So, after I made contact with the doctor, what were the steps to diagnosis:
my symptoms were not very specifc back ache, and so my doctor thought it might be referred pain from an inflamed epipdidymus (sounds like a resident of Notty Ash?), but also thought my spleen felt enlarged.
(1) organised blood tests and book an ultrasound (2 day wait). At this stage I hoped for an inflammation, but like anyone with a PC googled enlarged spleen, and the results were worrying.
(2) the ultrasound reported no cause from the epipdidymus, but did report a lump in the abdomen but the specialist didn't say anymore, but got the report to my doctor by noon the next day. I met with a doctor and he reported that the mass was on the kidney and that it was 12x14x12cm, but couldn't confirm what kind of lump it was. I went home and googled kidney cancer.
(3) the urologist called the next day and offered an appointment at short notice, I got a slot at 6pm, she informed me it was a tumour (not a cyst) and on the basis of shape was more likely than not malignant. She organised a CT for me the next day.
(4) CT was like passing through a 'stargate', an interesting rather than uncomfortable procedure. Even the contrast injection was interesting - warmth floods you from head to pelvis, you get a metallic taste in your mouth, and the warmth spreading in your loins makes you think you've wet yourself. The CT team rushed the results to the urologist that afternoon
(5) met the urologist same day as the CT - the cancer is malignant, a secondary, classic lymph spread, but not connected to any specific organ. The suspicion now is that it is testicular in origin, to be confirmed by biopsy. I went home and googled testicular cancer.
(6) 3 days later (after a weekend) I got a CT assisted para aortic lymph node biopsy. Laying in the superman position they swabbed my back, local anaesthetic, and then grabbed 3 samples. The first sample was a little uncomfortable for 5 seconds, but the 2nd and 3rd were fine, and everything was done in 5~10mins. A had a bit of a cough and slightly elevated temperature so I got some intravenous antibiotics, and 6hrs of bed rest in the ward before being let home. No ill effects from the procedure.
Next step now is the biopsy results, and that could be 7~14 days, I hope quicker as I want to get onto treatment. So in my time I thought I had inflamed epipdiymus, spleen cancer or stomach cancer, kidney cancer, and testicular cancer. I'm hoping for the latter interms of treatment.
