Testicular Cancer

Uh oh.

Lump felt in testicle.

Let me feel it again

And again.

And again.

And again.

Now it hurts.

Uh oh. Better call the doctor. Uh oh.

Just as many women are taught to examine their breasts for lumps, men are told to examine their testicles for lumps. Lumps could be cancer and if detected early, testicular cancer is one of the most curable cancers around.

Problem is, not too many men have actually been taught what is normal to feel and what is not. (Any of Dr. Roesel's male patients who have been through her testicle tumor teaching moment may skip this next part.)

Unlike other organs found in the trousers, HARD is BAD in the testicles. If you feel a hard lump that feels like a rock, see a urologist right away. Cancer tends to be hard and painless (unless you have felt it so much it is now hurting).

On the other hand, soft and squishy is usually okay but any lump should be checked out. There are many things that are benign that can cause lumps in the scrotum, remember that. But always err on the side of caution and get it checked out.

The treatment for testicular cancer has one of the highest success rates of any cancer, if the cancer is detected and treated early. For some types of testicular cancer surgery alone is curative. Sometimes radiation and/or chemotherapy are needed.

If a testicle is has be removed, prosthetic (replacement) testicles are available. The funny thing is, they are available for dogs too. Those are called "Neuticals". (I am not joking.) The clear one in the photo is filled with saline, the opaque one is solid silicone, in case you were wondering.

There are reports linking smoking marijuana to the development of testicular cancer. Just so you know.

Call us if you feel a lump or something. We're here to help.

Oops I Did It Again - A Quick Post About Premature Ejaculation

Premature ejaculation brings feelings of shame, frustration, inadequacy and embarrassment to many people every year.

What exactly is premature ejaculation? The American Urologic Association defines it as follows: "Ejaculation that occurs sooner than desired, either before or shortly after penetration, that causes distress to one or both partners." Wow. That's pretty vague.

The key to determining if it is a problem or not is if it bothers you or your partner. If it doesn't, it's not a problem. And until sex becomes an Olympic sporting event, it's not a competition, either. Just because your friends may say they take 45 minutes to ejaculate doesn't mean it's the standard.

There you have it. (Or maybe you don't). But it's common. There are a number of things that can be done to help improve it.

The "squeeze technique" is a very well known trick. When you feel yourself getting too aroused you stop and squeeze the penis just behind the head. May work, may be too late.

Thinking distracting thoughts may help. Garbage, the Bengals and hockey statistics are examples of things people think about.

Avoid desensitization creams and lotions. If you look closely you can see the active ingredient is a powerful topical anesthetic. If it gets onto your partner's genitals, your partner will feel..... nothing. Your partner's genitals will be asleep.

Now there are some oral medications which can help. Call for an appointment to see if they might be right for you. In this case, don't delay!

What's Wrong With This Picture?

A) This woman's bustier is too tight

B) This woman has a bad dye job on her hair

C) This woman forgot to put on her nail polish

D) This woman is SMOKING

A) This woman's shirt is too short

B) This woman needs to go on a diet

C) This woman's upper arms aren't very toned

D) This woman is pregnant and SMOKING

A) Grandma has dirty fingernails

B) Grandma needs an eyelid lift

C) Grandma is not sharing

D) Grandma is SMOKING

A) Penises do not have arms or eyes

B) Scrotums do not have legs

C) Scrotum legs do not wear boots

D) The penis is SMOKING

The correct answer in each case is of course, D. Smoking.

Smoking has been positively linked to bladder cancer. Not possibly, definitely.

And smokers who continue to smoke after a diagnosis of bladder cancer have a very large risk of developing metastatic disease within 2 years. Once bladder cancer has become metastatic life expectancy is usually less than 3 years.

Many bladder cancers start as superficial lesions that can be treated if caught early. Unfortunately, bladder cancer isn't always very obvious so if your doctor tells you that you have blood in your urine even if you can't see it, follow your doctor's recomendations to have it checked out.

Common risk factors for bladder cancer are age (over 40), being male and smoking.

If bladder cancer is caught early before it becomes invasive, treatment is much simpler. If it is invasive, then the discussions change dramatically to options such as removal of the bladder and/or radiation and chemotherapy.

People often fear quitting smoking for fear of gaining weight.

You can lose weight. It is much harder to lose cancer.

Other people fear becoming irritable if they stop smoking. There are lots of good ways to help cope with this, though.

There is hope and help if you want to quit.

And each time you try to quit, one day you really will.

The saddest part of Christmas this year was going to the funeral of one of my favorite patients who died of bladder cancer. She never stopped smoking.

Please try. For everyone who loves you but most of all for yourself.

We can help. Talk to us.

Mea Culpa - the blog has grown stale

Mea maxima culpa

It's not for lack of time

Since most of my last three months have been spent like this outside of work

Let's see if we can bring this thing back to life, shall we?