Testicular Cancer

mark_jmc

Hi all,
felt this would be the best place to post this to help awareness of testicular cancer.
I'm 36, Felt a lump on my right testicle 2 weeks ago-something not quite right so went to to doctor,
He said he didn't feel anything but because of a history of other issues like uti's etc he said he would refer me to a urologist. I got a letter from the urologist with an appointment for the end of July,
When this letter arrived I was not happy with the long wait, also because I was certain there was a lump on my testicle I returned to my gp. He happened to be on holidays last week so I met a locum doctor who examined me and felt the lump. She arranged for me to get an ultrasound last Friday which confirmed an abnormal lump on my testicle.
I had an urgent referral to a urologist yesterday, he examined me and told me he was 99% certain the lump was testicular cancer, he sent me straight to hospital for blood tests and an ultrasound. I had a CT scan this morning to see if there was any spread. I got a call this afternoon from the urologist, blood tests confirm trace of tumour markers but thankfully the CT scan was clear so the cancer has been caught very early, I will be having an operaation to remove the testicle either on Friday or Monday. I most likely will not need any further treatment after the op other than surveillance over time.
Moral of the story guys-never be embarrassed to get things checked and also remember we are all in charge of our own health so if you are not happy with something don't be afraid to force the issue,
Take care guys

arccosh

Best of luck through the process !

DeBurca

Hope all goes well with the opp and your recovery

mark_jmc

Thanks all, I'm scheduled for surgery on Thursday , I'll post an update afterwards.

Sono

Just read this thread, was diagnosed with this in December 2010 and nearly 5 years on and life is great and nothing has ever returned, you'll come out of it a lot stronger Mark and fair play for sharing, I wish you all the very best on Thursday.

mark_jmc

Well guys, done and dusted had the op yesterday,
Went in for 9am and had bloods taken, chest xray , ecg.
Eventually had the op at around 3pm I think. first time getting general anaesthetic-crazy feeling!
Afterwards I was in recovery for around 90 minutes then back to room.
Met with the consultant then I was left home last night around 8.30pm.

All went well with the op, I have to go back in 2 weeks to get more tumour marker blood tests, they indicated yesterday that they will probably do 1 round of chemo as a 'mop up' of anything that may be remaining.
No pain yesterday but the pain is kicking in today-thank god for painkillers.
Everybody in the hospital from doctors nurses porters orderlies etc were really nice, helped to made a difficult day easier.


All said it wasn't that bad an experience and once the possible chemo is done and the scar is healed then that's that chapter of my life closed aside from follow ups.


if anyone ends up facing this op in the future please feel free to pm with any questions about my experience etc.

Balmed Out

8 years clear myself, if you have any questions or concerns let me know. 2 kids since and all in working order. Best of luck.

mark_jmc

Hi all , just a quick update . Nearly 4 weeks since the op and the scar is almost healed, still some residual numbness and pain in the general area and this is normal.
I met with the cancer specialist in the mid western cancer unit and it turns out my cancer was a mixture of seminoma, non seminoma and embryonal. While they are confident it did not spread beyond the testice there were signs of vascular invasion.
I was given 2 options:
1: surveillance - for the first year this would mean scans & blood tests every month. Less often after that. If I chose this option there would be a 40% chance the cancer would return.

2: 2 rounds of BOP chemotherapy. Doing this would reduce the risk of the cancer returning to 5%

It was a no brainer for me- I have chosen the chemotherapy , obviously there will be unpleasant side effects but the reduction in the risk of the cancer returning is huge. I also had to bank sperm in the event that the treatment leaves me infertile.

I am going on holidays tomorrow for 9 days 😀 then my chemo will start on the 10 th August. I will have chemo on the Monday and Tuesday of the first week, then the Thursday And Friday of the following week. Hopefully then that will be that!

aaakev

Best of luck mark and fair play for sharing. Enjoy the holiday!

The_Valeyard

Good luck buddy

Hope it works out for you.

Good call of the sperm bank, always good to have a backup, and if it does leave you infertile, just think of all the money you save on contraception!! ;)lol

Enjoy the hols and relax with a beer (if your allowed?)

drdidlittle

Best of luck.

P_1

I was that soldier around this time last year OP. Chose option 1 myself. The scar should be grand in a few weeks for you. You can barely notice it on me a year later.

Best of luck with everything

mark_jmc

Hi guys
quick update , I had my first round of BOP chemo on Monday and Tuesday. 2 very long days. Monday was from around 12pm to 11pm between the saline drips anti nausea steroids & 3 chemo drugs. Fell asleep around 11.30pm but woke up at 2.30am bright as a button- the nurses said this was due to the steroids. Tuesday treatment started at 3pm and finished around 10pm- got to go home them. Felt a bit nauseous on tues night and Wednesday and Thursday was pretty much a write off- felt like I got hit by a bus, nausea, headache , tiredness none of them really bad but all together not pleasant. Slept a bit better last night and today I fell a little bit better, I'm noticing change in taste and smell today though. No mouth sores etc yet, thank god .

Mark

um7y1h83ge06nx

Great thread and good that you've been so on the ball (honestly no pun) with things and catching the issue early.

My other half is a radiographer and so some of the diagnostic images would be for oncology patients, she has also started training to do mammograms. Lot of stories of people leaving things progress too far before seeking medical advice, older generations in particular can be slow to go to a doctor.

A reminder to myself to keep on checking myself regularly.

