Has Anyone Ever Had a Problem Getting a Prostrate Exam? Posted: 05-30-07 03:41am
I turned 50 last year and was scheduled
for my first prostrate exam during my
annual physical in January of this year,
however, the exam ended up being a little
bit different than how I expected it to
be. My doctor told me that he wasn't able
to complete the exam because his finger
wasn't able to reach far enough to exam my
prostrate. Well, I was a bit confused by
what my doctor had told me because I have
never heard of that happening before.
Also, my doctor told me that the blood
test that I was going to take will reveal
whether or not there's any indication of
cancer in my body. Okay, I was a bit
confused again. I'm thinking that if a
blood test serves the purpose of revealing
whether or not a man has prostrate cancer,
then what's the whole point in men having
to get prostrate exams when they turn 50
and what's the whole point in the medical
community stressing the importance of a
yearly prostrate exam? Also, has anyone
else ever encountered this same problem
when having a prostrate exam or heard of
anyone else having this problem while
having a prostrate exam?
|
Llewellyn
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Jan 2007 Posts: 1743 Location: NY
Posted: 05-30-07 13:10pm
Good question. The FDA recommends both
the blood test (also called PSA test) and
the rectal exam (also called DRE) because
neither one by itself tells doctors
everything they want to know.
The PSA test measures PSA in the blood.
PSA levels can rise when prostate cancer
is present, however it can also rise when
cancer is not present, but benign
conditions (such as inflammation or
infection) are.
During the DRE, the doctor checks for
lumps and abnormalities.
Anyone Have Any Opinions Or Persceptives On the Matter? Posted: 06-02-07 13:48pm
Llewellyn
wrote:
Good question. The FDA
recommends both the blood test (also
called PSA test) and the rectal exam (also
called DRE) because neither one by itself
tells doctors everything they want to
know.
The PSA test measures PSA in the blood.
PSA levels can rise when prostate cancer
is present, however it can also rise when
cancer is not present, but benign
conditions (such as inflammation or
infection) are.
During the DRE, the doctor checks for
lumps and abnormalities.
Hi, Llewellyn. Thanks for the reply.
That's exactly the type of information
that I was interested in knowing. However,
I also was looking for others' opinions as
to what they thought about the doctor
telling me that he couldn't complete the
exam because he wasn't able to reach far
enough with his finger(or digit) to touch
my prostate. I have my opinion as to what
was really going on, but my opinion isn't
always right and I wanted to get other
people's opinons/perpectives on the
matter. Also, I wanted to mention that I'm
not that big of man let's say like the
wrestler Andre the Giant(may he rest in
peace). I'm only about 5'10" and around
250 lbs. Addtionally, everything that I've
every read about the prostate exam or DRE
says that it is a very easy procedure to
perform for a doctor.
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Llewellyn
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Jan 2007 Posts: 1743 Location: NY
Posted: 06-02-07 13:52pm
Yeah, that part I am not too sure about.
I don't know why he couldn't get in there
far enough. Did he offer you any
explanations, or tell you to come back
another time, or anything like that?
|
David37
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 30 May 2007 Posts: 3
Posted: 06-04-07 01:02am
Llewellyn
wrote:
Did he offer you any
explanations, or tell you to come back
another time, or anything like
that?
No, he just said that his finger wasn't
able to reach far enough to complete the
exam and that the blood test will reveal
whether or not there was any
cancer...which I now know is not correct
and that both tests are needed.
Personally, I have a feeling that there
are some unspoken issues that exist with
my doctor and now that I know the truth of
the matter that both tests are needed,
this has confirmed my feelings about there
being some unspoken issues with my doctor.
I also posted a version of this question
in the "Doctor Question" section of this
forum to get a doctor's perspective of
this situation.
