It's almost Movember!

[maryannette]

Some guys I work with are participating in this campaign to raise funds for and awareness of prostate and testicular cancers. (Testee would appreciate this.) I had never heard of it until today. Anybody else participating?

http://us.movember.com/about/

 

[maryannette]

Hmmmmm. ...

I guess there does need to be a campaign to raise awareness and make it easier for men to talk about personal health issues.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

This guy talks about his fight with breast cancer.

 

[maryannette]

Yes, men can get breast cancer.

 

[csb]

Co-worker just found out last week that he has prostate cancer. We have had more uncomfortable talks in the last week than I ever imagined, but it's been good to keep his spirits up. He's laughing a lot about it in general, when it's really pretty scary.

 

[kevo_55]

^^ My Dad had it last year. He had surgery and basically had to wear a diaper for a while. He is cance free now.

He made so much fun of himself. With that sort of diagnosis, that is all you can do.

Thanks for posting this Mary!

 

[FLBuff PE]

My dad had prostate caner and surgery about 13 years ago. He was cancer free for 12 years, then his PSA number started creeping up last year. He had a bone scan to make sure the cancer was not spreading last summer (very scary time for me). He had localized radiation, and is now cancer free again. No matter how unpleasant, once you reach your 40's, get the exam from your doctor on a yearly basis!

 

[csb]

We were talking about how big it is and what it looks like, so I Googled "prostate" and got the above image. I told my co-worker I found his problem- if his doctor would just get his finger out of there, he'd be able to pee. Later we were talking about his options (surgery, radioactive seeds, radiation) and when we were talking about surgery I said, "How do they get to it?" and he said, "Well, kinda in between..." and I said, "They go through your taint? Wait, am I allowed to say taint at work?" Then we had a good laugh. He's nervous about the surgery, because of the diaper/bag of pee issue.

 

[EM_PS]

^ they really only use one finger!? not it what seems like. .

No matter how unpleasant, once you reach your 40's, get the exam from your doctor on a yearly basis!

yeah unfortunately, i need to go in for this yet this year. My previous doc said every other year is kinda the rule till 45 or something, but you can come every year if you want! Hmmm, not a tuff choice - but yes, i will cuz it is more proactive & makes wife not carp at me for never seeing our family physician unless i'm taking the kids in or something

 

[testee]

Some guys I work with are participating in this campaign to raise funds for and awareness of prostate and testicular cancers. (Testee would appreciate this.) I had never heard of it until today. Anybody else participating?
http://us.movember.com/about/

I am singular you know

 

[FLBuff PE]

We were talking about how big it is and what it looks like, so I Googled "prostate" and got the above image. I told my co-worker I found his problem- if his doctor would just get his finger out of there, he'd be able to pee. Later we were talking about his options (surgery, radioactive seeds, radiation) and when we were talking about surgery I said, "How do they get to it?" and he said, "Well, kinda in between..." and I said, "They go through your taint? Wait, am I allowed to say taint at work?" Then we had a good laugh. He's nervous about the surgery, because of the diaper/bag of pee issue.

The surgery and post-op are better than the cancer winning.

^ they really only use one finger!? not it what seems like. .

yeah unfortunately, i need to go in for this yet this year. My previous doc said every other year is kinda the rule till 45 or something, but you can come every year if you want! Hmmm, not a tuff choice - but yes, i will cuz it is more proactive & makes wife not carp at me for never seeing our family physician unless i'm taking the kids in or something

Do it for your kids! It has been very stressful on me to watch my dad go through it, but I can't imagine what it would have been like if the docs hadn't caught it early.

 

[csb]

The whole thing looks like the guy is ringing a doorbell.

Co-worker is not so sure he wants to do surgery first, as opposed to trying radiation first. I told him surgery first was my advice (as a Professional Engineer with no prostate), because if the cancer has spread, they can see it. Radiation doesn't give them that same luxury.

 

[Supe]

Rectum? Damn near killed him!

Seriously though, they found polyps when my father went and he went into panic mode. Turned out to be nothing. I've had so much go wrong with me thus far, I'll have one before I turn 30. Definitely can't stress the importance of checking up on what seems like something that can be brushed off. Nobody in a million years expected me to have thyroid cancer when I did, and if I hadn't checked it, they told me I wouldn't have made it out of my 20's. Scary thought, especally when you're talking about an hour at the doc's office having the potential to save a life.

 

[FLBuff PE]

The whole thing looks like the guy is ringing a doorbell.
Co-worker is not so sure he wants to do surgery first, as opposed to trying radiation first. I told him surgery first was my advice (as a Professional Engineer with no prostate), because if the cancer has spread, they can see it. Radiation doesn't give them that same luxury.

Radiation definitely is NOT a cake walk. It is frought with it's own symptoms, none of them pleasant. I also recommend surgery first. I'm not a doctor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. OK, not really, but I DO have a PE stamp!

 

[csb]

I told him the same thing about radiation- my friend has just gone through surgery, radioactive pill and then radiation for thyroid cancer and the most brutal one was the radiation. It burned her skin and made it nearly impossible to eat. Granted, it was all near her throat, but I can't imagine it's much gentler down there.

 

[TouchDown]

I had an unusually uncomfortable conversation with my uncle about how sad I was that he wasn't going to be able to make it to my mom's 70th birthday and that we missed him. He went into the TMI zone when he began talking in too much depth about his prostate (has cancer and is in treatment now with the radiation "plugs" they place in the prostate)... and how his body is handling it.

It's been probably 7 or 8 years since I've been checked out but it does run in my family.

And instead of Movember, I've heard of Proctober... but they changed the date or something this year to November instead of October, so I guess they had to have a new name?

 

[maryannette]

I think men in general are more uncomfortable talking about health problems, especially when it involves sensitive issues. But, I think it's better than it used to be. Too many easy ways to take care of yourself to let some disease take you out.

 

[tymr]

^ I agree. My dad had prostate cancer and by the time they diagnosed the prostate cancer he was already in advanced stage bone cancer. Eighteen months just isn't long enough to say good bye. We have since found out that the type of cancer he had is highly herititary so all of the men in our family have been advised to get checked before 40.

 

[Road Guy]

This is a good idea , more men die of prostate cancer than women do of breast cancer, yet no one seems to take notice or care much. Seen all the pink stuff on the NFL games?

My grandfather and dad had pollups removed so I get to look forward to yearly exams with a camer when I turn 40 in a few years,

"you using the whole fist doc?"

 

[benbo]

I'll be getting my annual PSA and fickle finger of fate award in a couple months. I'm not really sure how necessary that physical test is since they have the blood test, although I know they can find other benign prostate enlargement as well. But they are even rethinking how often people should have these tests because in a lot of cases prostate cancer is over diagnosed and over treated. My father had some sort of benign prostate enlargement a long time ago and they did some sort of roto-rooter process that I think would now be completely unnecessary.

I think I heard that if they live long enough most men will get prostate cancer at some point, but that in general it is so slow growing that it won't do anything. In fact, I think that after the age of 80 they often don't do anything about elevated PSAs because they figure something else will kill you first. The probelm is that they have a hard time discerning between fast growing and normal prostate cancer.