As the year comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to
encourage you to take care of yourself. While this seems
like an obvious statement that doesn’t need much
explanation, I want to simply challenge you to pay attention
to your health and listen to your body.
As many of you know, my wife and I have both had major
health issues over the past year. In my case I am a prostate
cancer survivor and she continues to recover from major
surgery following a severe attach of diverticulitis.
That being said, both of these conditions were festering in
our bodies for years and were only identified and eradicated
due to regular attention to our heath and the process of
having annual physical examinations.
In my case, I had been having my PSA levels checked
through a simple blood test annually. Even though my PSA
levels were rising ever so slightly, with constant due
diligence when cancer cells were finally identified, the
surgery was scheduled before the cancer could spread.
Unfortunately, I’ve come to know of too many people who
don’t take the time to schedule an annual physical (because
they feel fine) only to learn that when symptoms start
manifesting that the underlying condition they’re dealing with
has spread making it more difficult for it to be successfully
addressed.
Its counter intuitive that in a society where we don’t hesitate
to get the oil checked and tires rotated on our cars as part of
the routine maintenance process that so many overlook their
annual physical exams because they feel fine.
Men, if you have not had a PSA blood test done in the last
year, please schedule one and while you’re at it, ask your
physician about a fecal occult blood test as a way to check
for the pre-indicators of polyps or colon cancer between
colonoscopies (that should be done every 10 years,)
Ladies don’t overlook the importance of having an annual
mammogram and Pap test. A close family member of mine
went years without getting an annual gynecological exam
and ended up being diagnosed with ovarian cancer which
took her life at age 55.