Go to http://secure.urologycare.com to check out the new patient portal.  This portal allows for patients to send me a secure message, update their demographics, view a summary of their chart, request an appointment, and much more all in the convenience of their home 24/7.  We are excited to be able to communicate with our patients in this new way.  Due to security and confidentiality, all patients wishing to register for this must contact my office for a PIN# to sign up for their access. 

Find it remarkable that in this day & age of technology and the government offering incentive plans for physicians to get their medical records electronic, that I had the foresight in 1994 to implement electronic medical records in my medical practice. Nice to be ahead of the curve. Of course, there's always something new to learn. My secure patient messaging and portal will be up soon. This will allow existing patients to view portions of their chart, to pay their bill, to access their chart summary at any time, to request appointments and much more.  New patients will be able to register online and request appointments.  It's exciting and we're thrilled to stay ahead of the technology curve in affording our patients these exciting tools in helping them manage and stay better on top of their health.

Incidence of testicular cancer is rising. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 7600 cases are diagnosed and about 400 men die of the disease each year in the United States. The disease is most prevalent in men between the ages of 18 and 32 and is approximately 5 times more common in Caucasians than African Americans. Germany, Scandinavia, and New Zealand have the highest incidence of testicular cancer and Asia and Africa have the lowest.  Makie sure you do your testicular self examination and should you feel any lumps, notify your urologist immediately.  The earlier you catch this type of cancer, the better your prognosis. 

The Journal of Urology 2011 states that 1 in 5 men have the problem of nocturia, which is getting up at night to go to the bathroom.   Researchers have found that this could be a signal for a significant health problem like urinary tract infections, heart disease and diabetes, not to mention all the urological problems that could be causing it.  Also, in the elderly sleep disturbances at night are a major cause of falling. 

Did you know that any blood in your urine is a sign of something wrong?  Causes of hematuria could be a urinary tract infection, kidney stones, interstitial cystitis, or a urologic cancer originating somewhere in the urinary tract.    Any sign of any blood, even the slightest, should be checked out by a urologist.   Tests may include a urinalysis and culture to rule out any infection.  If that is negative, then a cystoscopy could be done to check the inside of the bladder.  Also imaging studies, such as CT scans, or an IVP may be warranted to check the entire urinary tract for any tumors.   If any tumor is found a biopsy would be done.   Based on the diagnostic testing, a tratment plan would be put together.  Bladder and kidney tumors, if found and treated early, are very manageable and the prognosis is very good.