the cancer may be back

crowb
crowb Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Testicular Cancer #1
I had my right testicle removed 2 years ago, a week before my 31st birthday and 2 days after a doc visit to investigate my swollen testicle. the entire process went so fast that i barely had time to process what was happening to me. i was lucky, the pathology report revealed my tumor to be a pure seminoma in stage 1 (PT1 to be exact...not sure what PT means). Following the advice of my oncologist, I took 2 treatments of chemotherapy (carboplatin). I was told that without the treatment I am facing a 20% chance to relapse but only a 2% chance of relapse if i took the chemotherapy. hey, 2% sounds pretty good so i went that route. I have been on surveillance ever since and all blood work is and has been fine (although not a very good indicator as the markers do not apply to seminoma as much as non-sem). Since then, life has been great. When the topic of cancer ever came up, I would feel guilty as i have rarely even thought about my cancer as it was all over so quick. It was only a passing thought once every few months during my CT/blood work check ups. a year passed, i got married and now my wife is 6 months pregnant with our first child. we are both so excited. everything has been wonderful. until last week...

My latest CT revealed a <2cm mass in my retroperitoneal lymph node. My world has been shattered once again...i dont know what to think. only 2% chance to relapse!?!? I have a PET scan two days from now to determine if its cancer but my doc wants to biopsy regardless of the outcome of that scan. its hard to find information on people in my situation with potential relapse testicular cancer. I dont know if the next step will be chemo, radiation, or surgery. I am quite confused and looking for answers. has anyone had this experience?

Comments

  • scoffey
    scoffey Member Posts: 14
    #2
    to it's back
    My son was diagnosed with test. CA. It went quickly for him also, me being a nurse wasn't real helpful as CA is not my specialty,In april, he found the lump, in May, he had the testicle removed. But they found more in the retroperitoneal lymphs. So in June, he had his 2nd, surgery, more extensive and they took about 7 nodes out. He's done 1 round of chemo, now he's on his last round this week. Before he started chemo, he was told he'd be sterile, so we-out of pocket- payed for his sperm to be sent to a bank. The 2nd surg. wasn't to bad, and they were able to get all of it. the chemo was a proventative. When and if u do surg., make sure u do nerve sparing, as this is where u acheive erection. Now I haven't asked my son if " he can get hard" really hard for Mom to ask. But he hasn't got a girlfriend I'm his only support, so at least u have support and a child on the way. When they take the lymphs out, they'll be able to tell if this came from the testicle. This type of CA has the best recovery rate.STAY STRONG,don't give up,it may not be as bad as u think, wait and see.
  • apl64
    apl64 Member Posts: 7
    #3
    testicular cancer
    Greetings.I have been tumor free for 19 months. I started with the biopsy of the left,JAN 06.
    I have changed the food I eat I quit booze,cigs,even coffee,You must do all you can to help your body heal it's self.Knowledge is power.Educate yourself any way you can.
  • redheadbass2
    redheadbass2 Member Posts: 14
    #4
    You could try this resource too...
    You could try this resource too...

    Cancer Hope Network: 877-467-3638

    Cancer Hope Network is a nonprofit organization that matches adult cancer patients with trained volunteers who have undergone and recovered from a similar cancer experience. In one particular program, volunteers who have themselves been on clinical trails provide emotional support to patients who are considering participating in a clinical trial.

    The one-on-one telephone support provided by volunteers is free and confidential. Support for family members is also available. In some instances, Spanish-speaking patients/survivors may also be accommodated.

    The Web site includes information about support programs and an internet form for requesting services: http://www.cancerhopenetwork.org

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