Good news / bad news

[telleutelleme]

Went to the Doc today for the semi-annual check-up. Lab work the same (actually pretty good), weight unchanged, yada yada. Asked when the dreaded prostate exam would be done. He said, don't worry at your age, you would have gotten colon or prostate cancer by now and we rely on PSA readings (excellent) and the colonoscopy is more dangerous at your age than what we might find unless there have been previous pre-cancerous polyps (none). So the good news is no more tests and the bad news is I'm probably going to die before any of those tests could help. Can't say I'm going to miss either test though.

We had a nice chat, talked about the blues and a couple artists he is listening to. He is working on my meds for leg cramps at night and having to visit the bathroom at 1, 3 and 6am. Another sign of age. He is great with "I don't know, probably cause you are older" answers for things like why I get leg cramps.

I gave him a Joe Bonamassa CD for Christmas to get even. It is a Beth Hart collaboration so it is actually a good CD. He has to upload it to Apple Music to listen in his car. These young folks, go figure. I really like the guy, he has been our PCP for almost 25 years.

 

[Vibroluxer]

You cannot beat a good Doc. I've seen mine for 9 years and even followed her when she switched practices. She's the kind that will call at 8 or 9 in the evening to give me test results or whatever. Dr McIntyre rules!!

 

[bgmacaw]

"You know my doctor, Dr. Vinnie Boombatz."

 

[dogmeat]

yeah... kina in the same boat. "the good news is something else will probably kill you first". gee, thanks doc

 

[Cyberi4n]

I had a template biopsy recently. Some areas of concern, but none were cancerous. The consultant at the time told me it was good news, if I was going to get prostate cancer I’d have had it start by now. He was happy to discharge me, after he’d zapped my kidney stone and given my bladder the final once over (I had bladder cancer some years ago)

 

[posttoastie]

Your doctor may be mistaken when discussing no need for Colonoscopy. Good luck with his misguided approach. A colonoscopy is a very simple procedure. My nurse wife worked in a GI lab, they did upper and lower procedures all day long and they saw lots of bad outcomes due to lack of preventative colonoscopy's.
True after 70 most guys will deal with prostate issues, so a simple digit test is nothing, really its nothing. Colon tests should start at 45-50 depending on family history.
Read about Dave Alvin's current medical issues to see what can happen if you forgo routine tests.

 

[Peegoo]

Waiting around for symptoms is like never changing the oil in a car's engine.

You have to be proactive and take charge of your own medical care these days. Nobody else--not even your doctor--will do it for you.

Yeah, some doctors are better than others, but the vast majority of docs operate under the law of averages. And there are never any guarantees that your health profile will remain within the fat part of the bell curve.

 

[rcole_sooner]

Gotta be proactive in your own medical care.

As said colonoscopies are not that bad. Not having them could be.

 

[Toto'sDad]

Went to the Doc today for the semi-annual check-up. Lab work the same (actually pretty good), weight unchanged, yada yada. Asked when the dreaded prostate exam would be done. He said, don't worry at your age, you would have gotten colon or prostate cancer by now and we rely on PSA readings (excellent) and the colonoscopy is more dangerous at your age than what we might find unless there have been previous pre-cancerous polyps (none). So the good news is no more tests and the bad news is I'm probably going to die before any of those tests could help. Can't say I'm going to miss either test though.

We had a nice chat, talked about the blues and a couple artists he is listening to. He is working on my meds for leg cramps at night and having to visit the bathroom at 1, 3 and 6am. Another sign of age. He is great with "I don't know, probably cause you are older" answers for things like why I get leg cramps.

I gave him a Joe Bonamassa CD for Christmas to get even. It is a Beth Hart collaboration so it is actually a good CD. He has to upload it to Apple Music to listen in his car. These young folks, go figure. I really like the guy, he has been our PCP for almost 25 years.

It's cool having the same doc for years. I actually enjoy seeing my doc when it's time for a visit. I know he'll be the one that will one day tell me, you know what TD, you're going to be leaving here before long, but that's okay he's been good to me, in the meantime.

I've mentioned it before, but our doc saved my wife's life around six years ago when he answered the phone at 1:30 in the morning. Not many of those kinds of docs around now. Because of my wife's heart problems, we've paid a LOT of money for insurance that allows her to keep her doctors. To me, it's been worth every penny.

 

[Vibroluxer]

Your doctor may be mistaken when discussing no need for Colonoscopy. Good luck with his misguided approach. A colonoscopy is a very simple procedure. My nurse wife worked in a GI lab, they did upper and lower procedures all day long and they saw lots of bad outcomes due to lack of preventative colonoscopy's.
True after 70 most guys will deal with prostate issues, so a simple digit test is nothing, really its nothing. Colon tests should start at 45-50 depending on family history.
Read about Dave Alvin's current medical issues to see what can happen if you forgo routine tests.

This isn't medical advice and I have a healthcare background.

The unfortunate recent news regarding colonoscopies is that they are of dubious value. That sadly will stop some people from getting one.

New study examines the effectiveness of colonoscopies | CNN

A "landmark" study suggests the benefits of colonoscopies for cancer screening may be overestimated.

www.cnn.com

But....

