I was going to post something on Facebook this morning about
September being Prostate Cancer Awareness month. Of course, I've haven't heard or seen anything in the media about
that, but as someone who's been through the mill, so to speak, I sometimes feel the urge to speak up about
it. So, I Googled "Prostate Cancer Awareness Month" and found quite a few returns I might link to, but when I read what was posted by the CDC and others, I thought why the hell would I even post about
it. If I were a guy reading what's being said these days about
getting screened or tested, I'd say, "Hell no." The "experts" have talked me out of it. All that anxiety I might experience. All that intrusive testing. All those side effects. I'll just take my chances.
My wife says that women often say men tend to think with their d**ks. Maybe they're right. What health authorities, she asks, are advising women to avoid mammograms or PAP smears, or other tests for the various reasons being cited discouraging prostate screening? What women's groups are discouraging other women from getting tested, biopsied, treated? Yeah, I know, they're two different cancers and behave differently, yet the numbers of men dying of prostate cancer and the number of women dying from breast cancer are not all that different.
So, I don't think I'll follow through on that Facebook post. What's the point. The USPSTF and other "medical authorities" in the last few years have done a great job of discouraging men from getting tested. Who am I to go against the flow? At least I can talk to my son and my siblings, and they understand. But, as for any broader audience, sure, I have my personal history that I could cite, but that's just anecdotal stuff, so who cares?
Post Edited (clocknut) : 9/23/2020 9:02:12 AM (GMT-6)