smell being everywhere – in my clothes, in the walls, even in my toys. I developed some health issues that I believe were tied to all that secondhand smoke exposure, and it’s something I’ve carried with me into adulthood.
Dear Doctors: My best friend has breast cancer that has spread to her lymph nodes, and she needs to have a double mastectomy. Can you please talk about how all of this can psychologically affect you? What can I do that will help her and not be a burden?
• If you dread ironing clothes, here’s a simple tip to speed up the process and help you save energy: Remove the fabric cover from your ironing board and cover it with a few sheets of aluminum foil. Then place the fabric cover on top of the foil. When you iron, the heat will be transferred to the aluminum foil and reflect to the surface, creating a dry, hot surface that doubles the efficiency and halves the ironing time. If you ever need to take the aluminum foil off, just toss it in the recycling bin.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently graduated and entered the workforce, and while I feel grateful to have landed a full-time position in marketing, I’m starting to feel a bit lost. The job itself is fine. I have a supportive team and decent pay, and I get to use some of the skills I learned in school; still, something feels off. I don’t feel fulfilled. I keep wondering if I chose this field just because it felt safe or convenient at the time, not because it’s what I truly want to do.
Dear Doctors: My sister-in-law is 82 years old and was recently diagnosed with melanoma. She has an appointment for treatment in a couple of weeks. I thought this was a serious and deadly disease. Can a patient wait long periods of time before treatment? I am surprised by the lack of alarm in this case.