Another year, another prostate exam. Well, actually, it's been two years and a blown-off PSA. So I get to the clinic and the nurse looks at my chart. She moved me to the ultrasound room, "just in case." Great! Cattle-prod time!

I had a prostate biopsy in August 2001 for what turned out to be a benign growth. Eight slices into the prostate through the anal wall -- and with no anasthetic. Soooooo painful. After it was done, the nurse brought me one stinking Tylenol.

So the new urologist comes in. He examined me and found nothing at all unusual. I don't need to do any more PSAs or prostate exams until I'm 50 years old. Hooray!

Middle age kind of sucks.