First the good news:    “Big Jim and the Twins” get to remain a trio.

Apparently I’m too old to have testicular cancer — it usually hits younger men in the 18-35 range.   And the ultrasound pretty much ruled it out.    And because the doctor could palpate the knot or nugget, and he said it was ‘soft’, he is thinking it is a cyst, along with some other smaller epididymal cysts.  He said the ultrasound also showed my prostate is ‘normal’.   But enlarged.

A lot of what he said was prefaced with “men in your age…” and “as you get older ….”    So apparently, what’s happening is just part of getting older.

ICK!

But he put me on Cipro in case there is an infection riding around down there.  He also put me on Flomax to help the prostate relax so I can pee better.   Oh goodie!   :-/

Now… as for the trip TO and FROM the hospital for this adventure…

I left the house at 7:20, made it to the bus stop in 30 minutes, and got to the hospital a little after 9:00.  Since my appointment was for 11:00 I hung out outside for a smoke.

Some guy offered to show me the incision where they’d drained his abscess.   Ummm… NO!

I got upstairs at 9:30, expecting to wait a long while.  They took me right in, I had my consultation and exam, plus took time at the pharmacy, and I was already back downtown just around 11:00.   So I stopped and got a bit of lunch at a deli near the transit center.    My bus arrived around 11:40 and I reached my stop around 12:15.  It was after 1:00 before I walked into the house — it was in the mid-90s with a heat index about 105.   And I was super exhausted by that time.   OY!

So…. so far the worst of what I’ve learned is that I have COPD, diabetes, high blood pressure, enlarged prostate … but no signs of cancer in the chest, intestine or boy bits.    So I guess that’s good.

And I’m still unconvinced about the diabetes, since every time I’ve done a finger stick, the numbers are at or lower than what I’m supposed to be aiming for.   I’m not taking anything special for it, just trying to get a 30-minute walk each day and eating slightly better (but only slightly).   And I don’t actually do a 30-minute walk each day.   My walks to Kroger are usually 60-90 minutes, depending on what I’m getting and if I’m just walking for a small load or using the granny cart for a larger load.   I usually go to Kroger every 2nd or 3rd day, so I don’t always walk every day, expecting it balances out between walk-to-market days and no-market days.

And I’m losing weight.  Yayy.