<LABEL id=HbSession SessionId="2003780093"></LABEL> I am a newly diagnosed 59 year old man with a macroprolactinoma 3.5 X 2.7 X 3 cm tumor putting out a prolactin level of 5517. I have to agree with this 100%. I think that I am an exception to the general rule that men avoid medical issues as long as they can but my tumor grew this big because I didn't know what to look for. I deal with medical issues frequently as I am a volunteer for a medical referral service so I am not afraid to speak up or deal with doctors. Now that I have this problem and have researched a fair amount to know what I could have done to catch this tumor earlier I hope that men (and their wives) will learn to speak up when they begin loosing their libido (sex drive). I thought that this must be natural as I was in my mid 50's and my thoughts and desire were waning but I could still have sex. I even asked my GP during a routine physical if he would run a testosterone level test and he just said it was due to age. "We are just getting older" I remember him saying and now I wonder if he was saying he had the same symptoms. I know that if he had run that test (or I knew enough to insist) we would have caught this much earlier. Instead it waited until I had two instances of impotence and a sore throat. I went to him because of the sore throat and also asked about the impotence and he ran that testosterone test. That was the end of November 2003 and it was at 103. He started me on Androgel and arranged a visit to the endocrinologist but that couldn't be until Feb 28, 2004. Well, the insurance wouldn't pay for the Androgel unless he got the endo results and an MRI so when they wrote him in mid January about not paying his bill until they got more information, I was in for the MRI the next week and of course it was plain to see. I didn't have the headaches or vision problems. I was getting more and more irritable, grumpy, depressed, gaining weight for several years but the only physical symptom other that the low sex drive was a pressure feeling on the right side of my head starting 6 or so months ago. Having a pituitary tumor was the farthest thing from my mind because I have always been healthy except for normal colds and flu and seasonal alergy. I have only been a hospital patient once in my life! Men don't have their tumor discovered until it is large because they don't know the few early warning signs can be connected to this major problem. I also agree that men should get a regular test for prolactin and also probably for the testosterone level. I'm now on Parlodel for 5 weeks so I guess my opinion about drugs or surgery won't carry much weight, but I'll just say this: for being struck for the first time with a serious health issue, why does it have to involve the area right under the brain? Since I was a teenager the worst thing I could immagine was any sugery involving the brain or near it. Anything but that! Yeah, I will try the drugs until the doctors say enough and I am comfortable with that assessment. | 