About three weeks ago, I discovered a 'lump' down below. Not the usual two but an additional bump on the right testicle. I did the expected thing and trundled off to see my GP and after she groped and prodded my balls for a bit made an appointment for me at the hospital for further investigations the following week.
When I arrived back at the consultants office, another chap (senior consultant) was there to meet us. Yet another bod tickled my nuts for a bit and got us to sit down (honestly, I've never had so many women fondle my nuts in one day - except for that one occasion, but that's not for here!)
The nice senior chap quite calmly told me that actually it did appear to be a tumor and may be testicular cancer! Typical.
The bloods came back last week - clear. The x-ray - clear. I didn't know at the time but the chest x-ray was to determine if the cancer had spread to the lungs - very scary.
Anyway I have a choice now. Have the offending ball whipped off now (and dissected under a microscope to see if it is malignant) or wait six weeks for another ultrasound to see if the 'lump' has grown or whatever.
Either way it looks like I'm going to be walking slightly lop-sided in the future.
Like I said either I'm going to be doing a lot less, growing, fishing and eating or a heck of a lot more! Hopefully the latter.
15 comments:
Not much to say really, other than I hope it all goes well. NASTY!
Lots of lopsided folks in the world, in one way or another. Sorry you have to go through all that, but it's good that you caught it now!
Lisa is right,being lopsided is no worry.Being healthy and that you caught it early is the important thing. The ball does not make the man just as the breast does not make the woman.
Whatever you decide to do Chris - all the best. It's very scary being diagnosed with cancer. My other half had lung cancer 13 years ago and had to have surgery. He's still very much alive and kicking and enjoying life. He's been there twice actually. It's not the end, honestly. Your life will change! Ours have but it's not for the worse. My thoughts and prayers are with you x
For some reason I have only just found this post. John says in the comments box of your next post that he is the 'balls' specialist. You have - by now - worked out that my speciality is talking bollocks, so here we go.
It must be very worrying for you Chris, but (as I am sure you have been told) things are different these days. Lumps on nuts are nowhere near as worrying as Waitrose would have you believe. If it is (which I am sure it is not) any consolation, I know about 5 people in a similar boat right now, and they include nearest and dearest.
Keep us informed as to how you get on. X
Well, if it were my balls, I would go lopsided. I have made that decision in my mind already. I too am watching a lump. If the next scan and biopsy tell me it is indeed cancer, I will be lopsided too. I would rather truly live that way, then worry about whether if it gets bigger and if it might come back.
Chris, only you can decide. I can tell you what I would do, but then again, do we really ever know what we would do unless we were there in the thick of it?
The lung scan. Scary. I am so relieved it came back clear.
You need to continue on your grow-fish-eat journey. I am sure you will make the right choice to continue the trip.
I am sorry I am late commenting on this post of yours. I am catching up now on things.
My thought will be with you. Please do keep us updated. Sending you some healing vibes~
~crow
Thanks to everyone for your support.
When it comes off I'll try to resist the temptation to post a photo of it in a jar...
Chris
x
Watch out...if you have it whipped off, it will change your personality! - mind you, I would have thought it best to calm you down and less chance of future legal action....so could save your life and a pile of cash - ho har
You keep a good outlook on life, with your own brand of perfect humor.
If you did post said body part, I am afraid I couldn't help but to have a look. ;-)
As long as I don't take to wearing dresses and lipstick Terry I'll be ok.
Don't knock wearing womens clothing till you've tried it....well, perhaps with the bedroom door shut and the blinds closed. Not done the make up bit, but hey it's just that one extra glass of red wine away :)
We've been dealing with health scares this year, too, and managing the uncertainty and fear has been by far the most stressful. My husband is high risk for prostate cancer (his father currently has it, grandfather died from it) so when a test came back elevated in January the doctors put on a bright face for us, but you could tell they were shaking their heads behind closed doors. Four months of hell later and the news came back that he doesn't have cancer after all. You just never, never know.
Your situation is more serious because there's an actual lump, but it sounds like the tests so far have been suggestive but inconclusive. I'm guessing the ultrasound indicates a likely tumor but the x-rays and blood work are not confirming it? If so, it could possibly be an early stage cancer or it still might very well just be a benign tumor. The doctors will want to err on the side of caution which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but in either case the prognosis is VERY good! Survival rates for testicular cancer caught early approach 99%. I think you'll still be growing, fishing, and eating for a long time to come Chris. (Listing a little to one side perhaps...which is a big loss, I won't try and dismiss it as inconsequential...but still, FISHING.)
Whatever you decide to do next, I wish you strength of mind and best outcomes with all my heart.
And do post the photo if you go that route...we can throw an online memorial service for it, celebrating it's fantastic and memorable little (I mean big...HUGE!) life.
Dia
Many thanks Dia
I've been walking around in circles all my life so listing to one side shouldn't be a major problem.
Hope your husband (and you) are ok and enjoying a 'calmer' period.
Memorable 'little' life is probably more accurate Dia lol! ;-)
Wow, Chris, I just stumbled onto your blog and directly into a medical crisis.
I agree with Dia that the prognosis looks better and better these days. However this all works out, I'm sure it'll be a royal pain in the ...er...Anyway ... You seem to have a marvelous sense of humor which will carry you through whatever's to come.
I'll be stopping by again, to check up on you.
Meanwhile, keep fishing, growing, and eating as much as you can.
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