Hi all,
I just thought I would leave a post here as this community has been a treasure trove of knowledge / positivity for me over the past few weeks and I just wanted to say a big thank you too all the contributors.
Im planning to post a full diary in the next week or so from my initial GP referral all the way through to chemotherapy and hopefully onwards.
A brief overview of my particular situation; Following a few weeks of GP appointments, with me complaining that my right testicle felt ‘odd’ and my GP telling me not to worry, I finally managed to convince him to give me an ultrasound. This mind you was already after a number of physical examinations + healthy blood tests which didn’t flag anything up.
So i have an ultrasound and within 2 days I get a call from my GP asking me to come back in. I should also mention at this point I also suffer quite badly from allergies + eczema, and the week prior to my US i also had a series of blood allergy tests undertaken, so I was not sure which results I was being called in for. It turns out I was getting both sets of results. He opened with my US report; a 29x20mm mass had been detected in my right testicle ( I told you Mr Dr! ) and I also had a strong allergic reaction to both dust mites + mould spores with my blood allergy tests. This will become relevant a little later on
My GP advised me I would need to see a urologist and thanks to BUPA cover which my employer offered, within 2 days I was meeting the man who would soon be removing my right testicle. When I met my surgeon he explained that due to the masses size my entire testicle would certainly need to be removed. This was the moment where I discovered that you simply cannot biopsy a testicle with a fine needle aspiration... and I’d soon be somewhat lopsided in the trouser department.
My my surgeon booked me in for another battery of blood tests, another ultrasound, a full body CT scan with contrast medium & finally an appointment with the hospitals sperm banking department. 1 week later and I am back in his office reviewing the onslaught of tests which were undertaken. In summary, all my blood test cancer markers were within the normal ranges + i had managed to deposit a satisfactory sperm sample, so I was all set for any future baby making. It was at this point my surgeon mentioned he was very concerned with my CT scan results. Nearly every lymph node in my groin + pelvis was inflamed and I was then advised this could spell bad news for my eventual cancer staging. I informed the surgeon that as a result of having severe eczema + allergies all my life my lymph nodes have always been consistently swollen for as long as I could remember. I then proceeded to show him the results from a prior CT scan I had 6 years before which presented similar inflammation to all my lymph nodes. This prior scan + my earlier allergy test results somewhat appeased him and he then proceeded to ask me if I wanted a prosthetic replacement, something I opted for without much thought. I was then booked in for surgery the following Friday and sent on my way.
I spent the remainder of that week getting my affairs in order at work as I’d been advised that I’d be off for the following 2-3 weeks after surgery. Time flew by and before I new it I was lying on my back being asked to count from 10 to 1 in the pre surgery anaesthesia suite. Surgery went by without a hitch and I was very happy to see they had successfully removed the correct testicle.
I was sent home the very same day and proceeded to recover in bed for a day or two. By day three I was up and about and by the end of the first week I felt pretty normal. I was advised to wear very tight speedos to aid with recovery and to prevent any hematomas forming which I reluctantly did. I also kept an ice pack within constant reach first 2-3 days as it seemed to help a lot with the pain.
Two weeks following my surgery and I was back in my surgeons office with my trousers around my ankles once again. He was happy with his butchery and noted that I might find the prosthetic strange for a month or so whilst it settles etc.
My surgeon then explained that my biopsy showed I had a classic sarcoma and staged me at 1a which meant that the cancer was localised to my testicle only and hadn’t spread to my lymphatic system. For further staging info you can check out the link I will leave at the bottom of this post. Despite this good news I did however have something which is called invasion of the Rete Testis. This indicates that the cancer had started to spread to the ducts which I believe link the testicle back to my body. This was apparently bad and put me at a greater risk of relapse in the future. My surgeon then uttered the dreaded C word mentioning that normally I would be offered surveillance only considering my early staging, however a single dose of adjunctive chemotherapy will be required due to the rete testis invasion.
This now brings me up to date with where I currently am in this strange process. I will likely meet my oncologist next week and following some online research I believe I will be offered a drug called Carboplatin. This is merely speculation however and I plan to provide an update once I know more.
Well done if you have made it this far through my ramblings and I hope that my story can be of assistance to someone. Once again thank you to everyone who has contributed to this incredible site.
Jon
