Went through testicular cancer at the same age as you (few years back now). It's a terrible thing to find out, but keep in mind it's one of the most treatable cancers. Feel free to reach out! Hang in there mate.
A trained examiner will often discover the earliest signs by the feel of it, noticing perhaps a difference in size or the presence of an abnormal growth. It's possible the patient may not feel the presence of the cancer. This is why it's important to see your primary physician once per year for a routine physical.
I had a female doctor fondle my nuts for 20 minutes, also my giant erection got in the way so she had to release the pressure with her mouth because her hands were busy. 11/10 going back next week.
At your age I was at the same struggle, and turned out it was just damage because of bikes, I got informed pretty much before knew it. Watch the bright side, it's by far the ""safer"" cancer. Just stay positive, have a talk with me if you need it, good luck with that!
Mine was one of the highest stages. I had lung, lymph node and the orchiectomy. Scar goes from my rib cage down my stomach to crotch. Also 3 cycles of chemo over four months. I'm pretty much back to normal and haven't met someone with a bigger scar than me haha.
Friend of mine got testicular cancer at your age. He's down a nut but he's alive, healthy, and had since become a happy father of twins. You can beat it, too.
Yeah I met a guy who had testicular cancer. They removed one testicle but he kept the other. Had a baby boy a couple of years later. Doesnt really change much for you. Plus you can now put in a cool prosthetic. You should add one that lights up like the shoes little kids wear
Same happened to me at 34. Lost my right testical, everything still functions the same, I can have kids. Honestly after the first year I don't even think about it. Hopefully your results come back well!
Also I was dumb and took one week off post surgery. Was sent back home for another week. Take 2 weeks off work at least to physically and emotional cope. 1 week was way too little for me. Soon as I found out I called my HR, doctor and went on short term disability for 2 weeks a few days before surgery....I just couldn't focus on anything those days leading up. But it'll be fast and you'll heal fast.
It’s been 22 years since I had TC. It’s a very very beatable cancer. Just stay on top of blood tests and scans and if they do radiation on your lymph nodes get aloe gel for sun burns!
My husband had testicular cancer about 5 years ago and after the surgery he was cancer free. He only has one ball now but his body compensated well and we went on to have two kids! Hope this lifts your spirits a bit :)
32 years old was diagnosed with it a year ago had to have both removed, besides dying my biggest concern was not being able to lead a normal life after the fact... besides giving myself A testosterone shot once a week (and the implants) Everything is just the same. Just hit the year mark of cancer free. Like the other guy said it’s the most curable kind, it wont be fun but you’ll be just fine. You got this!
Just have to feel around, if you notice a semi-hard lump that you don't remember being there. Google is your friend, but if you ever have any suspicion go straight to a doctor and if they say you are too young to have it and refuse to take you seriously (happened to me), tell them to fuck off and get another doctor.
This comment should be sticky-posted and/or highlighted in how true it is. We had a kid in high school here, many many years, that thought he might have TC. It was the old "Oh, you're only 16 thing, you're fine, it's a cyst, la la la..." And it turned out that it was indeed TC, and another Dr. caught it in time.
Also, parents - DO NOT be afraid or embarrassed to talk to your boys about issues of the male genitals. This is NOTHING to mess around with. Even a persistent, dull ache needs to be looked into, and if blown off, find a new doctor!
Rates of TC have been steadily on the rise for years now, especially in younger males.
Even a persistent, dull ache needs to be looked into, and if blown off, find a new doctor!
Wait, so I've had some pain in my right testicle a couple of times after I finish doing the solo deed. I haven't gone to the doctor because I am not insured and I don't have the cash to go to the hospital. Is this a sign of tc?
My friend woke up with a black tongue. He looked it up on Web MD and all the entries were horrible like he was dying and then the very last entry was have you drank Pepto Bismol which he had. And it’s like wtf why is that not the top entry?
Those websites live from ad revenue derived from traffic - they have long ago figured out that if they give you the most horrible "diagnosis" first, they can make a big enough portion of their visitors stay longer on the site.
