Kathy - It must be the nature of the beast, that men seem to think nothing will bring them down. I have been off line so to speak for the past few days due to my father's illness. He remains in ICU in Columbia and unfortunately some of his complications have been due to his diabetes and lack of "following the rules". Diabetes is certainly nothing to be taken lightly and can cause so many other health concerns.

By the way, Happy late Birthday! I hope you and your new knee are doing well. Make sure that husband of yours waits on you constantly!

Thanks Kathy for the link. I found the information, in my opinion, to be very truthful. One comment I would like to touch on is the following: Four in 10 (42%) men have been diagnosed with at least one of the following chronic conditions: high blood pressure (28%), heart disease (8%), arthritis (13%), cancer (8%), or diabetes (10%).

From my first blog, I touched on the importance of colon screenings, blood test, etc. As I said then and I still want to reiterate, I am not a medical professional nor do I work near the health profession. I research and find information regarding a particular health issue facing our family and I read as much as I can. Colon/rectal cancer became an issue for me because of the death of my first husband.

My current husband, whom I married in September 2006, suffers from Diabetes Type 2. We have known about this diagnosis for approximately one year and for the most part, he has done very little to control is diet, exercise, etc. The disease has gotten to the point that now he has to do what the doctor tells him or his everyday health and activities are going to diminish greatly. Diabetes is a silent killer to me. You know you have it, take your medicine, eat right, and you will be fine. Easier said than done I am sure. I think the very first hurdle a patient has to clear is recognizing that they have Diabetes and they need to learn to take care of their blood sugar levels.

Men are often times thought of as wearing bulletproof armor. They do not have 100% protection against anything. Our job women are to keep after these men to get the screenings when necessary, go to the doctor if something isn't feeling quite right. Do not just assume about any suspicious health issues, my experience only is talking.

Watch for more future postings about my rookie Diabetes 2 sufferer husband. Back to the research board, then men need us to keep them around longer Kathy. This is why we baby-sit them.

Kathy - So true, I think men in general tend to think they are made of steel. From my experience only, for the most part men do not take their health as serious as women do. I have no statistical data to back-up that theory of course, just an assumption.

Some of this male "Superman" theory could be in defense of possible ideas of which they heard during childhood; simply they are providers for the family and should not be frail or weak.

K Mullins-Lamb

Kathy,

You very right about testing and the importance of it. While they may not be the most exciting things, we want to endure, as you said, "they are essential not only for good health but also for peace of mind.

Many times, I have questioned myself and whether we chose the correct treatment for my husband, was there something else that could be done? He generally was not sick and when he was, he was very difficult to get to a doctor. As he approached age 40, he should have taken a more aggressive approach to his health. We had good health coverage; there should not have been an excuse of not being able to afford it, or the idea "I cannot miss work."

It is my belief that we only have one chance here on earth. We are given only one body and we must take care of it and enjoy the years we are here.

Family history is extremely important and the knowledge of particular diseases common in family history can work as a guide for future generations. I know that my children specifically were told that they should start having colonoscopies at age 30 simply because of the young age their dad developed rectal cancer.

What was my grandmother's old saying? "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Makes good sense to me.

K Mullins-Lamb

MountainCl1mb3r,

Thanks very much for sharing the youtube video link. Although I had not previously heard of Dr. Pausch, after viewing the video and doing a Google search, I will certainly remember him.

For those unfamiliar with Dr. Randy Pausch, he is a Professor of Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, and Design at Carnegie Mellon University. In the summer of 2006, Randy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In August of 2007, the cancer had metastasized to his liver and spleen; the doctors gave him an estimate of 3-6 months of healthy living left. According to his March 19, 2008 posting on his web page www.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch, he is resting at home following a recent hospitalization.

Dr. Pausch displays the same amazing determination that I have often seen in my volunteer work with cancer patients. Continually I am amazed with their zest for life, desire to fight, and pure appreciation of life experiences.

One thing that Dr. Pausch has been quoted as saying is, "you can't control the cards you're dealt, just how you play the hand."

K Mullins-Lamb