A rectal exam is normal.
That would be a DRE....
You should not be so offensed by a Dr. wanting to check you out.
What are you afraid of?
Yes, between the PSA and a digital, you are given information that may save
your life.
Just my 2 pennys.
John Loomis

Who in the hell wouldnt want to know if they were developing prostate
cancer in time to cure it?  At 49, you really need to start doing this.
DRE is no big deal at all, over in about a second, and you're not even
sure what happened. The doctor is not a pervert, and it's quite trivial
to you.  The most serious part is that you may need to wipe a bit of
lubricant from your butt. While you are doing that, the doctor will also
check for colon cancer with the stool card.  Relax, and be a big boy,
it's for your own good.

No, its not 100%.  If it is suspicious, then you'll be sent to a
urologist for a biopsy to confirm it.  I'm not going to tell you what
that involves  :)  If the stool card is positive, you'll be sent for a
colonoscopy.

hi dave - well, it's your body.......

and you can keep the doctor's finger out of there if you want.  

but you did ask the question, so here is my response....

i was dx'ed with prostate cancer by an elevated psa only.  oh, i had the
finger wave, but the surgeon couldn't feel anything, even when he did it
just hours before the operation.

would i tell the doc to keep his hands to himself - certainly not!!!

i would want as much input on my condition as possible.   hopefully, it
would be a clean bill of health.  but let's go to the other side of the
fence.

let's say that you did have prostate cancer. let's say that the DRE
would have found the prostate cancer.  but because you did not opt for
this, you let it grow.  now, how would you feel knowing that because of
your attitude, you help caused your problem to worsen?

if you ask the question, "who the hell would want a DRE for the sake of
getting a finger in the butt"  i think you would find about a 100%
response in your favor.

but if you were to ask, "who the hell would want a DRE of the sake of
finding out if they have prostate cancer"  i think you would find a 100%
response not in your favor.

just my .02 cents.

~ curtis

knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional    
"Many more men die with prostate cancer than of it. Growing old is
invariably fatal. Prostate cancer is only sometimes so."
http://community.webtv.net/PALMER_ENT/doc

Just about any male over 40, maybe 50.

I WANT cops to profile bad guys, I WANT librarians to report people reading
how to make bombs, and I WANT doctors to check me for PC. All three solve
problems or help prevent bad things from happening to good people. Getting
the finger and giving the drops of blood may save your life at virtually no
cost.

I.P.

<snip>

The doc was over-optimistic with his 100%, but for most of us, this is
the way a diagnosis progresses on it's way to a multi-core TRUS
Biopsy.

The initial PSA readings have been found to be off in some cases, and
you should request a FREE PSA reading at the same time. Get 3 lots
done over a 2 week period.

The initial DRE sometimes has not been accurate in the Staging
(depends on the expertise of the Urologist). Most Stagings are
increased post Surgery or post Biopsy.

If you get a very good multi-core Biopsy operator first up, you will
then get an almost 95% accurate diagnosis on the cores' Gleason
Scores.

If these show positive, then you would be further advised to assist
you in making your decision on treatment options.

-- Reader to complete...
-- Please reply to this ng as my email adress is fake:

-- Regards

-- CC

Dave wrote...snip...
The doc started talking about PSA tests and said that combined with a
DRE the combo was 100% effective in diagnosing cancer. 100%? Is this
true? Doesn't seem right to me.

Dave...Here's some information related to your question...Best wishes
and good health, Ron

The second important outcome was that the overall sensitivity,
specificity, and positive predictive value for PSA were higher than
those for DRE when used as a screening tool to detect prostate cancer.
When a patient has abnormal findings using PSA and DRE, the chance of
cancer is 1 in 4 or 5. Conversely, when findings from PSA and DRE are
normal, the chance of missing a cancer is about 10%.

It would depend on how far advanced the cancer is, so attaching a number
may be misleading.  The point is that the two tests together are more
effective than either alone at detecting prostate cancer at a stage
early enough for a cure.  Some men have early prostate cancer which
shows up neither way.  Eventually, of course, if the cancer grows, one
or the other test will show an abnormality.  That will lead to a biopsy.
 But the biopsy may miss the cancer.  Some men have to have repeat
biopsies to find the cancer.

There is controversy in the medical profession about the wisdom of early
detection of prostate cancers.  Urologists are strongly in favor of it,
but some other physicians think it is not worth the effort.  I believe
the evidence shows that in many cases, early detection is life saving.
For example, I think that was true in my case.  But it also appears true
that some men end up being treated for prostate cancer when their
cancers would never have bothered them during their lifetimes.  Some of
these men will have undesirable side effects from the treatment,
although sometimes that is exaggerated by critics.  Just how many men
are treated needlessly and how to distinguish them from the others is
unknown.  So you have to make a judgement on the basis of conflicting
evidence what is best for you.

Peter Scardino of Sloan Kettering is a world famous expert in prostate
cancer.  I found his new book to be very well balanced in discussing
these issues.  You should read it.

As to the digital rectal exam, it is really a minor thing.  If you
relax, it is completely painless.  I've had many such exams, including
allowing medical students to do them, and they never bother me.  Also,
the doctor can check for other things except prostate cancer while doing
the test.  It is so easy to do and so safe, it is silly not to have it
done.  If you decide to skip PSA testing, the DRE will be the first
evidence of prostate cancer if it occurs.  If you wait until it produces
obvious symptoms, it will certainly be too late to do much about it
except to control it for a limited number of years.

"Who in the hell would actually want one of those? There's

Dave, see my signature block below. My prostate cancer was detected as the
result of a DRE...not because of a very high or rising PSA. No history of
prostate cancer in my family, that I'm aware of, either. I guess nobody
looks forward to this part of the annual physical (or any other part that I
can think of), but it certainly plays a significant role, along with PSA
testing, in the early detection of this disease.  You'll probably find a lot
of people on this newsgroup who'll second that. Probably neither one nor
both are 100% effective. What in this world is?

To steal and twist a phrase, "They are the worst diagnostic tools available;
aside from all others".

They are fast, easy and cheap.  As far as tests go, they are good as any and
better than some.
Just do it.

No, it is not true.  Medical science has not yet come up with an absolute
predictor of Prostate Cancer.

However, keeping track of PSA and annual DREs (digital rectal exams) are the
best way to screen for the disease that, if caught early, can be cure and,
if not, can't.

It's all a matter of your frame of mind, I guess. I suspect some guys
are offended by the finger up the butt routine as an affront to their
masculinity. I don't see it that way. I don't connect it with sex or my
manhood, but rather, with my plumbing. And you can hardly feel anything
'cause doctors know how to do it swiftly and deftly so you hardly feel
anything.