For Your Health

June 22, 2015

(Photo Credit: sportsandspineortho.com)

 

For Your Health  by WillLean Snyder, RN

I pray that all our Fathers enjoyed a very special and blessed Father’s Day.  My Dad passed away 3 years ago from prostate cancer and I miss him dearly.   The men in our lives; fathers, sons, uncles and brothers often times only seek medical help in emergencies or when pushed to go by a concerned spouse or family member.  Regular annual wellness physicals and cancer screenings are vital to good health and life expectancy.  So ladies, lets commit to making sure that the men in our lives see their physicians annually.  I often attend my husband’s appointments with him to ensure that he makes it to the office.  Occasional checkups which involve examinations of the rectum, scrotum, penis or testicles are frequently avoided by men even more so than women dreaded mammograms and pap smears. Let’s help them to understand that a moment of uncomfortableness can prevent or minimize the occurrence of a life threatening illness. In this spot light I’ll touch on the incidences of and screening for prostate and testicular cancers.  Awareness, self-exams along with regular physicals and screenings are vital to early detection and treatment.

According to the American Cancer Society Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in men next to skin cancer.  The prostate is a gland which secretes fluid necessary for emissions and is located behind the penis. It is approximately walnut sized and becomes prone to problems as men age.  According to the CDC about 1 in 6 men will develop prostate cancer in his lifetime but only about 1 out of 35 will die. This is why early detection is crucial because it is treatable if detected early.  Screening involves a gloved finger rectal exam by your physician and/or a PSA blood test, prostate specific antigen. Early prostate cancer may not show symptoms. Men who experience symptoms of blood in urine or semen, weak or painful urine stream, frequency with urination especially during sleeping hours or difficulty obtaining an erection please see your physician.

Testicular cancer is less common, according to the American Cancer Society, but remains the most common cancer in men under age 35. The 2 testicles are reproductive organs, located in the scrotum, that produce sperm and testosterone. There is some debate concerning if examining your own testicles are beneficial but rather cause alarm over non-cancerous findings. This is a personal decision but I encourage all males to become familiar with the normal feel of their own testicles. To perform a self-testicular exam it’s important to be relaxed.  After a warm bath or shower stand with one foot on side of tub and gently grasp your scrotum and feel for one of the testicles. Slowly “roll” the testicle between the thumb and fingers feeling for lumps. Switch legs and repeat with opposite testicle.  Each should feel firm to the touch but not hard. There should be no pain or swelling. The outside should feel smooth without lumps or bumps. One testicle may hang lower than the other and one may be larger.  You will also feel the epididymis “a spongy tube-like structure” at the top and down the back side of each testicle. If you feel any of the abnormal symptoms listed above or a structure which feels like a “sack of worms or spaghetti”, see your doctor. It may not be cancer but a physician will need to perform an exam or run tests.

*NOTE: No claims of liability for the decisions you make based on this information will be acknowledged, It’s purpose is for awareness only and not intended to replace the advice of your physician. .