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Hello all,
I just wanted to let whoever read my previous threads know that my 3-week check-up ultrasound today confirmed that the antibiotics didn't work and the testicle needs to come out. It will be removed tomorrow at Hattiesburg Clinic......my uro tells me he can perform the surgery "blindfolded with a hand tied behind his back" which was reassuring.
I want to tell my story so other people with similar circumstances may make the decision to see their Doctor with their TC symptoms. When I was 15 I noticed a small bump on the top of my testicle near the epydidimus (or however you spell it) and knowing nothing about testicular cancer though nothing of it. As a 16 year old, I went to my pediatrician for my driver's license physical, who at the end of my visit told me about testicular cancer and it's symptoms. My heart immediately sank, but stupidly I remained quiet with fear of surgery and stuff. I was worried for the first month after the Dr. visit, but didn't tell anyone. I researched testicular cancer all over the internet, and learned a ton about the disease during that time. But fortunately after a while, weeks turned to months, and my worries diminished......I didn't even think about the lump except for maybe once a month, and even then it was an afterthought. Once I was in college, it was hardly a thought at all.
This past August I started graduate school in Mississippi, 1000 miles away from my home in Pennsylvania. Plenty of stress comes along with grad school, but no major worries about my health. About 3 weeks ago, though, I was laying on my back porch after working out. During this time, one of my roommate'ss dog decided to jump up into my lap while I was napping, causing some serious ball pain. I shurgged it off, and went upstairs for a shower. Durring the shower, I checked to make sure the dog didn't do any damage and examined my testicles, and to my surprise, I found NEW, extremely small lump on the back of my left testicle. It was very hard to notice.......I definitely had to squeeze the testicle to even notice that it was there, but after all the reading I did about testicular cancer I did in the past I was almost certain what it was at first sight.
**I want to make a very important note here.......if I was to be doing a routine TSE exam, I would have never noticed the lump, for it was inside of the testicle and towards the back under the epydidymus. Pressure was definitely needed to discern the shape and solid texture of the lump. I assume for bloodflow reasons, it is much easier to find laying down in bed, but even to this day, the day before my operation, it is still quite hard to find standing. My uro told me even today that he can hardly feel it.
After finding the lump, I went to my university health center the next day. The examining dr. assumed it was an epydidimal cyst, but sent me to a urologist just to be safe. When I first got to the urologist an hour later, he told me my testicles both felt perfectly healthy, but ordered an ultrasound and blood work just to be on the safe side. The ultrasound showed a small mass, so as a precaution my dr. placed me on a 2 week supply of cipro (antibiotics) and told me to return in 3 weeks for another ultrasound. He told me it could be one of many different things, and said that if it was cancer it was such an early stage that 3 weeks shouldn't be enough time for serious growth and spreading......this was re-confirmed by my personally with calls to an oncologist and also to the American cancer society. By stating this, though, I by no means advocate waiting........this was my particular situation and may be different from someone else's.
3 days after my visit to the uro, I got a phone call that my blood work was negative for tumor markers, but this call only made me feel slightly better because I knew full well that there was definitely something inside the testicle.
The next three weeks were torture for me. As a graduate research scientist, my expertise and passion is obviously doing research. I spent hours each day researching TC and other testicular diseases on-line in an attempt to learn more knowledge about what could possible be going on. Most of what I found scared me, such as things like "95% of solid testicular masses are tumors" and a little thing called the "rplnd" surgery.....which I'm still scared of. Other things I found made me feel better, like the fact that no tumor markers is a possible sign of a seminoma, the less aggressive form of the disease. Regardless, I was lucky enough to find this website and get some correspondence from a few members, namely Fed and Scott, who helped me a lot more then I think they realize by simply responding to me when I had no one else to talk to. I decided not to tell my family or loved ones about what was going on during this time, because with the distance between us, I didn't want them worrying if it did turn out to be just an infection.....again, this was my personal decision, and I don't recommend it to others.
This morning I anxiously went for my 3 week ultrasound, which I have actually been looking forward to, and was told a few hours later that the testicle needs to come out. The dr. wanted to schedule my orch. for later next week, but I asked if it could be done tomorrow and he agreed.
One of my biggest fears during this ordeal was not the disease itself, but telling my loved ones, my mother and girlfriend of 5 years particularly. A few hours ago I bucked up and called my mom, let her know what was going on, she it took it as well as any mother could. Unfortunately, she had an accident at work a few days ago and is in the middle of a ton of x-rays and MRI's herself with lower back pain......so I had to go easy on the details about myself to keep her thinking straight and not attempting to fly down here and do even more damage to herself.....but she will be with me as soon as she can.
My girlfriend who I love more than anything was extremely supportive, being reassuring from my first few words. The first thing she told me was that no matter what happens I will always have her, which alleviates almost all of my fears of this situation. I'm truly. blessed to have her in my life.
Anyway, this is where I am right now: I'm a 23 year old graduate student with final exams a week away, a lumpy testicle that is coming out in less that 15 hours, and a family that is 1000 miles away. I luckily have an incredible graduate adviser who is taking me to, waiting at, and driving me home from the clinic tomorrow. I also have 3 great roommates who I'm sure will do everything they can to help me out. Once I'm up to it I'll be back on here to let you guys know how the surgery went, and also to let you know the results of the path. Thank you all for listening, and If this long-winded babble helps just one person find the courage to go to their dr with their symptoms, I will have felt that I did my job.
Thank you,
Bobby
P.S.......the lump I found when I was 15 turned out to not even be cancerous......it was a calcium deposit of some kind. I'm glad I had it, though, because it forced me to read up about TC and it's symptoms. That small calcium deposit and my roommate's damn little poodle may have actually helped my find the disease at an incredibly early stage.
