Do not mess around with prostate disease!!! Accept that if you have a prostate gland you need to be aware of the symptoms. If you are 40 or older, you need to work with your doctor to develop a life-long early warning plan that will identify prostate problems and result in appropriate, timely treatment if required.
Not all prostate problems indicate the presence of prostate cancer. But only your doctor, with specialists, can make that More…
Falls in the Home (and more)
“Some people believe that falls are a normal part of aging, and as such are not preventable. But this is false. Falls usually are caused by certain health conditions (due to normal physical changes of aging or from illness) and/or environmental hazards in the home interfering with safety.” (Dr. Rein Tideiksaar Ph.D.). More…
This is likely to be my last Vitamin D blog and I’m not even going to write it.
In an earlier offering I tried to make the case that we should all make sure our Vitamin D tank is always topped up; because we need it and it isn’t likely to be just about bones.
Well today in the New York Times Health section, Jane E. Brody drove the nail home More…
Pain, particularly chronic pain is no joke! Fortunately my experience with pain does not include the chronic variety. You might ask, “Why are you Blogging about it then”? The answer is I came across an article printed by the American Geriatrics Society – Dealing with “Persistent” Pain in Later Life and believe that a lot of people could benefit from the information in the article. More…
It annoys me when I read a headline like this: “Vitamin D Does Not Prevent Cancer”; or substitute “Heart Disease”, or any other affliction. From my point of view such headlines are irrelevant. Making sure that your body has enough vitamin D is the point, regardless of the benefits. Our bodies need Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin. It is essential to good health. Essential!!! When possible, I like to examine topics from … More…
What does being proactive about your health mean? Of course it can mean a lot of things. How about “avoiding medical errors” for starters? After all, it is your good health, quality of life, and well-being that you should be concerned about. General advice: when dealing with any part of the medical or caregiving community, do not be timid, afraid to ask, or … More…
Are you okay? What a great question to ask. How can it ever be wrong to enquire after another person’s health, state of mind, or status? The question is not always well received, as you likely know, despite the good intentions. But it is worth asking regardless! … If your community does not offer this service, it could be worth your while … More…
Even though I lived alone for several years, I hadn’t given a great deal of thought to what that could mean until I came across an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. Following is an Abstract of the article: “Persons Found In Their Homes Helpless Or Dead” … the authors actually stated that the need for a telephone check-in service to check on people living alone was clear. More…
I was a caregiver. Unfortunately it was for too short a period before our father passed away. The term “caregiver” (or “carer”) was not in my vocabulary, at least not in the way the term is defined today. So how is caregiver defined? From Wikipedia, a widely accepted official definition of a carer/caregiver is someone whose life is in some way restricted by the need to be responsible … More…
First let’s acknowledge that pets can be great companions. They bring happiness, comfort, and humor to their companions. Unfortunately pets are not for everyone and careful consideration should be included in the decision before inviting a pet into your home. Estimates by Statistics Canada and the American Veterinary Medical Association … show that there are more than 160 million dog and cat pets in the United States and Canada. More…
Gluten-free may be for you; but for me it is essential. I think it is time that the subject of gluten intolerance becomes more available to the public. Let’s be clear about it – for some it is fashionable to be gluten-free, for others it is advisable, and for people with Celiac Disease it can be critical. The most obvious examples of products that contain gluten are More…
Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in men and the third leading cause of death due to cancer in men. I have prostate cancer. When I decided to do a post on this subject it was not my intention to be autobiographical. But I realized that the information I want to convey is far more meaningful if I include personal experiences with the disease.
This is a three-part blog: Part One – “Testing and Monitoring”; Part Two – “You’ve Got Prostate Cancer!”; and Part Three – “Advanced Prostate Cancer”. More…
Whether over the phone or in the doctor’s office it is really hard to put a positive spin on this statement: “You’ve got Prostate Cancer.” But don’t panic. It is vitally important to take the time to make sure you fully understand your treatment options. The normal path to this pronouncement is: from your family doctor (who will have ordered a PSA test and/or performed DRE); to a urologist who will further examine you and recommend (if necessary) a biopsy; and back to the urologist who may give you the “not so good news”. More…
Cancer cure is the goal of radical prostatectomy surgery. Unfortunately, despite earlier detection and treatment of Prostate Cancer today, recurrence following surgery is experienced in about 30% of cases. For many men, due to age or the nature of their cancer, treatment may not be required for many years, or ever. When it is determined that further treatment should be undertaken, hormonal therapy is typically the first treatment used. It will kill some cancer cells and will slow the cancer’s progress. But before agreeing to start hormonal therapy “a man should always question his doctor: More…
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and the third leading cause of death due to cancer in men.
The three posts dealing with this subject are now available on the Living Alone – RUOK? blog; and are grouped in the blog category Health Matters.
The purpose of the three posts is to increase awareness about the disease, to promote proactivity in the identification and treatment of the prostate cancer, and to increase the lay person’s understanding of this killer. More…
In Christopher Hitchens’ caustic 2010 essay “Tumortown” about his battle with esophageal cancer the celebrated journalist singles out for scorn those who offered unsolicited advice on miracle cures, soothing tonics and nourishing diets.
The one piece of advice Hitchens’ heeds comes from a Cheyenne-Arapaho friend, who notes that all of her friends who turned to tribal medicine died almost immediately and if anyone offers him the same, he should “move as fast as possible in the opposite direction.” More…
George S. has been a subscriber to our Personal Telecare Service since 2004. In no uncertain terms his unsolicited testimonial describes the value of the Sentry Telecare daily check in service. The value resides in the fact that the service is PROACTIVE. It can be scheduled to call one, two, or three times each day to determine the status of the person receiving the call. Whether that person is absolutely fine, conscious but not able to move, disoriented, or unconscious the status of the check-in call recipient will be determined and as necessary, action will be taken. More…
Early, consistent testing and thus early treatment of prostate disease may help men avoid a some unpleasant urinary tract difficulties and help men avoid sexual dysfunction. Early, consistent testing may also catch prostate cancer at an early stage and therefore allow the patient to avoid extended treatment or an early departure. More…
Finally, I am ready to resume blogging. I wish I didn’t have excuses for not resuming the blog before now, but in fact the prostate experience took me out of action.
First, I thank you readers for your very kind comments about the earlier blogs. More…
“Harvie, I am curious about why you subscribed to our Personal Telecare Service”, I asked.
“Well Jon, I own a dog. I’m not concerned about myself, but if a personal health issue arises, I want to make sure my pet is looked after”. It turned out that Harvie is more than a dog owner; he is also a pet rescuer. The foregoing is not a transcript but rather an accurate representation of my conversation … More…
Based on client and potential client demand we have added an important new feature to the Sentry Telecare Telephone and Medical Alert Service offering.
We are very excited about being able to provide this convenient enhancement to our service.
Please read the following News Release More…
Serendipity is great happenstance. Only a few days after posting “Living Alone with Pets and Telecare Service” I stumbled upon a US based website and associated service that informs you about how to create a legally enforceable plan to protect your beloved pet … a nationally renowned expert in estate planning and the preeminent authority on continuing protection of all animals … More…
Based on the accepted state of knowledge about Celiac disease, to avoid the health issues that can result from the condition a gluten-free diet is essential. I am a “Celiac”. (see earlier Blog). Discovery of my problem resulted from doctor pursuing a significant iron deficiency reported from a blood test. Due to the disease my body had stopped absorbing iron and my “iron tank” was near empty. No symptoms … More…
