Woman married, feels alone

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for almost 30 years. Sometimes I think I don’t know him at all. He hardly calls or texts me when at work, but he would call his siblings at any time of the day. He is often late from work, usually arriving two hours after he’s done even though it’s 30 minutes away.

I feel isolated and lonely. Recently, I told him, “I don’t think you love me.” And he replied, “Go tell your friends that.” He isn’t happy if I go out for dinner with my girlfriends. He seldom goes out, because I caught him lying once.

I feel trapped and tired in this relationship. What should I do?

Is This Married Life?

Dear Is This Married Life?: Whatever is going on with you and your husband, it’s clear the status quo isn’t acceptable. Partners should not begrudge each other for having dinner with friends or talking often to siblings. It sounds as though you’re both stuck in a toxic cycle, and it’s going to take an outside force to break you out of it. Ask your husband to attend marriage counseling. If he refuses, seek therapy on your own; websites such as BetterHelp and Talkspace connect patients with health care professionals via video chats, text messages and phone calls, so you don’t even need to leave your house to get help.

Dear Annie: I disagree with your answer to “Doctor Mother,” who noticed a lump on her son’s girlfriend’s neck. My husband, “Bob,” was sitting next to his boss, “Roger,” who is a doctor and health commissioner. Roger noticed that Bob’s neck bumped out when he swallowed. Roger examined Bob’s neck while he swallowed again and said to go for a biopsy. It was thyroid cancer in both lobes of his thyroid, which he then had removed.

A year later, I noticed a lump in my daughter’s neck during a visit. She was in her early 20s. She followed my advice and had it checked out. A biopsy revealed cancer in a lymph node that had come from her thyroid. She had the thyroid removed one month later.

So my advice for “Doctor Mother” is to speak up and tell her son’s girlfriend to get it checked out. Better to be safe than sorry! A lump isn’t always a skin condition. It could be a swollen lymph node.

WNY Reader

Dear WNY Reader: You’re absolutely right. I should have more seriously considered the stakes. I’m printing your letter to correct the record. Thanks for writing.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.