I just wanted to let whoever read my previous threads know that my 3-week check-up ultrasound today confirmed that the antibiotics didn't work and the testicle needs to come out. It will be removed tomorrow at Hattiesburg Clinic......my uro tells me he can perform the surgery "blindfolded with a hand tied behind his back" which was reassuring.
I want to tell my story so other people with similar circumstances may make the decision to see their Doctor with their TC symptoms. When I was 15 I noticed a small bump on the top of my testicle near the epydidimus (or however you spell it) and knowing nothing about testicular cancer though nothing of it. As a 16 year old, I went to my pediatrician for my driver's license physical, who at the end of my visit told me about testicular cancer and it's symptoms. My heart immediately sank, but stupidly I remained quiet with fear of surgery and stuff. I was worried for the first month after the Dr. visit, but didn't tell anyone. I researched testicular cancer all over the internet, and learned a ton about the disease during that time. But fortunately after a while, weeks turned to months, and my worries diminished......I didn't even think about the lump except for maybe once a month, and even then it was an afterthought. Once I was in college, it was hardly a thought at all.
This past August I started graduate school in Mississippi, 1000 miles away from my home in Pennsylvania. Plenty of stress comes along with grad school, but no major worries about my health. About 3 weeks ago, though, I was laying on my back porch after working out. During this time, one of my roommate'ss dog decided to jump up into my lap while I was napping, causing some serious ball pain. I shurgged it off, and went upstairs for a shower. Durring the shower, I checked to make sure the dog didn't do any damage and examined my testicles, and to my surprise, I found NEW, extremely small lump on the back of my left testicle. It was very hard to notice.......I definitely had to squeeze the testicle to even notice that it was there, but after all the reading I did about testicular cancer I did in the past I was almost certain what it was at first sight.
**I want to make a very important note here.......if I was to be doing a routine TSE exam, I would have never noticed the lump, for it was inside of the testicle and towards the back under the epydidymus. Pressure was definitely needed to discern the shape and solid texture of the lump. I assume for bloodflow reasons, it is much easier to find laying down in bed, but even to this day, the day before my operation, it is still quite hard to find standing. My uro told me even today that he can hardly feel it.
After finding the lump, I went to my university health center the next day. The examining dr. assumed it was an epydidimal cyst, but sent me to a urologist just to be safe. When I first got to the urologist an hour later, he told me my testicles both felt perfectly healthy, but ordered an ultrasound and blood work just to be on the safe side. The ultrasound showed a small mass, so as a precaution my dr. placed me on a 2 week supply of cipro (antibiotics) and told me to return in 3 weeks for another ultrasound. He told me it could be one of many different things, and said that if it was cancer it was such an early stage that 3 weeks shouldn't be enough time for serious growth and spreading......this was re-confirmed by my personally with calls to an oncologist and also to the American cancer society. By stating this, though, I by no means advocate waiting........this was my particular situation and may be different from someone else's.
3 days after my visit to the uro, I got a phone call that my blood work was negative for tumor markers, but this call only made me feel slightly better because I knew full well that there was definitely something inside the testicle.
The next three weeks were torture for me. As a graduate research scientist, my expertise and passion is obviously doing research. I spent hours each day researching TC and other testicular diseases on-line in an attempt to learn more knowledge about what could possible be going on. Most of what I found scared me, such as things like "95% of solid testicular masses are tumors" and a little thing called the "rplnd" surgery.....which I'm still scared of. Other things I found made me feel better, like the fact that no tumor markers is a possible sign of a seminoma, the less aggressive form of the disease. Regardless, I was lucky enough to find this website and get some correspondence from a few members, namely Fed and Scott, who helped me a lot more then I think they realize by simply responding to me when I had no one else to talk to. I decided not to tell my family or loved ones about what was going on during this time, because with the distance between us, I didn't want them worrying if it did turn out to be just an infection.....again, this was my personal decision, and I don't recommend it to others.
This morning I anxiously went for my 3 week ultrasound, which I have actually been looking forward to, and was told a few hours later that the testicle needs to come out. The dr. wanted to schedule my orch. for later next week, but I asked if it could be done tomorrow and he agreed.
One of my biggest fears during this ordeal was not the disease itself, but telling my loved ones, my mother and girlfriend of 5 years particularly. A few hours ago I bucked up and called my mom, let her know what was going on, she it took it as well as any mother could. Unfortunately, she had an accident at work a few days ago and is in the middle of a ton of x-rays and MRI's herself with lower back pain......so I had to go easy on the details about myself to keep her thinking straight and not attempting to fly down here and do even more damage to herself.....but she will be with me as soon as she can.
My girlfriend who I love more than anything was extremely supportive, being reassuring from my first few words. The first thing she told me was that no matter what happens I will always have her, which alleviates almost all of my fears of this situation. I'm truly. blessed to have her in my life.
Anyway, this is where I am right now: I'm a 23 year old graduate student with final exams a week away, a lumpy testicle that is coming out in less that 15 hours, and a family that is 1000 miles away. I luckily have an incredible graduate adviser who is taking me to, waiting at, and driving me home from the clinic tomorrow. I also have 3 great roommates who I'm sure will do everything they can to help me out. Once I'm up to it I'll be back on here to let you guys know how the surgery went, and also to let you know the results of the path. Thank you all for listening, and If this long-winded babble helps just one person find the courage to go to their dr with their symptoms, I will have felt that I did my job.
Thank you,
Bobby
P.S.......the lump I found when I was 15 turned out to not even be cancerous......it was a calcium deposit of some kind. I'm glad I had it, though, because it forced me to read up about TC and it's symptoms. That small calcium deposit and my roommate's damn little poodle may have actually helped my find the disease at an incredibly early stage.
testosterone implants May 2008
Take care, Russell's Mom, Sharon
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