Worried wife

[Violet0729]

My husband took too long to see a doctor and im so worried. He had an ultrasound and they found a 5cm tumor. He had it removed yesterday. We are waiting to go see Urologist in a week for results. Ive been so depressed and crying alot. I dont want to loose him i really dont. We have 3 children. Im so scared it has spread. I need someone to talk to. Ive been reading all your stories these days and i know theres hope but I can’t help feeling lonely and depressed

[Sir Lurkington]

First of all, sorry to have to welcome you to this forum. There are plenty of people here with more experience than me who can answer pretty much any question you might have, so if there's something you're wondering about, or if you just need to vent, go ahead and write a message.
I understand that you're scared and sad, but as I'm sure you already know, the cure rate for this type of cancer is very high, and even in a worst case scenario where it has spread, the majority of people are cured.

For me, waiting for test results was (and still is, just did my first post chemo blood work) the hardest part. Not knowing is incredibly hard, but the fact that he took a long time to see a doctor doesn't necessarily mean it has spread for sure. I waited 5 months after I found a lump to see a doctor (by then a large part of the surface and most of the inside of the testicle was just tumour/necrotic mass), and even though the cells in my tumour were 100% Embryonal Carcinoma, a type that is known for being VERY aggressive, I was still only diagnosed stage 1B.

[Mike]

I agree that right now is one of the most difficult times. It is the hurry up and then wait period where the surgery is done but the results seem take forever to get back. A 5 cm tumor is not that large and there is no real way from telling from the tumor size itself if it has spread. There is some data showing guys with even 8 cm tumors were still stage I, where the cure rate is essentially 100%. Has he had any imaging done as far as CT scans, those are the key in looking for any spread, or any tumor markers (AFP, beta-hCG, LDH)?

As mentioned it is highly curable and keep in mind that many times the stories on here are because people did face difficulties or have advanced disease as those that had the orchiectomy, were stage I, and went on with life with no issues typically are not on here or on here for long periods of time so essentially you miss many of the easier success stories.

Please keep us posted and try not to worry too much until the doctors give you something to worry about (I know that is easier said than done). The odds are way in your favor that this is just a temporary hiccup and it is just a matter of how much short term crap he has to go through to come out a success on the other side.

MIke

[Violet0729]

Thank you so much guys. I really appreciate your words. I had my husband read your replies and he smiled. 😊

[HouTex]

My tumor was 4.5. I too waited; 3 months from first sign. With two young children the time between 'it has got to come out' and 'what kind of cancer is it and what are the next steps' was very difficult. But here I am 8+ years later, worry about the kids and their driving.

[Violet0729]

He took long because his testicle was hard but didnt think anything was wrong and he even had a physical and the doctor grabbed his testis but didn’t mention him anything so he didnt think anything was wrong. Until it swelled up then we were concerned. He also was getting ready to get weightloss surgery and just in December and January he had alot of labs done. Chest x-ray, CBC, abdominal ultrasound, barium swallow and everything came back normal. His weightloss surgery was cancelled.

[Trekga]

So sorry you are able to post here. As mentioned already you are in the waiting period, and it is a tough time. Deep breath...update when you get pathology. I hope they ran tumor markers and will do a CT Scan/lung x-ray. Glad he found it.

[Davepet]

Just to reiterate, his chances of a cure are very high. He should be getting a CT scan soon, to find out if it has spread, also blood markers for hcg & AFP need to be drawn, LDH is also often measured, but isn't as useful.If these tests haven't been ordered or done yet, make sure to mention it to the urologist at the first appointment.

Davve

[Violet0729]

Thank you guys and i will keep you posted once we find out

[Violet0729]

Guys since my husband had I/O on tuesday hes been really tired these days, is that normal?

[vpirh]

It could be that his body is still adjusting to the surgery and maybe the surviving testicle is not yet producing enough testosterone. 4 days is too soon to tell imho.

[Violet0729]

Could it be the anesthesia still in his body?

[Sk8rMom]

Hi Violet729. I'm sorry you have had to look for this forum but glad you have found it! I think it could be that your husband might still be feeling the effects of anesthesia. The drugs are not still in his body but the effects of anesthesia can hang on longer with some people more than others. I/O is generally a short, uncomplicated procedure but not always and it's still surgery and it's still anesthesia. 4 days is really not a long time for someone to still be kind of listless after surgery. Did the surgeon speak with you after the procedure? Did he say it went as planned?

[Violet0729]

Yes the surgeon said the surgery went well. We are going back to Urologist next week for results. Im just worried about him and him feeling so tired. Hes also a little emotional and im thinking he’s depressed. The good thing is that he hasnt lost his apetite and hasnt lost weight. But hes very fatigued and all these negative thoughts are in my head already thinking cancer has spread. Im just so anxious already and im hoping days go by fast so we can go see doctor.

[billandtuna]

Hi Violet!
Lovely to see you here, but sorry you needed to...
As others have said, 4 days isn't long at all. My surgery went just exactly as planned, no complications, but I was out of it for about a week, between the healing from the incision, the pain meds, and yes, the emotional adjustment.
It can be a tough time, I imagine both of you are worried about what comes next, but try to stay focused on the here and now - and keep some jokes and humor going through the situation to help keep you from staying dark - it's OK to let your mind visit there from time to time, that's totally natural, but don't let yourselves stay there.
Being emotional is a normal response, so is being depressed. You don't need to hide from those feelings, but don't let them take over, either.
Keeping it light doesn't mean denial, it's a way to keep things in perspective.

As strange as it sounds, this can be a great time to open up your hearts and your home to well-wishers - let someone else cook for you, or shovel the driveway (if you're in the snow zone), or do whatever around the house - you'll find that people are eager to help, but usually you need to ask them, and give them a discrete task.

Another thing - try to avoid Googling or looking things up on-line, especially now. At this stage, you don't have a lot of information to work with, and there are some pretty scary words on-line that are very unlikely to be relevant to your situation AT ALL. Remember that survival with testicular cancer is very high, and the vast majority of men who get it do fine and live very long, healthy lives afterwards.

Keep us posted about what's happening.
Best wishes to you and your husband!