Monitor Your Health Between Checkups (page 2 of 3)

Keep Track

8. Guys only: check down below. Believe it or not, it's even more important that men conduct a testicular self-examination than women conduct a breast self-exam. Catching testicular cancer early is the best way to beat it. The Testicular Cancer Resource Center recommends following these steps every month to become familiar with what's normal so you can recognize if anything feels wrong:

• Stand in front of a mirror. Check for any swelling on the scrotal skin.


• Examine each testicle with both hands. Place the index and middle fingers under the testicle with the thumbs placed on top. Roll the testicle gently between the thumbs and fingers -- you shouldn't feel any pain when doing the exam. Don't be alarmed if one testicle seems slightly larger than the other.


• If you find a lump on your testicle, see a doctor, preferably a urologist, right away. The abnormality may only be an infection, but if it is testicular cancer, it will spread without treatment. Any free-floating lumps in the scrotum that aren't attached to a testicle are not testicular cancer. Still, it's smart to get checked.

9. Take the fall test. If you have osteoporosis, you are at great risk if you fall. So take this simple self-test developed by Joseph Lane, M.D., and his colleagues at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Time yourself standing on one leg. Do it in shoes or barefoot, but don't hold on to anything. Try it on both legs (one at a time) three times. A normal 80-year-old should be able to stand without difficulty for at least 12 seconds, says Dr. Lane. If your best leg time is less than 12 seconds, or you wobble back and forth, you have poor balance and should talk to your doctor or physical therapist about exercises to improve it.

10. Check your blood pressure every six months, either at home with a home blood pressure cuff, at the drugstore, or at a health fair or screening. If the top number is over 120 and the bottom number is higher than 80, wait a day, then check it again. If it's still high, follow up with your doctor.

11. Check your cholesterol once a year either with a home kit, which is available at most drugstores, or at a health fair or screening. If your total cholesterol is over 150 mg/dl, follow up with your doctor.

12. Check the pulse in your feet once every three to six months to monitor the circulation in your legs. There are two pulses you should be able to find: one near the middle of the top of your foot (called the dorsalis pedis), and the other right behind the big bony lump on the inside of your ankle (called the posterior tibialis). Of the two, the posterior tibialis is more important because it's more consistently in the same place. If the pulses become weak or hard to find, follow up with your doctor, especially if you have any leg pain when walking.

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