Looking after my balls

STAR RATING:  4/5 stars.

LOOKING AFTER MY BALLS.

Sheila Hollins and Justin Wilson

Gaskell and St George’s Hospital Medical School

ISBN 1904671055, £10 

This small paperback is one of the excellent Books Beyond Words
series designed for people with learning difficulties, but which
would be useful for anyone with communication difficulties, writes
Chris Mitchell. 

Full-colour pictures tell the story of Tom, who finds a lump
while checking his testicles in the shower. He seeks help from his
GP and has a physical examination, ultrasound scan and further
tests before the lump is found to be benign. 

The second part of the book gives guidance on self-examination,
and the changes to look out for. This book does not cover treatment
for cancer, which is dealt with by another book in the series. 

Given the well-documented resistance of men to seeking treatment
for intimate health problems, and the known shortfalls in the
health service’s outreach work to people with learning difficulties
generally, this book is both timely and welcome. 

Chris Mitchell is deputy chief executive of the
Association for Real Change.