A FRIEND has been
told he has prostate trouble. Well, he's not really a friend. He's
just a bloke I sometimes see in the pub.
I don't even like
him that much.
I know nothing
about the prostate gland and how it might cause symptoms. What should
I look out for as I grow older?
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Dre replies...
MANY people feel
uncomfortable talking about the prostate, since the gland plays a
role in both sex and passing urine. You would be surprised though.
Some of the biggest players in the hip hop world suffer from prostate
problems.
Prostate enlargement
is as common a part of ageing as grey hair. As life expectancy rises,
enlarged prostate glands get more common - a few years ago a brotha
in Compton wouldn't last until he was 30. Now, with Crips and Bloods
putting down their guns, they may live much longer - and be plagued
by prostate problems.
The prostate is
a walnut-size gland that forms part of a man's reproductive system.
It lies directly under the bladder encircling the urethra - the tube
leading to the outside - and is made of two lobes enclosed in an outer
shell. It looks like some nasty shit.
It's common for
the prostate to become enlarged you get old. Doctors call the condition
benign prostatic hypertrophy or BPH. They can call it what the hell
they like. There are lots of docs, but there is only one Dr Dre.
Anyway, prostate
enlargement doesn't usually cause problems until later in life. You
be getting your social security checks before you get a word from
Mr Gland.
As the prostate
enlarges, the layer of tissue surrounding it stops it from expanding,
causing the gland to squeeze the urethra like a clamp on a garden
hose at a LA barbaqueue. The sun is blazing down...the homies are
chillin' on the left. The honeys are relaxing by the pool.
But I digress.
The size of the prostate don't always determine how severe the obstruction
or the symptoms will be. Some men with greatly enlarged glands have
little obstruction and few symptoms while others, whose glands are
less enlarged, have more blockages and greater problems.
It's like they
said on Different Strokes: nappy rash for some - it ain't nappy
rash for all.