Last December at my annual physical, my blood test came back with some odd numbers. At the time I was feeling great; better than I’d felt in years. But the test meant something might be wrong. 

It took a number of months to get a diagnosis of polycythemia vera. Basically, my bone marrow makes too many red cells, white cells, and platelets, and that’s a bad thing. There is no cure, but it’s fairly easily controlled. I am now considered controlled and I’m looking at a prescription, a monthly blood test, and having some blood removed every few months. I have no restrictions and other than my hands getting cold easily it does not affect me. It’s a minor inconvenience, nothing more.

However, I know another fellow about my age who was diagnosed with the same thing at the same time. But his had gone undiagnosed for much longer and because of that, he’s worse off. The condition is placing real restrictions on his life. The only difference is his went on for a long time before being diagnosed.

My point in all of this is that my checkup saved me a lot of trouble down the road. I’d probably have gone a couple of years before the effect of the disease pushed me to see a doctor and those couple of years could have caused some real damage to my body. A check-up when I felt great was a very good thing for me.

I know men tend to be bad about going to the doctor, especially when they feel fine. For young and middle-aged guys in good health, this is not usually a problem. But for men fifty and older regular checkups can be life-saving. Things like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, bowel and prostate cancer don’t give early warning signs. But they can be found early with simple tests and found early they can be treated or managed.

If you love your guy, if you want him around for a while, then push him to get checkups if he’s fifty or better and not doing them. Bribe him if you must, but get him checked!

~ Paul – I’m XY, and I’ve been checked!

♥ #CouplesQuestion: What one goal would you like to meet in the next month?

A post worth reading:

Intimacy in Marriage | How to Enjoy Sex Even if Your Adult Children Live With You ◄ Set a good example!

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