Uninsured

[dollfin1204]

My Boyfriend has all the symptoms of TC. It is actually really bad! And unfortunately he does not have ins. We have applied for ins., but we are scared he will be denied. If he is denied we have no clue what to do. We cant afford all the tests and treatments. Does anyone have any advice?

[Scott]

The first, most important thing is to get to a urologist for diagnosis. If it is cancer, the longer you wait, the more complicated and expensive the treatment will be.

[Scott]

Excellent decision. Let us know what you find out.

[dollfin1204]

How soon after they do an ultrasound would they be able to know if it is cancer or not?

[dadmo]

The ultra sound results will be know very quickly but they can't tell you if it's cancer or not. What they will be able to tell is if the mass is fluid filled or soild. If the mass appears to be solid they will want to remove the testicle for examination. The examination will determine if it's cancer or just a harmless tumor.

[Scott]

That's true, but it's important to add that most solid masses in the testicle do turn out to be cancer.

[Fed]

Hey dollfin,
As an add-on, if cancer is suspected from the ultrasound, they may want to draw blood for tumor markers (AFP, HCG, LDH) as well as get a pelvic/abdominal CT scan alongside a chest X-ray to try to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I myself was diagnosed in the ER, and as soon as the ultrasound looked suspicious, the attendings ordered the whole barrage of tests.
Keep us posted,

[Matt_24]

I went to the ER just last week for a testicle that felt "out of sorts". Other than that, I felt phenomenal.

Due to the fact that my testicle had just developed a "mild" hardness and there was no distinctive lump - my ER DOC thought that I had an infection, but she ordered a sonogram to be on the safe side. The sonogram showed the mass. Right after the sonogram was done, a Urologist was down and he told me it was a mass, and to come back in the next day for surgery! It happened that fast.

Please go get it checked out, and worry about finances later. Is there perhaps a free clinic/hospital that could take care of this, or at least ease the financial burden? I'm lucky that the military covers my treatment, so I'm quite unfamiliar with how it works for civilians....but I would not put it off any longer. You'll be in our thoughts and prayers. Keep us posted.

[Scott]

I'm sorry to hear that it is cancer but very glad he's in treatment. Are you certain it's in the liver, not the retroperitoneal lymph nodes?