Colonoscopies save lives. Doctors push back against European study that casts doubt

Colon cancer specialists worry that results of a study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine could be misconstrued, and keep patients from getting lifesaving cancer screening.

www.npr.org

Personally, I get one every 4 to 5 years. Whenever insurance pays for it.

Regarding the digit exam, recent news is that a PSA blood test is the preferred screening method...

Comparison of Digital Rectal Examination and Serum Prostate Specific Antigen in the Early Detection of Prostate Cancer: Results of a Multicenter Clinical Trial of 6,630 Men - PubMed

To compare the efficacy of digital rectal examination and serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the early detection of prostate cancer, we conducted a prospective clinical trial at 6 university centers of 6,630 male volunteers 50 years old or older who underwent PSA determination (Hybritech...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Me? I do both and the digit is awkward because my Doc is a woman. But better safe than sorry.

 

[schmee]

My Doc says you need a colonoscopy. OTOH I do worry at my age if going under is worth the risk.

I had high PSA for a long long time with no cancer. I doubt the value of those tests really.

However biopsies of the prostate due to those high tests resulted in an infection that required surgery to correct.
"I know, lets punch 15-20 holes through the ecoli infested colon wall into this guys prostate!"

What could possibly go wrong?
Much of medicine is still the equivalent of "leeches and bleeding".

 

[posttoastie]

 

[Toto'sDad]

A long time ago, when I was working for a Trucking company, they sent me over for a physical. The doc looked me over, then told me he was going to have to give me a rectal exam. I said, no, that ain't happening. He looked a little taken aback and said, well it's part of the exam. I said, it's not part of MY exam. He said I can't sign off on your physical if you don't let me give you the exam. I told him you do what you have to do. He stood there for maybe a minute or two, and finally said, well you look pretty healthy to me. I never heard anything else about it.

 

[tele_pathic]

I won't attempt to give medical advice here. I mean, I am a doctor, but I'm not a medical doctor.

I had my first colonoscopy this year. The prep was awful. And I was nervous as a long-tail cat in a room of rockers the morning of. When in the GI lab, the nurse told me that if I survived the prep, the procedure itself was easy, go to sleep and wake up later. And I'll be danged if that weren't true. Doc trimmed a few polyps and had them biopsied, nothing of concern thank gawd. So, prep terrible, procedure easy, nothing to be scared of.

As for not getting one...We had a close friend die of colon cancer at age 42 because his doc would not allow a colonoscopy because he didn't fit the profile; he was too young and fit. Dead two years later. If this procedure can help diagnose illness, why not?

 

[Vibroluxer]

Burt Reynolds meets a proctologist...

 

[Happy Enchilada]

Hey there fellow TDPRI old timers: They have a new thing nowadays where you "collect a stool sample" and package it up and they send it to a lab to determine whether you have ass cancer. I've done this myself, and I've also had colonoscopies - and I know which one I prefer.

 

[ping-ping-clicka]

Went to the Doc today for the semi-annual check-up. Lab work the same (actually pretty good), weight unchanged, yada yada. Asked when the dreaded prostate exam would be done. He said, don't worry at your age, you would have gotten colon or prostate cancer by now and we rely on PSA readings (excellent) and the colonoscopy is more dangerous at your age than what we might find unless there have been previous pre-cancerous polyps (none). So the good news is no more tests and the bad news is I'm probably going to die before any of those tests could help. Can't say I'm going to miss either test though.

We had a nice chat, talked about the blues and a couple artists he is listening to. He is working on my meds for leg cramps at night and having to visit the bathroom at 1, 3 and 6am. Another sign of age. He is great with "I don't know, probably cause you are older" answers for things like why I get leg cramps.

I gave him a Joe Bonamassa CD for Christmas to get even. It is a Beth Hart collaboration so it is actually a good CD. He has to upload it to Apple Music to listen in his car. These young folks, go figure. I really like the guy, he has been our PCP for almost 25 years.

Your Happy, I'm happy for you .
Some said getting old isn't for sissys , but I do know (my Friends who identify as Sissy boys and they are tuff as nails if need be.
Anyway I call it roadwear and visualize a Dark Green 1952 Chevy Delivery truckthat's been used everyday for the duration.

 

[ping-ping-clicka]

Hey there fellow TDPRI old timers: They have a new thing nowadays where you "collect a stool sample" and package it up and they send it to a lab to determine whether you have ass cancer. I've done this myself, and I've also had colonoscopies - and I know which one I prefer.

I've never had the much maligned colonoscopy .
I do have a ostomy and the Doctor said not surgery until you can walk up two flights of stairs and breath normally, and that isn't happening, so it's me and my ostomy traveling into the sunset together. I hope that you remain cancer free as well as very healthy for a good long while.

 

[fjblair]

I've had two colonoscopies and it's no big deal to me. I think the bark of the prep is worse than the bite. I haven't had a doctor do the DRE in over a decade.

 

[KokoTele]

At my physical last year, my doctor didn't even have me take my pants off. Same doc for years, and this seemed odd. I asked about it afterward on a pilot forum I'm on that's full of doctors. They said that the blood work is much more reliable for prostate symptoms than the finger exam.