Image via WikipediaThe impact of your middle -aged nocturnal visits to the bathroom...
OPINION: First published at Fortitude
by peter petterson
What is the impact of your aging prostate guys? Have you started the nocturnal tiptoe to the bathroom yet? I started many years ago and have not had an unbroken night's sleep since!
Until a few years ago I bet many of us men had seldom heard of the P word — the 'prostate' word! But the prostate is the male equivalent of the female breast — both can get cancerous. Both should get checked out regularly. Women have their mammograms and men can get digital rectal examinations — yikes! But after that they can have annual PSA blood tests. This is to check on the possibility of prostate cancer.
But long before the real possibility of prostate cancer rears its ugly head, your nocturnal visits to the bathroom should be ringing a little bell. Its time for a visit to your local GP. A digital examination of your prostate through the back passage will determine the level of the enlargement of your prostate. Your GP may decide the level of enlargement is minor and perhaps another examination should take place in a couple of years or so, but the PSA blood test is your warning sign against the early onset of prostate cancer.
However that enlargement of your prostate could be nothing more than benign prostatic hyperplasia or BHP. This enlargement can continue over a few years, however, and eventually a more extensive examination may have to be undertaken at your local hospital's urology department. The urologist could give you another rectal examination and an ultrasound test to determine the size of the enlargement.
In my case I had a rectal examination by my GP and later went into the Wellington Hospitals's urology department for another rectal examination and an ultrasound test about six years ago. It was only through discussing my situation with my GP a couple of weeks ago, and his check of my medical records established my ultrasound was actually six years ago. I was a little concerned that there had been no follow up by the Urology department of the hospital. My doctor agreed that there should have been some sort of follow-up. Time certainly flies and didn't realise it had been that long — more like four years I thought.
There had been no change in PSA levels, but this is only a check for the possibility of cancer; it does not indicate any prostatic enlargement. My GP arranged another ultrasound test for me just over a week ago. The ultrasound also tested my kidneys and bladder at the same time. Nothing to write home about there — but my prostate is considerably enlarged with an estimated volume of 150 MLS.
He will be arranging another appointment for me with the Urology Department at Wellington Hospital. But in the meantime I decided to invest some of my money earned at my favourite writing site, and buy some herbal Saw Palmetto through an online site. I received notice today that my order status had been altered to 'delivery'. My herbs are on the way and I will soon be ingesting some traditional medicine which allegedly assists prostate problems. I am very interested to discover whether these long held claims are in fact credible. If they are, I will write a follow-up here and perhaps help some other 50-60+ year olds.
So my advice to all men reading this article is to monitor the state of your prostate through a digital examination and a PSA after your 40th birthday at least.
I earlier compared mens' prostate cancer with womens' breast cancer, but womens' problems are far more urgent than mens' prostate cancer. Many men die with prostate cancer, but not so many actually die through it. That is, of course, a pretty general statement not backed up by statistics. I hope this article has created some awareness in those commencing their nocturnal visits to the bathroom.
No comments:
Post a Comment