<p>I just read a thread by a woman who had concerns when her doctor wanted to do a biopsy after a mammogram. Quite reasonably, she wanted advice from the women on a few questions and worries she had. This prompts me to remind us men, to keep our loved ones up to speed on how we’re feeling and anything they should know about. </p>
<p>I was diagnosed in 2006 with pseudomyxoma peritonei, a rare form of cancer in the abdomen. It’s incurable but fortunately it is treatable. My wife, as you might expect, was very worried early on, and I found that making sure she knew everything that I found out was the best way to go. That’s kind of obvious, sure, but it’s also important to keep your family aware of your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, how your PSA levels are doing and all the rest. I don’t mean you need to annoy your family with every detail of every checkup, but you should make sure to tell your loved one[s] about how things are going. In my experience they worry about it more than they let on.</p>
<p>And if you feel like something is wrong, say so. It could make all the difference not only in life-and-death issues, but also quality of life. My father hid his condition from the family because he didn’t want us to worry, so when he had a stroke which he could have avoided, it caused us all a lot of problems which could have been avoided, because he admitted after the fact that he had noticed a lot of warning signs, things he hid from us. </p>
<p>Real men talk to their families.</p>
<p>[/soapbox]</p>