So who knew I would become a member of the "men of a certain age" group? It actually sneaks up on you — age, that is. I remember being in my 20s, then the next thing I remember is realizing I'm entering my 50s and wondering "what happened?"
Us guys — "men of a certain age" — understand about waking up in the morning with all those mysterious aches and pains our dads would tell us about and maybe not having that "loving feeling" in the mornings, too.
I happened upon a small ad in the local paper announcing the opening of El Camino Hospital's Men's Health Program in Los Gatos. The ad explained the program and mentioned a free seminar covering a number of pertinent men's health issues. What caught my eye was the seminar was covering erectile dysfunction (ED), which, for me at the time, wasn't a real problem, but I did notice a diminishing sex drive and, frankly, Mr. Happy wasn't as willing to come out and play.
Timing is everything.
I was excited to attend the seminar and even more excited that, for the first time in memory, there was a program just for men. As I approached the seminar doors, I was greeted with a smile and asked to be seated in a room full of "men of a certain age." I'm looking around the room thinking I wasn't alone in my need for good sound medical information.
Our subject matter experts were Edward Karpman, MD, and Neal Scott, MD. The information they covered was both informative and preemptive in that they talked about certain male inherent medical problems and what can be done to eliminate them or improve certain conditions. As the men spoke and laid out the facts, I remember being a sponge — soaking up the information and even squirming a bit with some of the more vivid photos.
My first impression of these two doctors was positive. They seemed down to earth, and gave the audience the feeling of really caring about the guys in the room. For me, I felt it was good timing and luck to have attended the program and immediately made an appointment to see Dr. Karpman.
My experience with both Drs. Karpman and Scott has been exceptional. Dr. Karpman provided a thorough examination and physical, and Dr. Scott followed up as part of the program, capping off one of the best physical exams I've ever had. Lucky for me, I'm in good shape and, other than low testosterone and some cholesterol concerns, everything seems to be fine.
Mr. Happy is happy again. Mrs. is happy again.
I was so impressed with the results as well as the information I received at the seminar, I've mentioned this to all of my male friends and even my ex-business partner, who currently lives in Rome, Italy. He was back in the area this past month, and I made sure he called Dr. Karpman for his 50th birthday checkup — especially now that he's joined the "men of a certain age" club.
Thank you, Allan, for writing this story for your fellow men!