question regarding next steps...

[pjiddy]

hello...i am new to the forum....I am a 30 year old from Toronto Canada.....i guess ill give you my quick story as things have happened quite quickly:


May 4th--Day 1- I went into my doctor with what i thought was a bruised right testicle from a hockey game i had played in 3 weeks earlier. The pain was not too bad and was just a little uncomfortable. He checked me out and said he noticed a considerable lump and thought it could be an infection but was more likely a tumor/cancer.

day 2-I dont have any knowledge on this matter so I had no idea what that meant...anyway he scheduled me for an immediate ultrasound the next day as his concern was that the right testicle was 2.5 times bigger than the right. I went to the ultrasound and received a call from the doctor about an hour after the ultrasound and he had received verbal communication that alarmed him and he scheduled me for a visit to the urologist (surgeon) for first thing the next morning.

day 3- only 3 days after going to the dr for what i thought was a bruise i was at the Urologist's office and he looked me over. He said that they were 95 percent sure it was a cancer/tumor and scheduled me to have surgery to remove the testicle the following day.

Day 4- I went into surgery and had the testicle removed...and the (sorry for terms) veins that attach from about my waist.

Now Day 11-still recovering...

I am not sure whats really going on as they are waiting on the biopsy reports to see how serious it was or how far it spread. Everything has happened so fast that I don't really know whats going on.

I guess my major concerns for now are physically what the tests results will show and mentally I am having issues where I am scared that i really dont have much feeling down in my penis/testicle. It is playing with my head where I am getting really nervous about stuff like will I be able to perform sexually etc.

Anyway...that is my story and I am glad that I have found this forum...

Thanks for listening....

[dadmo]

pjiddy:
Waiting for lab results drives everybody a bit crazy, this is by far the most anxious time you will have. If it should turn out to be tc you have every reason to expect to be cured. Go to the page at this link and read everthing you can. Understanding the disease should make you a bit less anxious. When you get your lab results please post them and we can try and help you understand what they say.

[Kev332]

Pjiddy,

Sounds like your doctors are making all the right moves and in a timely manner, which is great. Waiting is definitely the worst part, but you wont know what the next step will be untill the pathology report comes back... Once your doctor gets that report, you will have a better understanding of whats going on,,, ie: IF it even is cancer, however, if it is, what type and so on.

Definitely take a look at the website Dadmo listed in his message. Lots of information at that site. We all know how tough it is to stay calm at this point in the game, but just try to take things one step at a time.. And remember, TC is one of the most curable forms of cancer.

Did your doctor take any blood prior to your surgery?

Hang in there.

-Kevin

[Karen]

pjiddy,

Welcome to the forum! First, congratulations on realizing something was wrong and seeking medical attention. Depending on the type of cancer, the I/O may have been the cure. TC, when caught early, is highly cureable. You should now be awaiting the final pathology, blood markers (beta-HCG, AFP, LDH) a chest X-ray and a CT scan to determine staging. I suggest you obtain copies of all your reports for your records as well as to pass the info on to us so we can provide guiadance.

Seven days post op you should be up and moving around. This will help lessen internal scaring and keep your bowels moving (sorry for being blunt). Keep ice on swollen areas (bags of frozen peas are great ice packs).

http://www.tc-cancer.com and http://tcrc.acor.org are excellent sources of information. Read up on all you can, ask questions, and know that we are here to help and support you.

[Pete]

Hey man, don't sweat it. It sounds as if everything is going the way it should. For me, truly the waiting has been the worst part ! What worked for me, I went out and had some fun, I did some things I enjoy and it really took my mind off of things.
While you're waiting, get back to living ! really, what else are you going to do?
I lost feeling around the scar, and a little up the left side of my penis, but everything is working fine, and the feeling starting to return little by little.

as my wife keeps reminding me, there's nothing to worry about untill there's something to worry about, now go do the dishes and cut the grass !

good luck man, keep us posted on how things are going, there's so many great folks to talk to here.
Pete.

[pjiddy]

Thanks for all the feedback.....It really helps me remain stable....I have read alot of the material you have directed me too.

I did get some bloodwork done before the surgery but have not heard anything about it yet.

