mom and aunt have cancer and i have signs.. please read

[LisleSmith]

It has been a rocky year... mother diagnosed with brain cancer and lung cancer last May... 2 brain surgeries and radio freq later, she is fine until recently when a tumor was found on spine.

Aunt has liver/colon and is considered terminal...

Now my story...

At 17 found a bump that looked like it went away at the top of my testicle. 19 got it checked and was fine. 21 went back and doctor said I had an epididymistic cyst, most likely not cancer.

So I ignored. Occassionally, I have pain if arroused etc... What makes it tough is that I was born with an undesended testicle so I have only one. Nothing to compare to. Now im feeling his little heaviness lately and it feels like it did way back when I check. I can feel a diff between the epididymis (which is likes swollen and is like 1/3 the size of my testicle and right on it. But now I feel a heaviness or discomfort the last few days. I am not sure if its cause some of my equip is missing that it can cause problems.

I am now 27. I also have a slight "pull" or tension feel in left leg and minor pain in lower left back... all on side in question.

Any thoughts. I am pretty worried and I for diagnoses I have to go it alone because my family has dealt with a lot this year.

Any thoughts.

If I examine again, what will let me know that t is most likely not TC? Could something be twisted? Could TC go misdiagnosed for so long?

I kinda wanna have a level head cause I am a little embarrassed to bring friends into this and family is goign thru a lot with mom

[MHossa]

TC is not something that you live with for years. It would have spread to your Lungs, brain, ETC. From everything I read Lance Armstrong's cancer spread to his Lungs and Brain in just six months. If you do have TC you must have just gotten it but i'm pretty sure you didn't have it before because if you did you would have been dead a long time ago.

[LisleSmith]

Do these symptoms sound like they could be something else?

If I am PPO can i just make an appt with a urologist and get all tests same day?

[MHossa]

I don't know just wait for Scott or someone more knowledgable to respond. I'm in the process of finding out if I have TC too.

[Rune]

LisleSmith,

First of all, I'm very sorry to hear about your mother and aunt having cancer.. I hope the best for them. In case you were worried about it, the fact that you have family members with other types of cancer does not predispose you to TC.

As MHossa mentioned, although some types of TC spread slowly, you wouldn't have been able to have TC for years and certainly not without more severe symptoms.

It's impossible for me to diagnose with any accuracy over the Internet. I would think that occasional pain in the testicle is normal, especially if you have a cyst. You might also have pulled a groin muscle, since you can feel it in your left leg.

But no matter what, I would still get it checked out. If you get a physical exam and an ultrasound, you'll be able to determine for certain what this is.

[LisleSmith]

I made an appt for a Phys Assit in the Urology dept for tomorrow and they said they are going to do the ultrasound.

[Rune]

Sounds good. Keep us updated on what happens!

[Karen]

LisleSmith,
I'm sorry for all you're going through with your mom and aunt. Odds are in your favor it is not TC, but I'm so glad you took Rune's advice and are getting it checked out quickly. My thoughts are with you on all of this!

[LisleSmith]

I went and its a cyst. They said everything looks fine but ordered and Ultrasound to be done just in case. They said they want to set a bench mark of the size of the cyst because if it grows too large, they will want to remove it eventually. And they also said they prefer to error on the side of caution. So I met with the Phys Assistant today (a woman) and then in 2 weeks meet with the real deal after ultrasound is done.

[Karen]

LisleSmith,
Excellent news! I'm sure you're breathing easier. You were very wise to check it out right away and cautious is an excellent quality for a doctor or PA
I'm glad the US will be done to monitor the cyst. Check back in when you get the results and let us know what she tells you.

[Mom]

I am thrilled to hear the news, now don't you feel better that you acted on your concern? You've given us all a little peace of mind. I know its tough going it alone, but we are all here for you. Dianne

[LisleSmith]

Thanks for listening. It helped calm me down enough to go.

It was awkward having a phys asst be a women and check me out. I kind of wanted to ask her if appts like mine were her least or most favorite kind. But I decided to be mature and not ask.

[LisleSmith]

got my results... no cancer in me. thanks to those who were answerng all my concerns

[Scott]

Great news, Lisle. I'm glad to hear things turned out well.

[Rune]

Excellent news!