Best of luck.

mark_jmc

Thought I'd post an update a few months on. Got through the chemo ok- last session was end of August, had a bit of a reaction to the final dose- felt like I was having a heart attack- had an angiogram which showed up nothing thank god- just a bad reaction.
Had an Mri in mid September which showed that a small growth on my pancreas had disappeared.
I went back to work on October 1st - did a gradual return to work- 1 day the first week, 2 the second and so on- in hindsight this was a very good decision as I still had a lot of fatigue, I am very fortunate to have a great boss & colleagues.
I've had 3 monthly check ups so far- all blood tests & xrays clear thank god, my 4th monthly check up is at the start of dec, time is really flying!
Starting to feel like the old me now, but still having a lot of fatigue- hopefully this will pass.
I now consider this part of my life closed except for my monthly check ups

If anyone ever has any questions in relation to testicular cancer/ treatment etc feel free to send me a pm.

Finally I'd like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the mid western cancer clinic, all its doctors and especially the nurses, the work these people do is phenomenal.
Mark

whiskeyman

Thanks for posting here Mark.
Here's hoping it reminds us all to be aware of our health.
Hope you feel back to yourself very soon and can put a lot of the tough times behind.

Patsy8

Mark,

Glad to hear all went well for you in the end.

Had an ultrasound myself yesterday. 2nd one in 3 years for same issue.

All normal, as it happens, and I felt a little foolish lying on the table when told that.
I felt foolish lying on the table long before that, as a matter of fact.

I would feel far more foolish if I had ignored the issue and the result had been different.

Get em checked lads.

Emmett

The_Kew_Tour

Best of luck

Had testicular cancer in 2011 and was a rough patch, but here I am still talking crap on boards

asteroids over berlin

Wow such strength and positivity. Noce one, wish you all the best and the other guys who posted here too

mark_jmc

Hi guys,
Quick post to update, 6 months since my surgery. Had my 5th monthly check up last week- X-ray and bloods all clear. Had a heart check up today because of the issues I had in my last session of chemo - that went fine also.
Almost like a distant memory now!

Just a reminder for all lads to check your balls! Quick check once a month , also if anyone ever has any questions or has to go through something similar please feel free to ask me either on this thread or in pm.
Take care,
Mark

whiskeyman

Great news Mark. Appreciate the update.
Hope you're enjoying life and everything going well.

howamidifferent

Hopefully not a stupid question but do they replace the testicle with something to keep the look of "normal" ?

mark_jmc

Hi howamidiffetent ,
Not a stupid question at all!
Probably the first question most men ask
Yes- there is the option of an implant if you wish. I chose not to get one for a number of reasons- they don't do it the same day as the operation to remove the affected testicle. When removing the testicle they actually make an incision in your lower abdomen and cut the the spermatic cord as high as possible (this is the route the cancer would take to go up your body) the testicle is then removed through the inguinal canal.
For me I didn't want to have an 'unnecessary' procedure down there. I can fully understand a younger or single man opting for the implant but for me- married 10 years/ with my wife for 16 years I didn't feel the need. To be honest it doesn't feel any different now (apart from the fact that there is only one there !)

Balmed Out

I was single in my mid twenties and got a false one (silicone) put in. It was actually done in the same operation as the original was removed. Harder and to me very obviously fake that said no one I was with since ever noticed. Took a bit of getting used to especially on cold days, it seemed to be freezing but I'm barely aware of it now.

Elessar

Delighted you caught it early and it's all behind you now mate! Live life to the full!

mark_jmc

Well I can't believe it's almost been a year since I was diagnosed.
Its coming into my thoughts now as I have the first yearly CT scan in around 6 weeks time. I've had 9 post chemo monthly checks up for chest xrays & bloods and all have been fine thank god. From September my visits will reduce to every 2 months. I had a little scare last month when I was have a bit of trouble breathing (the lungs are where it would reappear if it came back) turns out it was a chest infection . I need to remember that sometimes the simple answer is true.


I still have some numbness near the scar site but thats a tiny price to pay and I'm well used to it. Life has been back to normal for a long time but a few days before my check ups that nervous feeling returns- like when you had a school exam coming up.
I've been getting back training- I've done 9 full marathons in my pre cancer life and I'm looking to do my 10th- I think this year would be a bridge to far but next year to be sure.


Remember guys- check your balls!!

Balmed Out

Congrats im 9 years out now and you will be less and less worried with each scan but its tough at the beginning and to this day I do probably go a little quicker to the doctor for any problem just in case

mark_jmc

1 year update.
Can't believe its over a year since I had surgery.

Since the op I've had 11 monthly check ups- 11 chest x-rays, 11 tumour marker blood tests, 2 CT Scans ,2 cycles of chemotherapy, 1 MRI, 1 angiogram, numerous ECGs ,3 heart echoes. I should be glowing by now!


I was in hospital yesterday to have my 1st 'surveillance' CT scan.
I'm a little nervous because one of my tumour markers from my most recent blood tests was slightly elevated for the first time in a year.
But I'm feeling really well- back going hell for leather in the Gym & running and generally really enjoying life.


As always I'd like to remind all the guys to check your balls for any changes/lumps etc and also I'm always around if anyone would like to pm me with any questions etc.
I'll post an update when I get the results of my CT.


Take Care,
Mark

endacl

Well done Mark, and thanks for posting.

We would do well to reflect on what you might be posting (or not) a year on had you not been keeping an eye on things and been so proactive.

Good health.

pcuser

Well done Mark

Im 8 years all clear, I was diagnosed when I was 25. If you are going to get cancer its prob the best one to get.

Balmed Out

Congrats great news Mark, as an aside for future reference in case it may be of help. I bought a house recently and though still within the 10 year surveillance period the mortgage protection insurance was not loaded for my cancer history though did take a fair bit of time to get (consultant very slow to send in a report).