stubborn boyfriend

[alexC]

I noticed a significant lump on my boyfriend's testicle recently, but am not sure how to make him take it seriously. He is the only male in a family of five sisters and three females in his mother's generation who have all had breast cancer and his two uncles have recently died of cancer. He is 37 and a smoker (Grr!), but is otherwise very healthy, so thinks he is superman and won't listen to reason. Does anyone have any advice on how to approach the subject and make him talk to his doctor?

[Davie]

Alex,

First of all TC is rare and the lump could be a number of other benign conditions.

If the lump arises from and cannot be separated from the testicle, it is usually TC in around 95% of cases.

Your boyfriend is currently being a fool, and whilst denial and invicibility is a common trait in men (it certainly was for me), it is no excuse for getting yourself checked out.

Remember that TC is highly curable (effectively 100% if it is all contained in the testicle) if caught early. The longer you leave TC, the more time you allow it to spread and the worse the prognosis.

Whereas you boyfriends lump may not be TC, mine was. I delayed going to the doctor and allowed it to spread. This stupid decision led to me having more intensive schedule of treatment, and believe me, a lot of never-ending emotional pain.

Have your boyfriend read this message.......Davie

[IowaBrian]

Just do what my girlfriend did nag nag nag nag nag until I went to the doctor
be creative if he doesn't go.
If you need some creative ideas to get him to go email me.
Tell him to drop the pride go to the doctor drop his pants and get it checked, nothing that the doctor hasn't seen before...(tell him women go every year so he can suck it up and go in for once). I doubt many of us thought we would ever get T/C but it happens.... Print out my message to him "GO TO THE DOCTOR"
Good Luck
Brian

[burgdob]

Any "inconvenience, embarrassement, etc" is nothing compared to "death by cancer". Slap him in the head and tell him if he won't go for himself, go so he won't put those he loves thru it. I've seen a lot of that recently and as Gilda Radner said, cancer is the most unfunny thing in the world.