Prostrate check

[kenneth46]

Hello,
Is it possible to ask my doctor if I could have a prostrate check?
I am not aware of any problem other than getting up about twice a night to urinate. I am 69 years of age fit and active. I have type 2 diabetes. What does the check entail (what do they do to test )?
Regards
Ken

[Dr Helen Webberley]

Hello, if you are having symptoms then you should indeed speak to your GP. He or she will ask you some questions and discuss the PSA blood test with you. They may also suggest a rectal examination to have a feel of your prostate gland but this is not always the case.

The blood test needs some thought and discussion, have a read here:

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Prostateheal ... -test.aspx

I hope this helps, Dr Webberley
www.mywebdoctor.co.uk

[Dr Jon Rees]

Hi Ken

I agree with Dr Webberley's comments - but, remember, we often jump to blame the prostate for urinary problems, but there are often other things to consider.

Firstly, passing urine at night becomes very normal as we grow older, and most men of your age are getting up once a night, and twice a night is also very common - so it may just be a normal feature of being a 69 year old man.

Think also about what you drink - trying to reduce funds, especially cups of tea, coffee and alcohol, after about 7pm, can really help some men decrease the number of times they get up - but you may well have tried that already.

As a diabetic, peeing more frequently can be due to poor control - is your HbA1c blood test at a decent level - otherwise, improving diabetic control could help your urinary symptoms also. In addition, some of the medication used for controlling diabetes can worsen urinary symptoms - a common culprit is the blood pressure medication called amlodipine (or felodipine) so if you take that, see if your GP is happy for you to try coming off it temporarily to see if it is the culprit.

Weight loss and exercise can be helpful if you are overweight - there is a big link between being overweight and passing urine at night. Also if you are overweight (and I apologise if you are not, but trying to cover all bases here!) then a condition called obstructive sleep apnoea can make you pass more urine at night - look up the STOP BANG questionnaire online to see if you think this applies to you...

Lots to think about - your poor prostate may be entirely innocent!!

Hope that helps

Jon

[Mr Benjamin Challacombe]

Ken
my colleagues have given you very sound advice
It is also possible to check PSA level as an indicator to ensure you haven't got serious prostate cancer or risk of.
This really should involve a prostate examination which is done by feeling the prostate via the back passage.
If you are worried you could have prostate cancer then both these tests could help allay any fears. They could also lead to other tests such as a biopsy which has some side effects so a discussion with your GP should occur first.

Ben

[Lord Claus]

Hello

I would like to know if it is possible to & how can you self check your Prostrate Gland? Its easy enough to self check for Testicular lumps, & breast lumps, but how can a man check his own Prostrate gland, or does it have to always be a Doctor who checks it. I have had mine checked recently & all is well.

I guess this is an odd question to ask.

Thanks

Kevin

[kenneth46]

Dr's thank you so much for your advice, certainly will be giving it all a try I am overweight but trying realy hard to loose so will keep at it. thanks again.
ken meehan

[Mr Christopher Eden]

Checking your prostate yourself isn't going to be possible, however flexible you are! Apart from the contortional aspects, you need someone who is familiar with what a normal prostate feels like to make a digital rectal examination (DRE) worthwhile. You don't have a normal counterpart for comparison, as in breast or testicular self-examination. Having said that, if you have no troublesome urinary symptoms and have a normal PSA then a DRE is unlikely to be necessary or useful.