PSA is not an airline!

OK, guys, it’s time to fess up; have you had your PSA blood test and a rectal exam to see if your Prostate Gland is enlarged? Oh, God, now I’ve gone and said the “R” word. I know a real man is going to say, “No freakin' way is a doctor going to stick their finger up my butt!” Ten years ago I felt the same way, especially when my doctor had a finger the size of a flashlight.

An interesting thing happened while having my physical that day. My prostate was enlarged and the blood test showed my PSA was elevated from .01 to 7.5. Doc recommended a specialist and it was only a short period of time before I was on the operating table having the nasty thing removed. A year later my PSA started to climb slightly and I went through radiation treatments, which knocked the PSA down to .001, where it has stayed to this very day. By the way, radiation treatment is a walk in the park compared to the chemotherapy I would have gone through had I not taken care of business ten years ago.

You may be asking yourself why I am writing a blog on this subject. Well, I am not only writing this blog, but I have also started a book. You see, someone very close to me has Prostate cancer and I am determined to make their story the poster child of Prostate cancer cure. Like most cancers, early detection is the key to survival. While it may be a good day to die, dying of cancer is not how I want to leave the planet. Sure, we all have to die. Only an idiot would argue against that fact, but if I can pass peacefully without pain and suffering, it would not only be better for me, but much better for my loved ones who have to watch the passing. Most people in my age group have watched loved ones pass and when they leave us suffering from the horror of cancer, it should and does create a lasting impression.

This brings me back to why some men won’t have yearly physical exams and blood tests. Folks, if I had the answer to that question, many lives would be saved every year. Being macho is part of it, but fear of needles and doctors' fingers certainly also play a role. Do what I finally did, guys, I found a female doctor! Problem solved; small finger and perfume makes the whole ordeal much easier.

Write on,

Mittster