Men’s Guide to Prostate
Changes, Part 5: Doctor Dialogue
Based on the “Understanding Prostate Changes: A Health Guide for
Men” page
of the
National Cancer Institute
website
Edited (with Introduction) by Dr. Don Rose, Writer,
Life Alert
--
This article discusses many prostate-related
topics, ranging from the basics (what it is) to information about prostate changes
that happen with age (common changes, how they are treated,
and what one needs to know about testing for prostate changes, including cancer).
Since negative changes become more likely the older we get,
this information is especially relevant for
senior citizens. (The article is broken up into five segments. This is part
5.) --Dr. Don Rose
--
Talking to Your Doctor
Different kinds
of doctors and other health care professionals manage prostate health. They can
help you find the best care, answer your questions, and address your concerns. These
health care professionals include:
·
Family doctors and internists
·
Physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners
(NPs)
·
Urologists, who are experts in diseases of the male reproductive
and urinary tract systems
·
Urologic oncologists, who are experts in treating
cancers of the male urinary and reproductive systems such as prostate cancer
·
Radiation oncologists, who use radiation therapy
to kill cancer cells
·
Medical oncologists, who treat cancers with
medications such as hormone treatments and chemotherapy
·
Pathologists, who are doctors who find diseases by studying
cells and tissues under a microscope.
View these professionals
as your partners -- expert advisors and helpers in your health care. Talking openly
with your doctors can help you learn more about your prostate changes and the tests
to expect.
Checklist of questions
for your physician
•
What type of
prostate problem do I have?
•
Is more testing
needed and what will it tell me?
•
If I decide on
“watchful waiting”, what changes in my symptoms
should I look for and how often should
I be tested?
•
What type of
treatment do you recommend for my prostate problem?
•
For men like
me, has this treatment worked?
•
How soon would
I need to start treatment and how long would it last?
•
Do I need medicine?
How long would I need to take it before
seeing improvement in my symptoms?
•
What are the
side effects of the medicine?
•
Are there other
medicines that could interfere with this medication?
•
If I need surgery,
what are the benefits and risks?
•
Would I have
any side effects from surgery that could affect my quality of life?
•
Are these side
effects temporary or permanent?
•
How long is recovery
time after surgery?
•
Will I be able
to fully return to normal?
•
How will this
affect my sex life?
•
How often should
I visit the doctor to monitor my condition?
Resources
Cancer Information Service (toll-free)
Telephone: 1–800–4–CANCER (1–800–422–6237)
TTY: 1–800–332–8615
Online
NCI’s Web site:
http://www.cancer.gov
LiveHelp,
NCI’s live online assistance:
https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/livehelp/welcome.asp
Medicare
For more information
about Medicare benefits, contact:
Toll-free ................1-800-MEDICARE
(1-800-633-4227)
Online....................www.medicare.gov
National Kidney and Urologic
Diseases Information Clearinghouse
Toll-free
................1-800-891-5390
Online....................www.niddk.nih.gov
This article is based on the webpage “Understanding Prostate Changes: A Health Guide for
Men” -- part of the
National Cancer Institute website. The information provided here is, to the
best of our knowledge, reliable and accurate. However, while
Life Alert
always strives to provide true, precise and consistent information, we cannot guarantee
100 percent accuracy. Readers are encouraged to review the original article, and
use any resource links provided to gather more information before drawing conclusions
and making decisions.
Dr. Don Rose writes books, papers and articles
on computers, the Internet, AI, science and technology, and issues related to seniors.
For more information about
Life Alert
and its many services and benefits for seniors – available in
New York
,
California
,
Florida
, and other states nationwide -- please visit the following
websites:
http://www.lifealert.com
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