Chemo Post Orchidectomy

Hi Nicky

If it was stage 1 you might be offered a single cycle of carboplatin, or maybe just observation.

I did a single cycle of carboplatin in April 2020.  It isn't too bad, and nothing like as bad as multi-cycle treatments for other types of cancer. I took 4 weeks of work and was really quite rough for a couple weeks with a couple normalish days mixed in. Felt like a never ending hangover. I didn't lose any hair. After that it takes a few months to really feel like your old self again.

If the staging has gone further you will likely be advised to have 1 to 3 cycles of BEP, which is a fair bit harsher. Lots of people on here have been through it though and I'm sure someone that has will respond.

Best wishes

G

Thanks so much for the response,

I think if given the option, I’d take the chemo but was just wondering peoples experiences of it etc,

I’ve already had 2 weeks off work since my orchidectomy but I’m not sure on a return date if I would require chemo etc so just wondering about work… how soon after the op did you have the chemo?

Hi

I had two weeks off work after the op, but to be honest I was lucky and healed really fast and easily. I actually went for a run after 10 days.

It was 4 weeks between the op and chemo for me. So that meant there was two full weeks when I was feeling fine after the op but knew I'd soon be feeling trash from the chemo.

I took a month off after the chemo. I work a desk job, and due to lockdown was working from home. I could have probably gone back a week earlier. It depends what kind of work you do. If you do anything really physical you would need a minimum of 4 weeks.

G

Thanks so much for your help appreciate it!

Sounds like you had a great recovery! My incision isn’t healing great but slowly getting there, thanks so much for the responses 

Hi there,

I start 1 cycle of BEP next week and have been advised that I'll require 4-6 weeks off after the cycle finishes. The cycle is 4 weeks. So potentially I'm off for another 10 weeks. 

I wish I had my results as fast as yours, I didn't get anything until 10 weeks after surgery, I didnt have any bloods taken, I didn't have a CT scan until 6 weeks post surgery! I work on my feet all day so couldn't really work until 5-6 weeks post surgery, by that time I thought I would have had my results. But covid times!

Hope all goes well with the next stage for you. 

That’s tough! Don’t know how you coped I’ve hated waiting around for things but like you say it’s not a normal time really.

thanks for the information though really appreciate it! Hope the treatment goes well for you!

I can't tell you how tough it's been mentally, being told you have to wait another week, every week for four weeks. It worries me when I see these posts, when I see others who haven't waited as long. I guess what I'm trying to say is be thankful that there's not much waiting around for you 

I guess treatment depends whether it is seminoma or non seminoma. Hope the incision recovers.

Yeah that’s so true, you’ve done incredible to wait that long and cope mentally with that, bet it was a struggle, I definitely feel like I’ve been sorted relatively quickly through the whole process, so can count myself lucky in that regard 

Thanks so much!