Free prostate screening

Hey,

My boyfriend heard that there's going to be a free prostate screening (for "research purposes") at a local hospital, and -- being of "the hobby" -- he's wondering if he should avail himself of the opportunity. Has anyone gone to any of these free screenings before -- and, if so, what's it like? Would I be able to accompany him? 😉

Well, I've never been involved in one for "research purposes", but I have gone to a few free prostate screenings in years past. Actually, I think September is prostate screening month or something like that -- so now is the time when these typically take place.

The screening itself is as you might expect. You arrive at the hospital or doctor's office, sign-in, fill out a short medical questionnaire (not usually a full medical history) and then sit there and wait with a bunch of other middle-age or older guys.

When it's your turn, a nurse (or sometimes a non-medical volunteer) will call your name and you follow them back to the exam area. In one case, I remember it was a private exam room. In another that was done at a hospital, it was just a curtained off area in the hospital's emergency or triage area. Sometimes the doctor is already there in the room and he's already putting on a fresh pair of gloves as you arrive. You're asked to drop your pants and underwear and bend over the side of the exam table while he reviews the information that you provided. The rectal exam is quick and painless.

When I had it done once at a hospital, the volunteer took me back to a curtained off area. In that area was a small hospital bed on wheels. I vividly remember that on the bed was a box of exam gloves. Seeing that got my very excited. And in that particular case, the doctor was just on the other side of a curtain performing the exam on another man. The doctor entered through the curtain, grabbed some fresh gloves from the box on the bed, and told me to drop everything and bend over the table.

I don't see any reason why they wouldn't allow you to come back with him for the exam.

It's been a few years now since I've done any of these free screenings -- but they are a bit exciting if you're into that sort of thing.

Adina, the free screening program offered in Canada in places like shopping malls is a free PSA Blood Test. If the program is similar, the technicians will be wearing rubber gloves but he will only need to roll up his sleeve and not drop his pants. They also provide literature about prostate cancer which recommends who should visit their doctor for a regular DRE as well as PSA test, however they do not perform a DRE at the screening clinics.

I have to agree with the good doctor on this one. I don't think it's going to be nearly as much fun as you think it is!

Just a guess,

LadyDoc

I agree with the last couple of posts.

If you want a good time, have your girlfriend do your "exam."

Nursing students from UNCW will assist in the event. The clinic includes digital rectal exams, which check for growths or enlargements of the prostate gland, and Prostate Specific Antigen tests, which measure the protein produced by the prostate.

http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=13134551

I had prostate cancer 10yrs 10months and 7 days ago. I cannot tell you how much early detection helped. Since then every six month check has been good. At discovery the DRE was negative, but the PSA was 6.0 and that led to biopsy. The short of it; early detection a good result. I elected to have mine removed and sent to the landfill.......some consequences, but nothing like some of my friends who were detected in later stages. Think about what females go through in their exams; a finger in your anus and some blood.... not a bad exchange for valuable information.

Course

Course-

Thanks for a valuable and timely message. I know there are several other gentlemen on the forum that have had their own experiences with prostate cancer. To each and every one of you, thank you for providing us with the information that you have.

And ladies, if your man hasn't had a checkup/screening recently, insist on it. It's a small price to pay for reassurance.

Play On!

LadyDoc

Adina,

I'm almost 60 years old. I recall attending a screening session about 5 years ago. As I recall only the men over 50 were given DRE's .

Del

This thread is a couple of years old, but I wanted to share my recent experience at a free prostate screening.

Free screenings were held in my area last week and since I happened to be conveniently near one of them, I decided to partake 😃 I'm over 50 and have a strong family history of prostate cancer, so I easily met the qualifications. This is something that I need to have periodically checked, but it doesn't hurt that my medical fetish allows me to also enjoy it.

I arrived at the doctor's office that was having the screening, filled out some basic paperwork and then waited my turn. There were two other men in line in front of me. First up they drew blood for the PSA test. Her name tag said she was a medical assistant, so I'm assuming she wasn't a nurse.

