Thread: Testicular Cancer

I hope I am jumping the gun on this one but something has come up and I want to try to get an idea of what I might be up against god forbid.

I have been having some pain for about a day and half and noticed something a little concerning during a self test, hopefully I will be going to the Doc tomorrow to see what is going on but I would like to know if anybody on here has gone through testicular cancer?

I already started reading a bunch of info and all it did was drive me nuts thinking about what could be going on inside my body. I have to say I have already started to panic a little, I know that it has a 90% survival rate but this stuff is terrifying and not knowing what is going on is even worse.

Hawk,

Don't panic, wait to hear from the doctor. There are lots of things that can cause the symptoms you have. Most are relatively benign. I went through a similar scare years ago, turned out to be nothing in the great scheme of things but until I found out for sure from a handful of doctors I was going bat*@#$!!!! After that ordeal I can understand the panic you feel. Breathe deep and wait for the pros to work things out, jumping the gun isn't doing you any good.

On a lighter note, I had a friend who had testicular cancer, they removed one of his "boys" and he went on to have a couple of kids, he has been cancer free for 11 years now. After I had the big "V" done we used to joke that we had one working nut between us! Don't forget Lance either, I will not, though, promise that you'll win six Tour de France rances and end up with Sheryl Crow.

Hang in there.

Ken

I agree wait to hear from the doctor.

One of the guys I grew up with has survived testicular cancer twice. He's doing great.

First, I would like to thank everybody for the words of encouragement and helping me keep my head at a difficult time.

I went down to the Urologist today and he gave me the great news that the boys are healthy and he did not see anything on the ultrasound. He did let me know that I had a blockage, which is what I saw, and due to the location, this is what is causing the pain. The blockage he said can be "naturally worked out" and I should be fine, but just incase I will have some more test done next week and then I should get the all clear.

These past 48 hours were some of the longest of my life and thankfully, it turned out to be something relatively simple and in the end a little comical. Point is if you have pain or anything like that get to the doctor asap, the exam was painless and everybody was professional so no reason to put it off.

Hawk,

Good deal, I am glad to hear it wasn't anything serious.

Stay safe,

Ken

I had it in 1997. Mine started as a small pea sized lump on one testicle. I went to the doctor and he treated it as an infection, and also scheduled me for testing to eliminate testicular cancer as a possibility. It turned out I did have testicular cancer. I ended up having the testicle removed in one operation and the lymph nodes in my abdomen removed in a second one.

It does have a very high survival rate and early detection makes it even higher. Anyone thining they have it should go to your doctor immediately. It is completely painless to find out if you have it or not. They do a simple blood test and a sonagram. I have been cancer free since, although I still have to have regular check ups.

Glad it worked out for you.

sorry to post in this thread late, but there's a few things i want to add.

i went through the same exact thing as Group 9 in 1999, had both surgeries, and have been clear since. difference for me was that i didnt self-discover it until my entire right testicle had turned into something that felt like a walnut.

since i bet most men probably worry idly about testicular cancer from time to time but are too busy to actually go look things up until they have a scare, here's a few salient points, common to many tc patients:

tc is the most common cancer for men 18-40, but not too common overall, approx 10k cases/year in u.s.

there are a couple of different types of tc, but all types metastasize very quickly. i'm not sure if that's spelled right. it means they grow and spread really quickly.

a tc lump on or in your testicle would have a couple of characteristics:
- it would occur only on one testicle (other will remain completely normal, even if a bit squished to the side to make room)
- NO PAIN: cancer, at least tc, kills nerve cells and there would be no pain in your balls to tell you it's there. from the inside, you feel nothing. it's only discovered by exterior self-examination.
- it would grow extremely fast ( a matter of days or weeks) to encompass entire testicle.
- lump would be as hard as a rock, literally.
- you wouldn't feel it standing up or sitting down or running or even during intercourse. remember, no pain. you would only feel it by inspecting yourself.

most types of tc grow quickly to encompass that entire testicle, then begin slowly moving up primordial routes to the lymph nodes in the abdomen; from there it spreads rapidly throughout the body.

there are some pre-disposing factors. if you have them, you probably already know you have a higher risk. these include, but are not limited to: a testicle not "dropping" on its own at birth or if it runs in your family (on the y chromosome side). but it also hits guys who don't have any of those factors (like myself).

in my experience, most doctors have never seen it or felt it and would probably misdiagnose it. urologists are an exception. i waited 2 and a half weeks between seeing a physician for the first time until i saw a urologist, because the first guy thought it was epidydimitys (sp) or some infection.

HOW AND WHEN TO EXAMINE YOURSELF:
if you're like eddie murphy in "coming to america" then this won't be an issue for you, but for the rest of us...
examine yourself every month or so. best time and place is in the shower, or when you wake up on a weekend morning and have a spare minute. shower is best because your boys are nice and warm, have good blood flow and are fully expanded. GENTLY squeeze each one a couple of times between the thumb and first two fingers of a hand, making sure to cover the entire testicle. if you feel a real honest-to-God lump, you need to take action THAT DAY. more on that in a second. but chances are you won't. so don't worry about it. and don't worry about that little rubbery-ish-feeling thing down at the bottom of your sack. everybody's got one.

again, chances are you're never going to find anything. after 40 you've got a lot bigger chance of developing colon or prostate or one of those other cancers.

BUT IF YOU DO FIND SOMETHING:
it would be hard, like hard plastic, or a rock. it would be a smooth-edged lump. it would not hurt at all. you would not even feel it except for the above-described examination. it could be small, peanut-sized, still in initial stages, or it could be a few weeks further along, walnut-sized, like me.
GO SEE A UROLOGIST THAT DAY. do not bother with your primary care physician. do not even bother making an appointment. go straight to the office of an urologist. if you do call first, make sure to tell them exactly why you need an appointment that day. if you are uninsured or it is a weekend/holiday, DO NOT WAIT. go to the nearest large hospital emergency room. wait in line with all the other schmucks. large hospitals will either have a urologist present or on call. do not leave until you have been physically examined by a urologist (not a nurse, not a ED doctor). if he thinks it's cancer, you would have immediate ultrasound/bloodtests to confirm, and surgery either that same day or in the very near future.

the reason you would need to act so fast is that it would spread very quickly throughout your body if you gave it a chance. then your only hope would be life-altering chemotherapy. but if you examine yourself somewhat regularly, you can rest assured, the cancer would never have a chance to do that.

My friend had it and they removed one of his testicles. He is doing great and nothing has come back since it happened almost 20 years ago. Although he contributes the cancer to him sticking his hand held radar gun between his legs for so many years while woking traffic.....