Do not be embarrassed about visiting your doctor!

[RattyParticipant 3]

I am Type 2 diabetic.

 

But the way I discovered that I am diabetic is, according to my doctor, rather odd.  Had I complied with the conventional stereotype of the man who is embarrassed and reluctant to visit the doctor I would’ve lived with the condition in ignorance and do untold damage to myself in the process.  You see, bizarrely, my diagnosis came about because of a problem ‘down there’ and as we all know only too well, us chaps are famously reluctant to let doctors look at our private parts!

 

I discovered a greyish looking lesion on the head of my penis – my heart leapt at the sight of it (that and the fact that it wouldn’t wash off!).  I could’ve just tried to ignore it and hope it would go away, as most of us do.  Instead, after a week or so I booked an appointment to see my doctor.  After examining my penis (a little embarrassing but nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be) he referred me to a urologist.  The urologist also examined my penis and then asked me if I was diabetic, to which I replied that I wasn’t as far as I was aware.  He informed me that there was a higher than normal concentration of sugar in the urine sample I provided.  He also said that the lesion on my penis was likely caused by Balanitis Xerotica Obliterans (BXO), a bacterial infection of the penis that diabetic men are particularly susceptible to.  As a result, blood tests were arranged and a few weeks later I was diagnosed as Type 2 diabetic.  The BXO on my penis thankfully went away after a few weeks and a course of  topical cream – had I left it unchecked it could’ve destroyed my entire urethra which would have required lengthy reconstructive surgery to rectify.

 

I have since come to terms with my condition and have managed to get my blood sugar under control through improving my diet and getting more exercise.

 

The moral of the story is never to be embarrassed about going to the doctor.  I’m so glad I plucked up the courage to go to my doctor and have my private parts looked at, lord only knows what serious complications I could’ve fallen victim to, such as going blind or losing one, or both, of my feet.  A little embarrassment at the doctor was ultimately a price worth paying.

 

It is about time that we men took more ownership of our health and wellbeing – I’m so glad I did, even if it took me having to be diagnosed with diabetes.

[MadmanParticipant 772]

Thanks man. I havent been to the doctor since 2008 when I had a skin cancer removed from my lip.. I hate doctors and needles. 🙂

[rasputinParticipant 52]

I would go to a doctor more often if I was at all competent of their abilities to actually diagnose a problem rather than make you wait an hour after your appointment time, see you for 90 seconds, prescribe antibiotics and then give you a $150 bill.

[Author]

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