Once the blood was drawn, it was time for my rectal exam. A young male Indian doctor came out, greeted me and asked me to follow him back to an exam room. Once in the room, he asked if I ever had a rectal exam before (I answered yes), and then he proceeded to explain more about the exam, what he'd be looking for, etc. He told me that new U.S. guidelines are now discouraging regular prostate screenings to save money. It was then that I told him about my family history and he readily agreed that I need to be checked regularly.

He started to pull on a pair of exam gloves as he was talking with me. He then told me I could "go ahead and drop my pants" to get ready for the exam. Now, I've had prostate exams in several different positions, with my favorite being on the exam table on my hands and knees. But it had been several years since I'd been to a doctor that regularly used that position. I figured this was my chance to try it again.

As I started to unbuckle my jeans I turned toward the exam table and asked "do you want me on the table on my hands and knees?" Before he could answer, I volunteered that I had it done that way in the past and it seemed the most comfortable for me.

He answered that most of the time he just has the patient lean over the table, but if I'd like to get on the table, that would be fine with him. Finally, I had another doctor that was willing to go along with my preferred position.

I quickly undid my jeans and dropped them and my white boxer shorts to the ground. With them down around my ankles, I climbed up on the exam table on my hands and knees. I spread my knees apart as far as they could go, dropped my head down to the table and moved my hands above my head. Being in this position with my bare ass up in the air, I felt more vulnerable that I had in a long time. And that was a good thing. In my mind I was imagining the embarrassing view that this young doctor now had of me.

The doctor now made a comment. He said "very good, this is actually the best position for this exam." I thought to my self, wow, he actually likes this position after all. Almost immediately after making his comment, I felt his cold and very slippery finger enter me. I could feel him pressing on different parts of my prostate, all the while he was explaining what he was doing and what he was feeling. It seemed like he was taking his time with the exam. He was probably in there maybe 45 seconds to a minute, which doesn't sound like much, but really is when you're in that position.

He finally withdrew his finger and told me that I could get up. As I did, he handed me a tissue that I used to wipe the excess lubricant from my ass. He told me that I had some enlargement and that I need to get regularly checked. I pulled up my shorts and jeans, thanked him and left. I should get my PSA results in the mail in a couple of weeks.

After I left, I thought more about his comment when he said "very good". I wondered exactly what he meant by it. What exactly was "very good"? My position? His view of my bare ass? Easy access to my hole? I also wondered if he might consider using this position on other men that day, maybe even on the next man in line after me.

Another old thread, but a recent discovery again- here's my 2 cents again...

For those interested in getting a free screening with a legitimate purpose (screening for prostate cancer, sometimes other conditions), check www.prostateconditions.org periodically. They keep a calendar of free and low-cost events: usually PSA, most but not all also include a digital rectal exam - my last one also checked testosterone, blood sugar, cholesterol. A previous one did all of that plus screened for testicular cancer and included a bone density scan, all free, and staffed by UCLA or Cedars-Sinai physicians and volunteers. The results are mailed to you several weeks later. If they find abnormalities during the rectal exam or testicle roll, they tell you on the spot and try to get you into a referral for follow-up investigation.

Most events are in September, since that's Prostate Cancer Awareness month, almost none during the rest of the year. I attended two in LA at community healthfaires in the past couple years; got DREs at two different car shows several years back. Everyone involved seemed friendly and professional, no long waits. All followed a similar script: you fill out a form with basic info, your blood is drawn, then you're shown into an office or cubicle where a urologist explains the test and why it's important, and why they're happy to see you - then drop your pants and bend over. It's 15-20 minutes from start to finish, usually some kind of snacks or juice/coffee for goodwill. Most want to test only if you are over 50, or black and over 40; but if you had anyone in your immediate family with prostate cancer (I was barely 40 initially, had a first cousin with prostate cancer which I didn't consider a close relative like a father or brother would be - but two testing stations said That's Pretty Close, and on went the gloves...)

The car shows (check out Cruisin For A Cure, several locations across the country, occasionally during winter months) advertised a FREE PSA test; Costa Mesa and Ft Worth didn't mention the DRE but the van is there; when they draw your blood they encourage you to step inside for a "quick exam", meaning The Finger. Its a good cause, could save a life including yours; frequently the volunteers are prostate cancer survivors wearing their I Survived shirts, and with stories on what they went through and why they're working to prevent more.

