A man has described his "excruciatingly" painful prostate problems as a way to encourage blokes to get checked regularly for men's week.
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It was a terrifying experience for Ingenia Gardens community manager Tony Reichelt when he was rushed to the hospital in January after his bladder suddenly stopped working.
Doctors discovered Mr Reichelt had an enlarged prostate, so they conducted major surgery on his prostate and bowels that left him in the ICU ward for eight days.
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Due to complications caused by blood clotting, he had six catheters inserted up into his urethra - an agonising ordeal that he says he will not be forgetting in a hurry.
"From a gentleman's point of view a urethral catheter is not exactly the most pleasant device a man's got to suffer. I wouldn't wish a urethral catheter on any individual," Mr Reichelt said.
"I'm pleased to talk about it and laugh at it now, but it wasn't funny at the time I was going through it, I can assure you."
Mr Reichelt hopes his story will spur other blokes to get regular health checkups so that they can avoid having to undergo the same horrific experience.
He said men were often a stubborn lot, himself included, and that attitudes needed to be changed for the sake of their own health and wellbeing.
"In my observations and my own reactions, we tend think 'she'll be right, I'm a tough bugger, I'll get through it', but sometimes that's not wise, and it's best to go get a check," Mr Reichelt said.
"Men need to be reminded that pride, arrogance and stubbornness aren't always healthy attitudes. Awareness about their own health is important and as men get older, I think we also tend to ignore the signs of health issues."
He said it was a particularly relevant message for the male residents at Ingenia Gardens, who are all over the age of 55.
In order to spread that message, Mr Reichelt has reached out to Murrumbidgee Men's Club, Right at Home In Home Care & Assistance, and Wagga Police Station to run community sessions throughout men's week.
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