Ultrasound results

[newbe]

Well check this out i get to the Uroligist today a Dr. Lo, and it turns out that the Radiology department never sent my Ultrasound to him but Dr. lo checked out the boys really really well and according to him if there was a 6 millimeter sized mass inside one of the testicles he should at least be able to feel it and could not...He is the surgeon who would perform the I/O said he has "really sensitive fingers" and again should be able to feel something said the actual mass they saw could have been anything like a shadow...well, now he has ordered another ultrasound and blood tests he said at this time he cant be sure if it is TC or not...Any one gone through this type of situation? Should the Urologist be able to feel the mass? anyone no anything about that?

[Scott]

Assuming the radiologist knows what he's doing, he should be able to recognize a solid mass. Why do you need a second ultrasound if the urologist hasn't seen the results of the first one yet?

[newbe]

He said he wanted another ultrasound because he could not feel anything in either testicle and stated that if it was six millimeters in size as the radiologist had told my pcp he should be able to feel something but couldnt-and that is the reason he is requesting another ultrasound i dont know what to think now he also said if he did see something from the first it could be a shadow or something and that is why he wants another ultrasound done

[Scott]

well, now he has ordered ... blood tests

This is a good step, since elevated AFP and/or hCG tumor markers would be pretty conclusive evidence of cancer. (However, if they are not elevated, that doesn't disprove cancer.)

[Scott]

Well, I'm not a urologist, but if I were, I'm pretty sure I'd want to see the results of the test already completed before assuming I needed to order a repeat.

Have you had blood drawn already, or when is that happening?

[newbe]

he gave me paperwork to get the blood test as well as the another ultrasound done this week I have another appointment with him on the 26th i asked him if he can see me sooner but he did not seem to have the urgency i assumed he would. he said that we need to make sure it is what it is before we go any further I was already talking about the I/O surgery to him he said because of my age 39 it was better-I have no idea what my age has to do with it? He said TC is more common in younger people I just assumed it was like any other cancer didnt matter what age you were if it happens it happens

[Scott]

Time to pull out this line graph again to demonstrate that testicular cancer can hit at any age.

[Sans rt1]

I was 47 when I got TC, so age may make it less likely but it still happens. I had no lumps - mine was just a little bigger and harder than the other one. If my son had not hit me in the family jewels with a baseball, I would have not noticed it. When I went to my family doctor, he said he could not feel anything, but it was indeed harder than the other. He could have dismissed it as being caused by the baseball hit, but to be conservative he sent me for an ultrasound. There was a large mass inside - could not feel it from the outside.

My family doctor had been practicing for about 15 years, and I was the first case of TC he had ever diagnosed - and he diagnosed his second case just 6 months later - and told me it was amazingly almost the same as mine - no lump just harder than the other and the person was also over 45.

Anyway, maybe you will be lucky and it was a shadow, but I would think from the number of views an ultrasound can do that the ultrasound tech checked it out pretty thoroughly and took lots of pictures - the ultrasound sheet my urologist showed me had probably a dozen or more views of mine. Waiting is never good, but your urologist is probably banking that at your age it would likely be seminoma which is less agressive than the other forms - but that is also not a guarantee.

So, do get it checked out again and soon. Perhaps talk to your PCP to see if he has seen the ultrasound pics - or even see another urologist (as yours does not sound all that good to me).

[Rover]

I've been in 3 urology offices over the course of my journey. One didn't cut the mustard, 2 cut me Each had a US machine in their office, had the tech set up and the Urologist did the US himself. So until recently, I just thought this was standard equipment for a Urologist, like doppler at the baby doc. They used the US as a tool for the diagnosis but sent me to the hospital afterward for the official US where they looked at blood flow, took measurements and got a report from the radiologist.

They described what we were looking at and compared, the first time, to the adjacent healthy testicle. The outline, periphery, should be smooth, without bulges. The inside should have a smooth even colored texture. We didn't talk about "shadows", I guess because there weren't any and I have no idea how to tell if the mass is solid, liquid, or cyst like. I just know that if there is something in the testicle it will look different than the normal tissue around it.

-chris

[newbe]

The mean time

While waiting for blood report and ultrasound (second one for me)...i have second appointment with the Urologist on the 26th.. I just cant seem to be able to concentrate at work my mind is racing a hundred miles per hour did anyone out there take time off from work while waiting for their results or was it business as usual?

[Rover]

It is tough to focus once you get this stuff in your head. If you have vacation time to burn and the weather is nice where you are then go ahead and take time off. But don't do it to have more time to worry do it because you have time to burn and the weather is nice.

If you want to be proactive, take a long lunch, go get a copy of the films and report from the first US. It usually cost a couple bucks and the wait can vary from 45 minutes to next day depending on the hospital or center. If the images look like there is something in the testicle don't wait until the 26th, have your pcp refer you to another uro. Remember tc is not common so there is a good chance you have no problem at all. Attack it as a todo item, don't worry about what you don't know.

-chris

[newbe]

Ultrasound results

well i just got back from seeing the Urologist again and this time he had my Ultrasound results here is what he said "the mass does not impress me as cancer because of size, shape, coloration and the form"(he said that coloration would appear to be same color as testicle???) I thought any mass inside the testicle was cancer... he put me on antibiotics 100mg of Doxycycline for two weeks said after that to have another ultrasound and to see him again...he said if it was cancer it was really small and most likely very early-? I thought they had to do a pathology on the actual testi to see what stage it is at am i right for being concerned? for not wanting to wait another two weeks? anyone go through this? and it turned out to just be an infection of some kind and not TC?

[Scott]

I'd suggest a second opinion from a different urologist.

[dadmo]

Wow be very careful here. The only thing the ultra sound can tell is if the mass is solid or fluid. If it appears solid it needs to be removed, it's really that simple. Has he drawn any blood to check you for tumor markers. If not you may want to ask him if he would do that, those results should be back in a day or two and if they are clear the 2 week wait might be ok. I have to be honest I'm not real comfortable with the input from your urologist.

[Fed]

The bottom line is that the ultrasound should be able to tell the difference between a solid and a liquid-filled mass. I'm not sure what the benefits of an antibiotic are under these circumstances, but you should probably (as Scott said) take your films and get them evaluated elsewhere.
With TC, as with many other illnesses, early detection is crucial for successful treatment. Any delays will likely make treatment harsher, not to mention compounding your anxiety.