So I had my first appointment with the oncologist on 28 January.
Having already been told on the phone in early January that he wouldn't be recommending any further treatment for me, I had allowed myself to relax somewhat in the intervening period. But being in the Sussex Cancer Centre on the day bought back some of those scary feelings again.
The first thing that struck me was that it was so busy, and, although most people were accompanied by family, I was still shocked at how many people are actually suffering from cancer.
I also felt like a bit of an imposter as there were obviously some very ill people in there, and there was me having apparently got away with a form of cancer that is relatively easy to treat and cure. In fact I could have been standing there without a cancerous cell in my body! Only time and multiple scans would tell I guess.
Anyway, the doctor was amazing, very open, and sometimes disarmingly blunt (but I think I prefer it that way). My wife and I sat there as he paged through a picture of my insides, reaffirming the fact that the original lymph node near my liver wasn't in fact swollen...good news! But there was something near my kidney that he wasn't sure about, he has consulted a colleague who also couldn't call it.
Less good. He said this could turn into a lymph swelling so instead of recommending a six month follow up, he was thinking three months to be extra safe, that way he could 'pounce on it' if there was any unexpected growth there. He did reassure me that he was probably being overly cautious, and he felt that there was a 5 in 6 chance that I am already cured.
Mixed feelings. So the scan was booked for week starting 14 March, he gave me a bag to get a blood test before an appointment on 25 March. He reassured me about what I knew already, that it is 99% curable and if it did turn out to be an enlarged lymph, I would have a choice between a bag of chemotherapy (carboplatin) coupled with a blast of radio, or a more intense chemo on its own. Dont want to think about that for now. Fingers crossed.
I also found out a little more about my tumor, it seems it was a 2cm seminoma with some incursion into the outer skin of the testicle (can't remember what he called it now but this factor increased the chance that it had spread).
I also asked the doc about my critical illness cover, and without hesitation he said "they will pay out"...he had never known any not to pay out on TC. This was obviously good news, but I'm not counting my chickens on that score. It's not done until the cash is in the bank.
Anyway, as I said, mixed feelings. A tinge of concern about the risk of spread, but overall still feeling very lucky to have so far got away with it.
Had my operation on 16 December and have been back at work for two weeks now. My employer has been great, they have made me do short days and take one day a week off to ease me back in again. Colleagues at work have also been amazing, really sympathetic and keen to know more about it.
Asked the doc about exercise and said said I could have a try on the bike if I took it easy after six weeks, and should be back to 100% after 12 weeks. He said to think about the operation like a hernia op - I need to give the muscles time to knit together again!
Excited about getting back on the bike again, it's difficult to go from almost 3k miles a year, to nothing, and my suit trousers are telling me the same, so I have had to adjust my diet accordingly or I will need a new set of suits!
I would probably be more keen if the weather wasn't so bl**dy cold.
