My Story - Scared to Death

[ronniereb]

Here is my story, one day out of the blue in the shower my left testicle felt like it doubled in size. I am one of those people who never want to admit there is something wrong so I kept convincing myself there was no issue. Finally some 4 months later with no change in the size I decided to go have it checked. I made an appointment with a Urologist and he literally felt it for 5 seconds and said we'll need to do an ultrasound and some bloodwork then come back on Tuesday. (This was a Friday afternoon). They did the ultrasound that day and the tech took the the results to the doctor and came back and said he still says you can wait till Tuesday to come back. I am trying to convince myself that if the mass was solid he would have wanted to schedule a removal immediatley but I am wondering if this is just wishful thinking on my part or if he is just waiting for the blood test results as well. I am going back tomorrow and am scared to death.

[dadmo]

Don't assume anything. It is amazing how often the doctor's ignore the emotional stress these situations can cause a patient. He should certainly know the results of the ultrasound, he should have known that within minutes of the exam. The blood test is a necessary part of the exam but it may not tell you much. You fall into the older group of possible tc patients and you would most likely have seminoma which may not produce any markers.
Try and stay calm it could be a simple infection. Check out this web site and learn all you can before your meeting. Pay particular attention to this section and this section. Bring a pencil and paper to the doctor for note taking and get copies of everthing.

[Russell's Mom]

difficult days

These are some of the most difficult days, but you/people can get through them. This is an excellent site for information and support. There is much that can be done and many very helpful people, in spite of the difficulties. keep in touch! Russell's Mom, Sharon

[ronniereb]

Well I have just had it confirmed that it has to come out. I can't ever remember being this scared in my life

[Ski11181]

Don't stress too much about it. The procedure is fairly simple and you will be up and around in a couple of days. Just remeber TC is the most cureable cancer there is. Keep reading this forum it help put my mind at ease.

[Russell's Mom]

stronger

There is a part of me that would give anything in the world to un-do my feelings and memories of the days around Russell's daignosis. Not with a million words would I have understood that we would find strength and friendship along the way. Although we have to keep on top of the details because the systems are not always educated, there are helpful and kind people all along the way. This is a great group for direction and answers. Will be thinking of you. Russell's Mom, Sharon
PS Take a pencil and paper with you so you can write down terms that they say to you. Just take care of yourself each step and eventually it all starts coming together, like the pieces of a puzzle. Another thing that you can do is to ask for computer print outs of your information. The surgery will be tolerable!

[Scott]

Hey, Ronnie, we understand what you're going through. Keep reading up, and remember the LAF motto: "Unity is strength, knowledge is power, and attitude is everything."

[dadmo]

Ronnie:
I'm sorry. Don't be afarid to vent. All of us here have.

[Fed]

Hey man,
A diagnosis of TC (and any cancer for that matter) can certainly be frightening -most of us here have gone through it. As Ski11181 has said, this is arguably the easiest cancer to treat, so rest assured that there is a very good chance that, after treatment, you will be cured.

The surgery is quick (45 min to 1 h) and usually done as an outpatient procedure. You will be sore for a little while, and you won't be able to do any heavy lifting for 4-6 weeks, but you should be able to go back to work in a few of days. After surgery, you'll have to wait for your pathology report to come back. That, in conjunction with your bloodwork and radiology, will determine the treatment that will follow. By far, the waiting is the worst part.

There are plenty of people in the Forum with lots of experience with all kinds and flavors of TC, so you're bound to find good advice here. Although we are no substitute for M.D.s, we'll be able to point you in the right direction.

You will pull through. Take care and hang tough,

[Fed]

Yuck Fed

Yeah, probably not the best choice of words... I'll blame it on the daycare cold I caught from my kid that's making me dizzy and loopy .

[petep]

hey...fed's got it right...just before and post orch. is the most terrifying....but everyone here has been thru it, so you've got a whole team behind you.

I will not tell you not to wrry - but take it one hour/day at a time, keep informed, be your own advocate, rely on all of us....

The best you can do is make informed decisions and follow the protocol....the single hardest part is getting over the hump that you have cancer...after that, you just do whatever you have to do, whether it's surveillance, rplnd, chemo....

and someday you will be the veteran posting on these boards helping out others who are where you are now...and you'll feel good about the whole experience.

pete

[ronniereb]

Pathology results came today, Stage I Seminoma, no vascular invasion. I must have sat there with a stunned look on my face because he had to blurt out that is good. Still off to see the encologist to talk about treatment but he tells me if anything at all a coupke radiation treatments would probably be the most.

[Scott]

That is (relatively) good news! You'll want to talk to the oncologist about all options, especially radiation therapy (more than "a couple" sessions, but pretty bearable) and surveillance (since 80% of men diagnosed with stage I seminoma are cured by the orchiectomy alone).

[Fed]

Pathology results came today, Stage I Seminoma, no vascular invasion.

This is great news. Without any vascular invasion, you are very likely a good candidate for surveillance. You also have the options of adjuvant radiation and adjuvant chemo, though you have an 80-85% chance of having already been cured by the I/O alone. Be sure to discuss all of your treatment options with your oncologist.

[Matt_24]

I was just diagnosed recently with Stage I Seminoma, no vascular invasion - and I'm starting radiation here shortly. My Doctor told me that in past studies, patients who went ahead with the adjuvant radiation for Seminoma had less chance of recurrance than those who just went on surveillance. I'm all about killing this stuff ASAP (even though, like it was mentioned - there is a strong chance that I was cured by the orchiectomy).