Also a few other quick hit for you that I wanted to see if anyone else experienced.....

they asked me to wear a jock strap (without the cup) for about a month after the surgery...has anyone else had to do this and if so does anyone know the reason why or what the purpose is as it is extremely uncomfortable.

Anyway I hope that is normal....once again thanks for all the feedback and Ill let you know when more information is passed on to me.

[Already Bald]

[QUOTE=pjiddy]
they asked me to wear a jock strap (without the cup) for about a month after the surgery...has anyone else had to do this and if so does anyone know the reason why or what the purpose is as it is extremely uncomfortable.
QUOTE]

I started getting some pain in the other testicle a few weeks after my I/O, and one of my doctors suggested that I wear a jock. I never did, and the pain went away after a week or two. (If that happens to you, don't freak out- it has been posted here many times, and turns out to be nothing.)

If you are uncomfortable, I would recommend that you tell your doc- maybe go a day or two without the jock and see how you feel.

Did you get your path back yet, and do you know what your markers are?
This is what will determine your next treatment options.
Best,

[Fed]

Hey dude,
Just caught up with your post. Like everyone before me, I concur that you are doing all the right things. It's great that you had everything taken care of promptly: it is key to curing TC.
The soreness and the numbness in the area can last a while. Some people recover quickly, and for others it takes longer. I felt I was back at 100% after about 6 weeks, but each day is clearly better than the last. Before you know it, you'll be back on the ice shooting pucks like Phil Kessel (hey, I had to insert a hockey reference here).
Karen brought up something important, and I believe you haven't mentioned it yet. Have you had further radiology done? These will be needed to fill in the remaining blanks on your diagnosis.
Keep up the good work. Looking forward to hearing more from you,

[Kev332]

Yep, they had me in a jock strap after my surgery and told me to wear it for a few days. I think it helped keep things "in place" so to speak. It was funny waking up from surgery and seeing that i had a jock strap on! haha. I was a little surprised, but in the end, i think it helped. I healed really well from that surgery.

[Pete]

the doc didn't suggest that to me at all, he just said no heavy lifting for about 3 weeks or so. I took it real easy the first couple of weeks and didn't have any troubles. I did get some pain in the other testicle, not severe, but enough to notice. that went away.
maybe you need one of these-- ( a little humor to ease your mind)

http://www.devilducky.com/media/34116/

if I get too off topic you guys just give me hell, the jokes from my friends and just the humor in general have kept ME going,and i'm just trying to spread the smile

[pjiddy]

HAHAHAH....thanks for the humor...

As for the radiation...I havent had that yet...all they have told me is to wait for the results then we will see and I will go for a cat scan from that point.

I will just have to wait it out.

What about work for most people....I guess sitting around is driving me a little bit crazy and am thinking about going back to work. How do you guys feel about that or roughly how long did you take till you went back to work? I know it will be uncomfortable at a desk but they are asking me how long till I am back to work and now I feel bad....I told them my doctor said about a month but i am not 100 percent about that.

[Kev332]

I took a week off from work... by that time it was to the point where i could wear dress pants and feel okay,,, although it was still a little sore and uncomfortable.

Taking a month off of work after a O/I seems a little long to me.. unless you are doing physical labor.

[Pete]

I took a week off, I do get to sit at a desk most of the day. looking back now though, I wish I'd taken a few more days, that first week back, i was still extremely tired and uncomfortable(i'm also a big baby)..lol.. However, boredom made me do it !!!!

[Fed]

maybe you need one of these-- (a little humor to ease your mind)

http://www.devilducky.com/media/34116/

Dude, I got quite a kick out of this one.

What about work for most people....

I had my surgery on a Saturday, and I was back in the lab the following Monday, so counting the weekend -there is no such thing as a free weekend from the lab- I was gone for 9 days; however, I still worked from home (I had to, I was writing up a manuscript that needed to submit before the end of the year). Luckily, the lab was shut down a week after I returned to work because they had to remove asbestos from the ceiling. If I had to lug things around, my colleagues would help.

[Adrr-Atta]

Hi pjiddy,
I am also from Toronto, Canada. Waiting is the worst part. Don't worry, you'll be fine.