hi everybody newbie here

[keefe]

Hi My names Keith i`m 44 just found this forum here`s my story so far i found a lump in my right testicle about 8 weeks ago i`m scheduled to go into hospital in about a weeks time for the orchidectemy, i had been suffering some pain before i discovered the lump when i had my ultrasound scan my radiographer said we need to get you to see an urologist next week theres a solid mass there
i could feel the blood drain out of my head as he said it knew then that i would be losing a testicle as a single quite shy guy this is not the news i wanted to hear was thinking of just pretending nothing was wrong and hoped that i would either be allright somehow? or die quickly so i wouldnt have to face up to this,they say you dont know when you`ve gone insane i think i went a little loopy for a bit there
it was only when i thought of my family and freinds having to deal with my probable death that i realised i didnt want to hurt them,so anyways change of plan..... going in for the op pretty soon i`m really scared how it will effect me pychologicaly,emotionaly,physically not really worried about the cancer just about losing a testicle, probably a lot of people wont understand that but thats where i am at the moment..... just had my blood pressure checked it`s 155/110 iv`e never had high blood pressure in my life before gives you an idea how stressed and anxious i feel....anyways that`s my story so far like they say it`s good to talk

[Margaret]

Hi Keith,

Welcome, but sorry you had to find us in the first place. Losing a part of youself can be very traumatic for sure. I am a woman, so I can not fully understand about losing a testicle, but I can understand the fear and anxiety that cancer brings. You can always get an implant, to make you feel more 'whole'..but many of the men here have found a certain acceptance about only having one and feel it is a part of who they are now. My husband did not like the idea of something that was 'not him' rolling around in there but I supported any decission he wanted to make.

This can be a really stressful process but there is a family here that will support and care about your every step of the way. lean on us anytime.

We are here.

Margaret

[dadmo]

Keith:
Welcome to our forum and I'm sorry about the membership fee is so steep.
Every one of the guy's here who had to lose a testicle was worried about exactly the same things. It stinks but you will come to learn that it really isn't a big deal. Life with one testicle will go on as if nothing happened. The operation itself is quite simple, it's very much like a hernia operation.
When you get operated on make sure you bring a pair of sweatpants the incesion area will be tender. One thing you may want to think about is have an artifical one inserted. Most don't have that done but many do..
You're now in what may be the worst time of the whole process, waiting. Let's hope it's just a benign tumor. If it shouls turn out to be tc at your age it would most likely be seminoma. You should learn everything you can about the disease, it will make it a lot less scarry. You can get some great information at this site .
After you get the pathology report please post it here and we can share our experiances and treatments.

[Already Bald]

This can be a really stressful process but there is a family here that will support and care about your every step of the way. lean on us anytime.

We are here.

Margaret

I agree with Margaret- you will find if you stay with us you are not alone.

As far as losing the testicle- that seemed huge at the time, but I can assure you that the body compensates, and I never even think about it now.

Hasn't slowed me down a bit

Your BP is a little high, are you monitering it and keeping a chart for your docs?

[Fed]

Hey Keith,
As the other guys here, let me say that there is always something a tad traumatizing about losing a nut; however, think of the alternative if you don't... the likelihood of a solid testicular mass being cancerous is upwards of 95%. In the meantime, focus on your recovery from the surgery. Don't do any heavy lifting, and take it easy on the pain killers (use them as needed, but don't overdo it since they can constipate you).
We're here to help out any way we can. Stay strong.

[Mom]

Jeez, Keith, you're certainly worth more than a testicle. For Pete's sake, my husband doesn't have any and he has done just fine for the last 27 years!! You're more of a man just facing up to and overcoming this challenge and being there for your friends and family than being one testicle less. So, suck it up, go have the surgery and report back with the findings. No matter what they are just plan on beating the SOB! (Now I'm sounding like T-CLEFT.) Dianne

[Margaret]

Jeez, Keith, you're certainly worth more than a testicle. For Pete's sake, my husband doesn't have any and he has done just fine for the last 27 years!! You're more of a man just facing up to and overcoming this challenge and being there for your friends and family than being one testicle less. So, suck it up, go have the surgery and report back with the findings. No matter what they are just plan on beating the SOB! (Now I'm sounding like T-CLEFT.) Dianne

Gosh Dianne, you do sound like TCLEFT, I love it....go girl!

[TCLEFT]

Jeez, Keith, you're certainly worth more than a testicle. For Pete's sake, my husband doesn't have any and he has done just fine for the last 27 years!! You're more of a man just facing up to and overcoming this challenge and being there for your friends and family than being one testicle less. So, suck it up, go have the surgery and report back with the findings. No matter what they are just plan on beating the SOB! (Now I'm sounding like T-CLEFT.) Dianne

[MRMRSU]

Hi Keith: You can see that you've found a group of characters here So sorry to have to meet you under these circumstances, but you are among friends in this forum. Everyone here has a big heart and will be happy to help you sort through all of the questions and emotions racing through your mind. YOU ARE NOT ALONE, and that's the best comfort. My hubby's got a tiny fraction of Welsh in him...hopefully that fraction wasn't in the testicle they removed!!! Ha! Ha! Ha! Gotta keep your sense of humor up...that's the best medicine

[TCLEFT]

In all fairness, I don't think there's a male on the planet that wouldn't panic as soon as he was told he was going to lose one of the boys. I know I did when I was initially diagnosed. The feelings of being less of a man that I would imagine would be similar for breast cancer survivors having feelings of being less feminine. Fact of the matter is it doesn't (for either men or women). As a matter of fact it's not even a testicle that's being lost. It's a tumor, a killer, a beast, the enemy. What used to belong to you has now been betrayed. And by the way, I have no difference in function as I did before. On especially windy days, I can still get a happy feeling and it shows . Hang in Keith, you'll be fine, just as long as you take care of the problem. I guess I'm souding like (Mom) now , albeit in a Manly way .

[Fish]

Hang tough Keith.

I've lost both of the boys to TC and I'm still going strong! Sure there's something scary about losing one, but as Mark says, I figured if they were going to play host to the enemy -- cancer cells... the hell with them. The second time, I couldn't get the darn thing removed fast enough.

Best of luck with the surgery. I'm sure you'll do fine.

[keefe]

hey thanks everybody

Nice to meet you guys thanks for the kind words... my heart go`s out to everybody who has gone through this (victim`s and carer`s) and are still going through this trial.I needed to let my true feeling`s out iv`e only got my sister and her kids to give me support my mum died long time ago of cancer and my father is no help at all spoke to him last week he was blaming me for my high blood pressure!! nice one dad suprised he hasnt blamed me for this testicular lump (i can hear him know it`s because you allways wear tight trousers would be just the sort of thing he would come out with) so he`s no help, my poor sister lost her hubby last september to a car crash so i`m trying to shield them from how bad i really feel so thanks guy`s for listening needed to tell somebody hopefully things will be allright i`m feeling resigned to it now just want the operation/chemo? to be over so i can get on with my life was quite touched last night by a lovely lady called Helena we met a while back at dancing lessons learning the tango(wicked fun) had to tell her would be no dancing for me for a bit told her what was wrong (i`m no good at keeping secrets) she was so nice gave me hug after hug really needed it my married mates used to say they envied me being single but i think i envy them at times like these
hey good idea about keeping a chart of my blood pressure just bought one of them BP monitors so i`ll start today
blood pressure today 144/85 so its come down a bit from 155/110
i`m on ramipril 1 a day 2.5mg making me feel quite nauseas though
thx everybody for listening