Michael Vass annual medical exam - 3.11.2008.2

Once a year I take a moment to speak about health, particularly mine. That time has come again this year.

I cannot emphasize enough the need to be sure of your medical health. Often it’s because men, especially African American and Hispanic/Latino men, rarely go to the doctor when we are sick it’s normally a very bad situation. Far too common is the fact that a little prevention like an annual checkup is all that is needed to catch a cancer in its early stages.

This is even more important if you have family history that makes you at higher risk. In my family I have had a sister, who is younger than me, diagnosed with early stage cancer. That was found by luck during an exam. My father had cancer of the tongue, high blood pressure, and diabetes. My grand-mother died of a heart attack in her 60’s. None of these things are unusual in Black families. In fact I had my best friend lose his father to Prostate cancer that was not detected until late stage of the disease. And it killed him. He was only in his 50’s. As was my father.

So yes I take this serious. And so should you. I don’t like doctors any more than anyone else. And as a small business owner I don’t have health insurance so the cash coming out of my pocket is huge. Yet it’s money worth it.

• My total cholesterol was at 128. Which is highly desirable and means a lowered risk of heart disease.
  
• My blood pressure is 102/94 which is also good.
  
• My heart rate is about 78, which is ok.
  
• My AIDS test was negative. I get that checked every year, and have been since I was in the military at age 18. It’s always good to know.
  
• My PSA, a prostate cancer test, was .7, down from .97 the year before. This is an excellent report.
  
• But a potential negative is that my C-protein test was high, and up by 100%. While still in low range, it is a forward indicator of potential heart disease. Thus I need to stop (or at least cut back under the 1 pack a day I’m at) my smoking, eat vegetables (which I despise), work out, and learn how much fat I eat and cut it to 30%. Drinking is also a factor in this I’m told.
  

But I recently learned from my doctor that 15% of men that have normal results from the PSA test may still have prostate cancer. Thus at the ripe age of 39 years 11 months and 27 days to go I had my first prostate exam. It was not something I was looking forward to, but was long overdue.

Because of the prevalence of Black men getting and dying from prostate cancer it’s recommended that we start getting checked at 35. My best friend started at 33 because of his father. And if you think, like I did, that a normal PSA means you don’t need the exam, remember this. My doctor knows a man that had a normal test and upon the exam was found to have early stage cancer. Because it was found the cancer was removed and the guy is living a normal life. Had he not, the PSA may not have found anything until far too late.

And as men of color, who don’t like tests and doctors as is, do you really want to risk missing a cancer that we are in the highest risk group for? Especially since the exam does not cost anything extra?

Now I won’t tell you the exam was pleasant. It wasn’t. And as embarrassing as it was I will tell you this, it was not as bad as you imagine it to be. Maybe 30 seconds of feeling highly unpleasant, but not extreme pain. But it confirmed that I have no signs of this killer disease among people of color.

I rarely see any bloggers, especially blogs by men of color, which discuss this. It needs to be talked about a bit. It will save lives.

Get an annual physical. Check for diabetes, AIDS, prostate cancer. Check your cholesterol levels and other tests. Even if you don’t think you need it. Because like insurance, you only will be concerned after you find out that you need it.