Men's Health

Men Benefit from Open Dialogue with Physician

Starting a conversation with your health care provider can be difficult, but is especially challenging for some men. “They have problems they are too embarrassed to talk about or they feel like it’s too personal,” says Gilberto Riveron, M.D., primary care physician.

Dr. Riveron starts the conversation after each patient has addressed the reason for the visit, whether it is a routine checkup or an appointment for a specific illness or condition. Topics men are reluctant to address include erectile dysfunction and urinary problems. The problem is that the signs and symptoms appear over a long period of time.

“Often, they don’t feel like there’s a problem,” Dr. Riveron says. “They have adjusted to the changes and do not notice that they are not normal.”

Frequent urination, especially during the night, is one sign of a problem for men. The disorder is present mostly in men ages 55 and older. “It’s better to start looking at it now, instead of when you ignore it for so long that you end up unable to urinate,” Dr. Riveron says. “Then, you could end up in the emergency department, have kidney failure or need catheterization or surgery.”

Maintaining an open dialogue can lead to less invasive solutions, earlier in the process.

“If you start screening early, I treat the problem medically,” Dr. Riveron says. “I try to tell my patients to be honest with me. Many things are normal for a specific age. It’s OK to talk about it.”

Gilberto A. Riveron, M.D.
Family Medicine
Lee Physician Group
1682 NE Pine Island Road
Cape Coral, FL 33909
239-424-1600