Evelyn Dove Coleman: Let's Prevent Prostate Cancer

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.  Because my father didn't show any symptoms of being sick before his PSA blood test returned results too high to not address, I encourage men to ask their physicians to do their screenings. Some say wait until a certain age. Some say stop after a certain age. I say check your family history and be your own advocate to prevent prostate cancer.

The PSA blood test measures the level of prostate-specific antigen in the blood. Higher levels can indicate potential issues. According to the Mayo Clinic, prostate cancer usually has no presenting symptoms. But, there are warning signs that should motivate men to go see their doctor. The  common warning signs of prostate cancer include  frequency in urination, blood in the urine, pain or burning during urination, and pelvic or lower back discomfort.

These signs are also frequently caused by non-cancerous conditions like benign prostatic hyperplasia.  So it is important to talk to your doctor or to even get a second opinion just so you have all the information you need to make your own informed decisions.  It's your health.  Two men in their 40's have told me that their wives urged them to seek screenings and their PSA blood tests had surprising findings.  They were able to  take steps to remedy the problems before they became more serious. My father had lived another 15 years with hormone treatments due to early detection at age 80 during his screening.

 Evelyn Dove Coleman established PathChoice Ministry in 1992. Send prayer requests to www.pathchoicepastoralcounseling.weebly.com.