During May 2011 there is a campaign in Sweden to raise awareness among men about testicular and prostate cancer.
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer among young men. The vast majority of patients are cured. The earlier the disease is detected, the better.
It's good for men themselves to regularly examine their testicles so that any changes are detected quickly.
It's good for men themselves to regularly examine their testicles so that any changes are detected quickly.
Testicular Self-exam
Decide on a fixed date each month that you feel through the testes. Take the opportunity when you stand in the shower or a bath. Hot water will relax the skin of the scrotum and make it soft and easier to investigate.
- Support the scrotum and testicles in the palm of your hand, to feel their weight. One testicle may be slightly larger than the other, but they should be about the same weight.
- Hold a testicle between the thumb and fingers, with your thumb on top and first and second fingers underneath. Roll the testicle gently, feeling for any hard lumps. A normal testicle is oval in shape; it feels firm but not hard and is smooth with no lumps.
- Feel the epididymis, a sausage-shaped lump at the top and back of each testicle. It will feel soft and perhaps slightly tender.
- Feel the spermatic cords which lead upwards from the epididymis and behind the testicles. They are firm, smooth tubes.
- Do the same with the other testicle.
The symptoms of testicular cancer include:
- a painless lump or swelling in a testicle
- pain or discomfort in a testicle or in the scrotum
- any enlargement of a testicle or change in the way it feels
- a feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
- a dull ache in the lower abdomen, back, or groin
- a sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum.
Prostate Self-Exam
It's easy for a man to feel his own prostate gland. It's a walnut-sized organ at the base of the bladder. It can be felt with the tip of a finger inserted into the rectum. Its texture and firmness should be similar to that of the flesh between your thumb and the rest of the hand when you make a tight fist. If you feel anything that is as firm as the knuckle, then that needs to be brought to a physician's attention.
Some men, however, will experience changes in urinary or sexual function that might indicate the presence of prostate cancer. These symptoms include:
- A need to urinate frequently, especially at night
- Difficulty starting urination or holding back urine
- Weak or interrupted flow of urine
- Painful or burning urination
- Difficulty in having an erection
- Painful ejaculation
- Blood in urine or semen
- Frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs
Very good posting Bock and i recommend everyone that read this blog to read this post VERY carefully and guys, it can happen to everyone
ReplyDeleteI was 23, and felt one day that something was wrong...and well it was....
Since then I have lived with cancer, some years have been good, other worse.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Walentine, that was a really great thing to do!
ReplyDeleteOn the whole, I believe, we men would do a lot better if we discussed these matters more and shared information and experiences with each other.
I totally agree with you there Bock.
ReplyDeleteMen have this weird idea that its weird to talk about these things. Our female friends have normally way much better insight in this how to know your body. Maybe its because they have to visit certain doctors during their lifetime so they early learn to feel their breast and so on. The same thing should be for men. The best way to stop cancer is to find it in an early stage, and many times people suffer more then they have to just because they didn't went to the doctor in time or that they just didn't cared when they felt something was wrong.
I did that mistake and had to take the consequences of it. I lost a a lot of years where I could have done funnier things then eating pills, and getting radiation.