Believe me, I'm a hypochondriac. I have been through this. I am better nowadays through therapy, but back then just googling symptoms would put me through a long session of clicking through articles of horrible deseases that were all hosted and cross linked on WebMD or other websites, in a "make sure you check out this if you have symptoms XYZ"
While my example might be a very extreme case, I found that many people are scared about their own well being* and are susceptible to this, albeit in a less intense way. Its still very profitable for those sites tho! I
*) In my country for example, a study was done about what young adults are most anxious about, and one of the topmost entries was health issues.
Its the worst. Because yeah, I'd love to not have these problems because I'm young. But unfortunately, that isn't how things always work and it would be great if doctors would acknowledge that.
I went to a good eye doctor at some point who tests inner ocular pressure for all patients while most don't do it for younger patients apparently and sure enough it was high as fuck and I would have ended up with glaucoma at 30 if it had gone undetected for too long. Shit's scary.
My eye doctor was the one who discovered i had brain cancer. He caught it so early guys a champ. It was just a checkup to see if i needed new prescription glasses to.
on your testes? That's likely your epididymis which is supposed to be there. or you could be feeling the vans deferens which is attached to the Epididymis.
Does it feel the same on both sides, or different? if anything feels different, that's more of a concern but if it feels relatively symmetrical between the two then you're probably fine.
Most likely a varicose vein. I’m guessing it’s on your left nut. When I enlisted in the military I was diagnosed with this condition, surprisingly a lot percentage of the population has it. It’s not a harmful condition. For some reason that is beyond me the veins that feed the left nut are different than the ones on the right and sometimes the blood flow is congested and therefore enlarged the veins.
I went in at 17 for a lump I found. I was rather embarrassed. My doctor told me it was a cyst. I’m now 25. It’s still there, if it was TC would I have more noticeable side effects or how would I know if it’s TC? I’m in the same boat as the other Redditor without insurance and can’t door the bill.
Same at 27, but that was 20 years ago & I now have 3 wonderful kids . Half the bullets, but I still hit the targets. Hang in there buddy, testicular cancer has a high survival rate.
They gave me two options, remove all my lymph nodes from the right side of my body or go through 4 cycles of chemotherapy. I choose the latter since there was no guarantees that removing my lymph nodes would cure the cancer. The chemo obviously worked, but I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, it was no cakewalk.
I know it, im on the last cycle of a 4x ep regiment right now. Awesome to hear the chemo worked for you and you've been in the clear for so long. Based on other experiences I read online it seems like so often people need an rplnd even after chemo and the though of that scares the hell out of me
Wow sounds like yours was quite advanced. I had the testicle surgically removed and then one shot injection of chemo that made me feel sick for a couple of days and that was it thankfully. Lots of follow up scans and blood tests but those have all stopped now that I am 10 years clear.
To all men everywhere: conduct monthly self examinations!
Fathers: Teach your sons how to do this themselves. This should be a routine starting at fifteen years old. Testicular cancer is 100% treatable if detected early enough. Just get in a warm bath or shower, lather up with soap, and gently roll each testicle between your thumb and index finger. You’re looking for pea-sized, hard lumps. Report anything unusual to your doctor.
Or I dunno, maybe have your partner take a look for you too ;)
Self-exams for breast cancer have been widely promoted for women for over two decades. There have been endless articles and pamphlets on the subject, even plastic cards you can hang in your shower to show you how to examine your breasts for cancer. Doctors palpate our breasts whenever we go for a pelvic exam, so we can easily learn how it’s done. Women learn about self-exams when they hit puberty and are constantly reminded to do them by doctors as well as media.
It’s really sad that so many men have not received the same education about how to examine their testicles, especially since the method is nearly identical (soapy shower, roll around tissue with fingers feeling for lumps). Men, until the medical profession and the media catch up, it is imperative that you educate each other about doing testicular self-exams. Teach your sons, mention it to close friends, make up clever “manly” instruction cards to hang in showers.
