Really scared! =\

[Theblakeis24]

Alright guys listen here's my deal. . . When I was about 15 I went to the family doctor to get my stuff checked because I felt a few BB sized things in my left testicle (thats looking down at them, the one on the left) so I was assured it was nothing because he couldnt feel them or find them when he looked and I was embarassed and just said ok I must be fine. Well here I am 18 years old, and periodically I've had pains come and go sometimes really sharp, always in that one testicle. . . Really scary to me. . . But I usually ignore it, well about this past week I started feeling EXTREMELY depressed and I went to a doctor for it, he perscribed a medicne called Lexapro and said it would help. . . I took it the next day and have never ever felt so low about myself, I didn't want my mom to leave for her appointment I wanted her to stay with me. My heart feels like it's always racing and I get crazy thoughts in my head, I'm normally a happy go lucky guy everyone says, I just wanna go back to that. . .I started getting these like chest pains around 15-16 ish, always in my left side of my chest * again looking down at my chest * and it makes me short of breath and it's a sharp pain sometimes when I inhale, it's really scary, I've been to doctors for it even ER and they do EKGs and say oh your heart is fine bhlabhlabhla. . . They claim it oculd be stress. . .Anyway bottem line here, I have been feeling horrible the past week or so and I want to know why, I can't think for myself, I feel like I'm drunk or something, and I'm on that verge of crying and always feel empty or low, and I feel like I'm going to throw up, I can't eat, And my chest pains of course hang around, and just this week my left testicle has been hurting on a regular basis. . .like a sharp pain that comes and goes within the hour. . . I figured this was my sign to see a doctor so monday I guess I will because their closed on the weekends and here we are saturday morning. .. I'm just scared that I researched TC and it says if ignored and it spreads it could go to lungs and brain. .. Ahhhhh, help =(

[Scott]

Did you talk to your doctor about the pain you're feeling or only about your depression (which is what the Lexapro was supposed to help)?

If you're feeling sharp pains in your testicle and your chest, you'll want to talk to your doctor about those problems specifically. Don't jump the gun and make any assumptions -- maybe what you're experiencing really is stress-induced -- but don't take a risk, either.

[brndn1980]

My Cancer Story

I hope you were able to get good news, since it is now almost 4 years since your post. I wanted to share my experiences. Every man should get tested as soon as possible. In August 2007, I became dizzy, nauseated, and exhausted. My family doctor diagnosed me with double ear infection and sinusitis. In September 2007, I still had dizziness, nausea, and exhaustion. However, the muscles in my legs became weak and sore. Also, I had a lump behind each nipple. I'm a very detailed person and notice everything. However, I started overlooking things, including the trash can. My doctor diagnosed me again with sinusitis and double ear infection. The lumps, he said, were from buildup of me exercising, which I didn't do and told him I didn't do. I continued to see him month after month, and each visit, he said the same thing. I started having episodes of paralysis, yet he said the same thing. I ended up going to the ER in January 2008, and the doctor, though concerned, only gave me meds for the pain and let me go. February 2008 came, and I was tired of going to the family doctor, so I went back to the ER and saw the same doctor as before. He contacted my familiy doctor, and had me referred to a Neurologist. The Neurologist couldn't figure out what the problem was, so he ordered for an MRI for my neck, chest, and abdomen. The MRI Tech had me sit in the waiting area after the test so he could call the Neurologist. Then, the Tech came to me and told me that they found several swollen lymph nodes. The Neurologist referred me back to my family doctor who diagnosed me with Lymphoma and referred me to an Oncologist. By this time, the lymph nodes in my neck had become very noticeable, so the Oncologist had a surgeon remove a few of them for evaluation. The diagnosis went from Lymphoma to Metastatic Germ Cell Carcinoma. It would have been just Testicular Cancer, but since it took so long to be diagnosed, it had severely spread throughout my body. The Oncologist ordered for me to start a very strong set of Chemotherapy treatments. I want to mention that I had an ultrasound on my testicles, and they found a small mass on the left one. Neither I nor the Oncologist could find the mass ourselves, and we never would have found the cancer if it didn't spread. Just because you can't find something there doesn't mean it's not there at all. I went through four complete cycles, each cycle being a full week followed by two Mondays. My days of treatment lasted anywhere between 8 to 14 hours each day, with 8 being the rarity. It is now July 2008, and the cancer has stopped responding to the Chemotherapy treatment. My original symptoms have started up again, and my family, my Oncologist, and I are unsure of what the future holds for me. Again, I encourage every man to get evaluated. Don't settle for just one opinion. Get out there and get checked by experts in the field. I hope my story helps encourage everyone else, and I hope that it can prevent everyone who reads this from going through what I did. Good luck to you all.

[dadmo]

brndn1980:
Have you checked with any centers of excellance about how to proceed. You can't assume you won't win this just because the first line of chemo didn't eliminate the disease.

[Les' Mom]

Brndn,

I want to echo Dadmo. You must get to a center of excellence for cancer treatment. I am not sure where you live. Indiana University under Dr. Einhorn is the place to be or at least get a second opinion. There are several treatments after first line chemo. You must NOT give up. There is treatment out there. You can email or call Dr. Einhorn. He will communicate with you by email. Please call or email him and then post here for us. There are many guys here who have gone through the first rounds of chemo... then went on to second and third lines of chemo and stem cell transplant and are now cancer free.

Love,
Pam

[Tybee]

Brndn,

I want to echo Dadmo. You must get to a center of excellence for cancer treatment. I am not sure where you live. Indiana University under Dr. Einhorn is the place to be or at least get a second opinion. There are several treatments after first line chemo. You must NOT give up. There is treatment out there. You can email or call Dr. Einhorn. He will communicate with you by email. Please call or email him and then post here for us. There are many guys here who have gone through the first rounds of chemo... then went on to second and third lines of chemo and stem cell transplant and are now cancer free.

Love,
Pam

Allow me to third this recommendation. In a 20-minute appointment with Dr. Foster at IU, we felt like we got more good information and guidance than we'd gotten from all our other doctors so far combined. He just knew things that they didn't, thought about stuff in different ways. And I know Dr. Einhorn is ne plus ultra when it comes to planning courses of treatment. E-mail him at the very least. We've directly e-mailed all three doctors we've worked with after getting the runaround from their nurses and receptionists. And each time it's gotten us answers and help we might not have gotten otherwise. This goes double for you, given the severity of your situation.

Don't give up hope, and keep us apprised!

--
Steven