You can do something very worthwhile for yourself or your husband or boyfriend; and some will enjoy it at the same time so it's a win-win situation. Check it out

I would definitely take advantage of something like that. If you've never had a DRE, it would be a great way to introduce yourself to the sights, sounds and overall experience of an actual rectal examination.

No, you aren't going to get a handjob form an 18-year old candystriper with red thigh-high pantyhose or a blowjob from a hot, gay doctor (or whatever it is you may fantasize about).

But it's good to know exactly what a doctor says in an examination scenario, the sound of the glove being stretched on, the feeling of the cold, lubricated finger sliding past the anus and deep into the rectum, the humiliation of being handed a wad of tissues for you to wipe your hole while another man looks on, etc.

We used to have a annual health fair event in a local mall in my city. There would be skin screening exams in a partitioned off area off the mall. They would even do full DRE and PSA testings as well. Right in the middle of the mall with tall cubicle's.

A screening is a screening. It is not a complete exam and I doubt it will be a rewarding medfet experience.

The gym I used to go to in London once offered free prostate screenings. PSA and DREs were carried out in a room off the locker room.

My straight gym mates at the time were intrigued with the idea of DREs and I remember they talked for hours about them when they saw screenings were scheduled.

Most joined me in taking up the offer of screening and from their accounts of their exams - which they didn't hold back sharing - I think they all enjoyed the experience.

They were all buff guys in their early 20s and very masculine/sporty types. I just wish I could have been a fly on the wall watching them "drop 'em" and lean over the couch whilst the 30 odd year old, hot, male doc probed their virgin asses...

A screening is a screening. It is not a complete exam and I doubt it will be a rewarding medfet experience.

I suspect it will be for most. And it's a heck of a lot better than nothing.

Keep in mind, a digital rectal exam takes about 30 seconds even during a complete, detailed physical. So getting that same 30 seconds at a screening at a gym or office will still give you more or less the complete experience. It's not like a full gyn exam that takes much, much longer.

And as I mentioned earlier, you will still get the same sensations associated with being told to undress, bend over, hearing the doctor put on a glove, lube up, [alpating the prostate gland, etc.

I wanted to update this old thread one more time, since I went to another free screening last week. The screening itself wasn't all that interesting -- just the normal blood draw to check my PSA and then it was into an exam room for a quick (and somewhat forceful) DRE by a male urologist. Nothing all that unusual there.

The one thing that I did find interesting was the email that they sent me prior to the exam. One day prior to the exam they sent me a reminder email with my scheduled screening time, directions to the facility, etc. They also included a section that described what would take place during the screening. I suppose this was meant to warn those men who might have never had a prostate screening before. It included two items:

1) PSA Blood Test. This test measures the blood level of a protein made by your prostate. A nurse will draw a single vile of your blood that will be sent to our lab for processing.

2) Rectal Exam. This involves the doctor inserting a gloved, lubricated finger into your rectum to determine if there are any bumps or irregularities in your prostate.

I don't know why, but I think the way they worded the description of the rectal exam is kind of hot! Reading that, and anticipating the actual screening was more arousing than the actual thing.

They had a similar event here in Phoenix a month or so back, in the parking lot of a nearby Safeway store, of all places.

The gym where my wife and I work out is owned by one of the local hospitals. They have a health fair every year around this time, put on for free by the doctors and nurses from the hospital. Last weekend they had this year's health fair. It includes the usual screenings these things typically have, such as blood pressure checks, cholesterol and blood sugar, weight/BMI/body fat percentage, etc. But new this year was a skin cancer screening and for the men, screening for testicular cancer and prostate cancer screening. For the women a breast cancer screening was being offered. After discussing it with my wife, we decided to attend the health fair. She would go for the skin and breast cancer screenings and I would get the skin, testicular and prostate cancer screenings. Here is how it went....

