I did my blood test on Monday morning of last week for my first ever PSA exam. PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen. I turned 40 this year and it’s time to see if the family tendency for prostate problems is trying to minifest itself in me. Our old perceptions and taboos that we historically haven’t talked openly about have probably been killing us Black men needlessly for generations. Well I’m doing my part to help stop that trend.

It’s time to confront this health matter head on. Our family reunion is later this month. I’m going to risk angering and irritating some relatives for the sake of family health education. That’s O.K. though. If the effort saves lives I’ll give a good shake to the entire family tree (LOL).

The desired outcome is that in the process of updating the ancestral record maybe some of the folks in attendance will start talking, remember some past health events of their own and of those who have passed away, and perhaps begin to connect the dots. This should encourage my generation and younger to be more proactive about doctor visits and all of the important exams.

My doctor told me that getting started on the process early is important because men between 40 and 60 get lax on having the proper battery of tests done on a regular basis. That’s one reason this age group gets in trouble health wise. Unfortunately Black men in particular are still notoriously negligent about annual check ups and having problems checked.

We REALLY have an issue dealing with anything in remote proximity to our testicles. Yes I said TESTICLES in bold capital letters. Fellas, stop acting crazy and start being more sensible. All it takes to start off is a blood draw that gets tested. That’s what the PSA lab exam is for - to check for the appropriate levels of the important ingredients in your blood. If anything is out of whack the doctors will know and they can start working out strategies to solve any issues before they become real problems. If it’s already a problem, maybe they can solve it and keep you on this side of eternity with your families a few years or decades longer.

Contrary to movie and T.V. stereotypes, the anal exam is not the first step. For your information the formal name is DRE or digital rectal exam. But hey, even if it was the first step, so what. Do you really want to risk unnecessary problems by doing nothing? Go ahead and get checked to make sure you stay in the best health shape possible.

Before you do that though do some homework. I’ve been calling different family members who know “who died of what and when”. I’ve been finding out all sorts of stuff covering cancer, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease in my family. When I went back to see the doc later last week for my PSA test results I was able to have an intelligent health history discussion with him. You guys need to do the same thing. By the way, my test results were great. Just need to excercise more like most of us.

So let’s review what you need to do this week: (1) Call your relatives and document your family’s cancer history, (2) Call your physician for a PSA test. (3) Read up on the American Cancer Society and Prostate Cancer Foundation links high lighted through out this post and further educate yourself on the subject. Save yourself and help your family in the long run. Maybe we can all hang around for a while longer.