any info would help!

[davethebuilder]

Had right orchiectomy yesterday - rather sore ! urologist came to see me afterwards and confirmed by blood work was normal but did not ask what he had tested for - any ideas??? also have CT scan this Thurs - so scared it has spread as have very bad cough - although consultant seems to think it would be unlikely - now really concerned about remaining one - as am sure can feel lumps in this but know that this was checked on ultrasound - are my worries normal - i am 42 and have three young children - any support at this time would be great as will not get results of ct scan and tumour for at least another ten days

[DougC]

Worries are normal but usually way over the top. Mine were. First positive thing is that the cause of the problem is now gone so that's the first step. Bloods normal is also good. I'm not an expert either but normal this means that what ever you had is less serious than if bloods were not normal. Mine were normal and I had a classical seminoma which was fully contained - nothing appears to have spread - nothing showed up on my CT scan.

Regarding your cough, I had all sorts of aches and pains before I got all my results and was really worried. What ever the aches were had nothing to do with my cancer. Most likely the the same with your cough.

If the ultrasound shows nothing on the other testicle I'm sure its OK. Ask about the possibility of the ultrasound missing something if you are still worrried. Get your doctor to examine you again and be certain that there is nothing there. Most likely not but dont be afraid to ask.

I am not the a 'pushy' sort of person but I decided when I got this that I would keep asking my doctors questions until I was satisfied with their answers. About a week after my surgery I got worried because my wound got very painful and I my doctor fitted me in to his schedule. It turns out there was no problem but at least I was reassured. Its your health so don't be afraid to ask and persist until you are satisfied that all is OK.

Good luck. I'm sure you'll be fine.

[Scott]

Hey, Dave. Your blood tests should have been for AFP, hCG, and LDH. You can look up their entries in the TCRC dictionary for all the details. Having cancer is enough to throw anybody for a loop. Your experience is one many of us can relate to, but try not to worry too much. You're going to be fine.