Hi Tom

I can in no way inform you of the right decision but just wanted to say all the best with your treatment. It’s good to see your being proactive with your future and I’m sure someone will give you some personal input soon so you can move forward with your life

Hi Tom,

I am really sorry to hear about your case. How are you getting along? I myself was diagnosed with testicular cancer last week and have a surgery scheduled for next week. After my surgery, I will join the waiting room and await the results of my blood tests, CT scans and histopathology to determine what I had. I am curious as to what option you chose eventually - close surveillance vs. adjuvent chemo. I imagine close surveillance would mean a hoard of CT scans and that can't be good either. 

Additionally, I was pointed to this thread by the moderator after posting my own (see www.cancerresearchuk.org/.../testicular-cancer-6 and have sent you a friend request if you don't mind. 

Cheers,

ai_1986

Hello pal,

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, I know how devastated you must be but stay positive if you can. Testicular cancer is almost always cureable. You're going to have a battle on your hands for the next few months (both physically and mentally) but you will be out of the woods before you know it.

I am now in remission and will be monitored for the next 10 years. I opted for the adjuvent chemo as I didn't think I could handle the stress of the unknown. It turns out that it was the right decision as I later discovered that the cancer had spread to my abdominal lymph nodes.

Your treatment plan will be based on the outcome of the blood test, CT scan and histopathology. It is suprising how much the doctors rely on the histopathology results. This seems to give them a much better idea of how it's likely to react and probability of re-occurence. I actually had two tumours within the same tessa but this is not common.

Have you received your blood test results yet? I believe I received mine the day after diagnosis.

The wait in between your tests and the prognosis is horrific but try to keep busy and do what's right for you. I am a worrier and I buried my head in the sand, I wouldnt research anything or read the Mcmillan leaflets but thats just how I am. My missus is the opposite and she made sure she understood everything that was going on.

There's plenty of help out there buddy, I'm not sure where you're living but you may be able to find a local TC charity in your area. I'm living in Norwich and we have a charity called "It's on the ball". Ive since started helping them out with fundraising etc. You can get in touch with Vince-The chairman of the charity if you wish, he's very knowledgable on all related topics and will support you as much as he can.

I wont go into treatment etc at the moment as you haven't yet received your prognosis and its not worth worrying about at this stage. What I will say is this-I have met many people since my diagnosis who have been through this and in some cases it had spread to the lungs and brain. They have ALL been cured.

I wish you all the best with your prognosis. Please stay in touch and let me know how you get on.

All the best pal, stay strong and surround yourself with family and friends.

Tom.

Thank you for the kind words. I am going through a range of emotions right now and I keep wishing I could turn back time or do something that would have prevented this but I know it's pointless to think that way. I haven't received my blood tests yet - the doctor said he'd get that tomorrow. I live in London, my family doesn't and they can't get here until the end of the month; so I have to rely on my friends for the moment. You're lucky to have a wife that supports you - I am single unfortunately and the future scares me even further. 

At the moment I want to wait until I've had the surgery and know my prognosis before reaching out to any local charities but I appreciate the information you provided. It's very encouraging to know that this is a curable disease. I will text you on the number you provided. Thank you! 

Completely understandable. You've just received the worst news of your life. There's no way you'll ever know how or why this has happened to you, it's just bad luck. 

I used to go for long walks and gym every day, it helped to keep my mind off things. There's also an app called Headspace which you might have heard of. There's a section within the app that focusses on cancer. It's based around meditation and breathing exercises and it helped me when I was spinning out of control but it may not be for everyone. Give the free download a try, it may take the edge off your emotions.

That's tough that you don't have family around, hopefully you can facetime them or at least call them?

You will feel scared about the future, this will mellow out as you progress throughout your journey. I remember feeling very anxious & scared to the point of having panic attacks but it got better with time. As for your future regarding potential fatherhood-I've met many men through the charity I'm working with who have gone on to father children after going through this.

When you receive youre blood results tomorrow, you will be informed of your tumour marker levels. Don't be alarmed if they are high. They are almost certain to be higher than normal. I think my original tumour markers were in the thousands which would usually indicate serious metastasisation but it wasn't as bad as I thought.

Stay strong and try and focus on the positives. This type of cancer has one of the highest rates of being completely cured.

Take care and keep us updated.

This is a good thread.

Been going through this recently and booked in for one round of chemo tomorrow. 

Do you have any tips? 

Hi Nick,

Its been a while for me but I'm happy to help and advise as best I can. 
 

Im assuming you've had the orchiectomy and have a fair idea of prognosis? Either way your starting chemo treatment tomorrow and depending on the type of person you are, you may or may not be struggling with the idea. 

 

If you have the same treatment as I had, you'll have a pretty intensive session of BEP chemo, that is, 3 days as an in-patient with back to back chemo/steroid/flushesThe chemo itself isn't that bad until your back home. You'll feel a bit *** and tired for a while. I lost any sense of taste which was rubbish as the steroids make you ravenous, just go with it and eat what you want, it's only temporary. 

Make sure you have plenty of support from family and friends. 
Buy a soft bristled toothbrush as the chemo messes up with your gums. 
My hair started to fall out around 2 weeks after starting chemo, it's a bit scary but it'll grow back. 
Reach out to any charities, their support is invaluable. 
Keep everything clean, the chemo can mess with your immune system, I ended up with sepsis and spent a few days back in the ward. 
Stay strong, this is temporary and you'll be at the other side before you know it. 

It sounds bizzare but I'm actually pleased I went through it, it has improved me as a person and nothing much bothers me, I've cut any poison out of my life and it's helped me learn a lot about myself. 

Keep me posted on how you're getting on, 

Keep your chin up,

Tom. 

Thanks Tom. 

Had the op and a second one as developed a hemotoma. Luckily, I am stage one seminoma and markers dropped significantly. 

I have been advised to have one bag of preventative chemo as the tumour was over 4cm but could opt for monitoring only. 

Feel ok with it and ready to go but just after tips for before and after. 

Thanks, 

Nick 

Ah ok pal,

I'm not an expert but I think you'll be ok with one bag, I would be surprised if you had any major side effects. 
 

Just take some comforts into hospital with you as you never know how long you'll be there for. It's a pretty humbling place as there are obviously people with much more gloomy outcomes than you. Take a partner or friend in if you can, the extra support is invaluable.  
 

For after the op-I would just chill out for a couple of days. I'm assuming you'll have follow up appts with Oncology so you'll be monitored for a while now. 
 

Good luck,

Tom. 

Really appreciate reply Tom. 

I found the Cancer Centre pretty humbling at original appointment. As you say, there are people in the there who are a lot worse. 

I am chilling out this week and work been great too as it is a huge shock. 

Will be monitored going forward and assuming I have a follow up shortly after this. 

How are you doing now?