Ok gentlemen, and ladies who are concerned about their man, I feel it's only fair I share my experience and information I have researched on this subject.
To bring you up to date; on 3rd September 2010, while showering, I notice my left testis firmer than the other. At the time I didn't think much of it. The next day, on reflection I thought I should look into it, so I Googled 'hard testis' and the results showed a number of pages on testicular cancer. I immediately re-examined the testis to find a lump on the underside. I was now officially freaked out. At the time I knew very little about this type of cancer. 12 years ago I was diagnosed with skin cancer, a malignant melanoma, which was removed from my left arm. So, with my past history I was very concerned. For information about self examination go to http://tcrc.acor.org/tcexam.html or http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertypes/Testes/Symptomsdiagnosis/Checkum.aspx Do it monthly!
I know now about 90% of patients are cured from testicular cancer and in my case, which is a Stage I Seminoma, 99% can be cured. It is a serious condition and needs immediate attention, but don't worry yourself to death. For an overview on testicular cancer look at http://tcrc.acor.org/tcprimer.html
I saw my GP that very afternoon and she confirmed it was suspicious. She said she'd refer me to a hospital for an ultrasound scan. Anyway, 2 weeks later, Friday 17th September, after many phone calls I had an appointment at Charing Cross Hospital. I arrived at 9:15am for my ultrasound. To cut a long story short, I ended up having a CT scan, blood tests for tumor markers and a consultation also. The doctor explained to me it was a tumor and they wanted to operate asap. I was booked in for surgery on the Monday.
No comments:
Post a Comment