It is amazing how unhealthy one can be without realising it. As my long-suffering regular readers will know, I am now about halfway through my treatment for prostate cancer. There was no instant diagnosis for this, despite the seriousness of the condition as, reportedly, the second biggest killer of men in the UK (after heart disease). The diagnosis was suspected following a blood test and confirmed much later after a scan and a biopsy. Even more amazing was the complete absence of any symptoms of which I was aware. It is that fact that makes prostate cancer such a dangerous disease – combined with the fact that it can affect men of any age and needs to be discovered early to be sure of bringing it under control before it spreads to other organs.
So if this post has one key message for men (it doesn’t apply to women as they have no prostate gland) it is get a check-up by your family doctor and make it an annual fixture.
All I would add to that is that you have nothing to fear. Yes, I would have been anxious about the prospect of a simple injection not that long ago but not any more. In recent months I have experienced a catalogue of medical and surgical procedures (as described in my recent series of posts entitled “The Patient’s Story”) including several injections and at least three blood tests, approaching each one with curiosity rather than fear and I would have no qualms about doing them all over again. So get yourself along to your GP and get checked. You might well save a life – YOURS.
I feel the same way; people need to be more mindful of what they’re doing to themselves. Next thing you know, you could be one-hundred plus pounds overweight and not even realize what you’re doing to yourself. I’m glad to hear that you confronted your issue than opposed to just brushing it off to the side. Good luck with everything and I’m looking forward to hear how your progress is going:))
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Thanks for your comment. Funny that you should mention “overweight” – I have a post about that coming up soon. Meanwhile, looking forward to exploring your blog.
Absolutely. My view is that any man over 50 ought to have his blood pressure, cholesterol and prostate checked. I found out the hard way but at least now I know!
I am not qualified to make definitive statements about this and I certainly do not want to spread alarm. However, despite hardly seeing a doctor for decades at a time (I am almost 72), knowing what know now I would not advise waiting until 50. I would start having general checks every 2-3 years from about 30, especially if a bit overweight as seems to be the modern trend.
I would not dispute starting testing earlier. I was simply thinking that 50 is as good a time as any other. I too have prostate issues and they have just found a lump in my left kidney. I go to see the Urologist on the 3rd Jan. Might be something or not much. Positive thinking helps but there are moments when one wonders just what the future holds. Anyway, we have a tendency to believe on our own invincibility until those smart young men and women in white coats get the better of us!
I am sorry to hear of your problems Steve but, as you say they might not amount to much. Try to stay positive – after all, you don’t know whether there is a problem worth worrying about yet – and worrying won’t help anyway.
Keep in mind that it is truly amazing what the medics can do now and the treatments (in my experience anyway) are no great problem, as I have tried to explain in my posts.
Keep in touch and I will hope to hear good news from you after January 3rd.
What a good service you’re doing here. In Houston, there’s been a real push to get men to pay attention – including a free screening program offered once or twice a year at one of the hospitals in the Texas Medical Center.
And we women need to pay attention, too. Men often seem to think they’re indestructible, but women live by the lie that they’re “too busy just now” to get their checkups. (Not that I’d know anything about that, but I think I need to pay attention, too!)
Hope your holidays were fine. I took a sudden notion and headed out of town for Christmas – now, I get to try and get back in the groove!
I was lucky. Having intended (but failed) to book a general check-up for 3-4 years after I first thought of the idea, I accepted Granny-Anne’s offer to make an appointment for me when she went to one of her appointments. Thus my cancer was discovered early enough to be rather less alarming than it might have been. From my point of view there was no reason at all to suspect anything amiss and without Granny-Anne’s intervention I may well not have had that check-up even now. So the diagnosis came as a surprise, which is why I worry that a lot of men may not even think about being checked until some definite symptom occurs. At best, this could require much tougher treatment than I will be receiving. At worst? I’d rather not think about it.
We had a most enjoyable Christmas which included a magnificent Christmas lunch with our extended local family and then Boxing Day at home with Jennie and her family visiting us for lunch.
I like the idea of your “sudden notion”. While I prefer the sort of Christmas that I have just described, the idea of taking a trip, a holiday, a cruise or whatever, more or less on a whim, without long preparation and anticipation, appeals greatly. Perhaps, now that we have a car again, we will do just that when my treatment finishes in three months or so.