We showed up and signed up for our respective screenings. We were given forms to fill out, and after we did we were told to go to the basketball court, where they had set up curtained off separate areas for the men's and women's skin cancer screenings. She went into the women's section. This is how she described it to me.....

There were three separate sections curtained off from each other, each with a portable folding exam table, covered with exam table paper. She was led to the third cubicle and was instructed to undress down to her bra and panties. The nurse closed the curtain and my wife removed her beige cashmere sweater, black leather high heeled knee high boots, dark blue skinny jeans and shiny beige pantyhose, and sat up on the table in just her black microfiber thong and bra to await her turn.

She heard the female doctor examining the woman in the cubicle next to hers, so she knew what to expect when it was her turn. First she had to remove her bra, and the doctor went over every square inch of her upper body, including her scalp, under her arms, and under her breasts. She was told she could put her bra back on, then she was instructed to stand up, and the doctor examined the backs of her legs, and since my wife was wearing a thong, the doctor was able to examine her buttocks while she still had her panties on. Then she was told to remove her thong and lay down on the table....

As she laid back on the table, she saw the doctor slipping on a pair of white nitrile gloves. The doctor first examined her legs down to her feet, then instructed her to bend her knees up, then let her legs fall all the way open. As she lay there in the frog leg position, the doctor examined her hairless pubic area, including the folds of her labia and peri-anal area. She was told all looks good, no suspicious moles or other marks to worry about. My wife sat up and was told she could get dressed.

I had my screening wearing only my light gray microfiber boxer briefs. I had to remove them to have my freshly shaved pubic area examined. Even my scrotum and peri-anal area was checked. I was told all looks well, no suspicious moles found. After I got dressed, we met up and went to the area of the gym where our next screenings would take place. It was near the entrance to the weight room where there are three offices where the personal trainers consult with clients. She had to wait at the first one and I had to wait at the third one. The middle one wasn't being used. My wife described her screening to me.....

After going into the small office, she had to sit up on the folding portable trainer's type table. After the nurse asked several questions about any family history, any past or current concerns about breast health, whether she does breast self exams, etc., my wife was told to remove her sweater and bra. The nurse did what my wife described as the most thorough breast exam she has ever had, both sitting up and laying down. She said the exam lasted several minutes. After the exam, she was told all checks out fine and she can get dressed.

My exam went fairly quick in comparison. After I was asked about any family history of testicular or prostate cancer, any past or current concerns, and whether I perform testicular self exams, the doctor said that since I'm in my mid forties, he will have some blood drawn for the PSA test and will perform a digital rectal exam to feel my prostate, and even though testicular cancer is more common in younger men, he will examine my testicles as well. After a nurse drew a small vial of blood, she left and I was told to stand up....

As the doctor snapped on a pair of white nitrile gloves, he instructed me to undo my jeans and to pull them down as well as my undershorts. As I let my jeans drop to my knees and I pulled my boxer briefs down to mid thigh, he sat on a rolling desk chair and rolled up to me and began feeling my testicles one at a time. After thoroughly rolling each one in between his thumb and index and middle fingers, he said all feels normal. Then I was instructed to turn around and face the table, bend over and rest on my elbows......

As the doctor lubed up his index finger, he said to relax and it will be over quickly. As I felt him part my left cheek I felt a cool wetness as he first placed his well lubricated finger on my anus. Then he said to relax and take a deep breath. As I did he quickly pushed his finger in as deep as it would go. As I went up on my tiptoes a little, he palpated my prostate firmly. I have had several rectal exams before, but only two from a male practitioner. His finger was by far bigger and longer than any other that has examined me. It hurt a little when he first pushed it in me. As he palpated my prostate, I felt that familiar urge to pee and that small tingling sensation on the head of my penis. He told me that my prostate feels normal and healthy, then slowly withdrew his finger and said I could clean up and get dressed, pointing to a box of tissues on the desk by the exam table. After I left the room, I met up with my wife.

We went home, described our exams to each other in great detail, and had a great afternoon of sex. We plan to attend next year's health fair, too! And we are looking forward to our physicals we have together coming up in June. We love to watch each other getting thoroughly examined!