To Men Over Fifty: Your Answers to These Questions Can Save Your Life

Do you have:

1) need to urinate often at night

2) frequent or urgent need to urinate

3) difficulty in starting or stopping the urine flow

4) inability to urinate

5) weak, decreased or interrupted urine stream

6) dribbling at the end of urination

7) straining while urinating

8) a sense of incompletely emptying the bladder

9) burning or pain during urination

10) blood in the urine or semen

11) painful ejaculation

12) bone pain (especially in the back, hips, thighs or neck)

13) weight loss

14) fatigue

15) low red blood cell count (anemia)

If you answered “yes” to more than two of these questions, you need to be further evaluated by a doctor. Questions 1 through 11 may fit a variety of conditions, mostly involving the prostate. If you answered yes to any question between 12 and 15 as well, it is even more imperative that you find out as soon as you can what is going on.

Dr. Hernandez is happy to address your health-related questions in his column. He may be contacted at HawaiiND@BigIsland.net.