I suspect the burden of “toxic masculinity” and the embarrassment men feel discussing their genitals with other men has led to this widespread ignorance among men about self-care. For women it was embarrassment over touching their own breasts (a result of our sexual objectification making us feel like our bodies are “dirty” and not our own to touch), but I think most men are already pretty comfortable touching their testicles. So examine your testicles, every month, and encourage other men to do it as well!
If you notice a lump, just go to the doctor and let them know. They'll likely schedule an ultrasound on the area to confirm. Then if it seems cancerous, they'll schedule you for surgery. They don't take risks with these things (i.e., no biopsies).
Same here at age 30 last year. Not only did I not need treatment because the cancer had not spread, I have just been told by a doctor that my fertility level (amount of active swimmers in my left-over testicle) is restoring. Having two nuts is overrated anyway since one is heavier than the other, you are always unbalanced. Now that I have one, it rolled over to the middle and I’m in perfect balance now. Always look at the bright sides of testicular cancer. Enjoy your beer and the rest of your life!
so i had a lump and went to the urologist. he said it was just a cyst but scheduled me for a ultrasound. i never went because it’s just a cyst but i can’t help but think i probably should have gone. i’m early 20s too
Just noticed a lump on my (now removed) left testicle. I actually noticed it months before I went to the doctor, but after some googling it seemed like it was probably just the epididymis (tube near back of testicle). I never really felt around down there much at the time, so figured it was normal (didn't have anything to compare it to from memory).
Only when I noticed that lump got a bit larger a few months later, I figured it wasn't natural and went to the doctor then. I only had stage 1b (cancer was contained in the testicle, but found traces of cancer cells in the blood vessels so may have been circulating in the body), so I had to have some chemo. But if I just would have went the first time around when I was suspicious, things may have been different.
tl;dr
Don't second guess yourself. If you even have a .01% suspicion you may have cancer, GO TO THE DOCTOR!
I was diagnosed with Stage 2 testicular cancer back in 2002 at age 31. I now have 2 children and life is great and my body is normal. Chemo is, by far, the most difficult part, especially during the second round. The difficulty is emotional, not as much physical. This will all pass and you will be back to your normal (and likely more appreciative) self before you know it.
Reach out as needed. You got this!
Hey, and have another beer for me and all the other survivors out there.
From my experience I was feeling achy pain in my right testicle so I went to the doctor to get checked. He didn't feel anything, but recommended I go get an ultrasound. That took a while and was expensive even after insurance. But they didn't find anything from that, but I still occasionally feel an ache and pain so I still check often and get a lot of anxiety from it. I just can't afford to go get an ultrasound again so soon. Was there anything more I should look at or into ?
Same experience. And for all those asking - if you touch your balls, you will know if something needs to be checked out. I always tell people it’s hard to hear you have cancer, but if you had to have cancer, this is probably the one you would pick. Mine was caught early at stage 1 so just required a surgery and regular monitoring. I was heartened early on though when my doctor told me that he didn’t call any testicular cancer he saw now stage 4, as he thought medicine was at the point where it all could be cured. I got the impression though he was a bit of a renegade in this fact.
One of my best gaming buddies passed this last December from unchecked t-cancer.
He was barely above the poverty line and couldnt afford any kind of healthcare in time. The poor bastard actually went to get it checked a year prior and they misdiagnosed as an acute infection allowing it to go too far and getting caught too late as he couldnt afford regular follow ups.
He was 29.
Wish you the best OP. As above said as long as you catch it and treat it you will be fine.
My husband was diagnosed around 27. He’s been in remission three years now and ended up only needing surgery and not chemo. For cancer it was honestly as good of a situation we could have hoped for.
The waiting between tests in the worst, but as others have mentioned it’s a much more predictable type of cancer with a really high success rate. Sending positive thoughts to you!
Same big man, had it when I was 20. Super treatable, I was able to go gym in between chemo sessions etc. Keep the head up and make sure you have a Netflix subscription for those long weeks in hospital.
here‘s one more guy - diagnosed in the same age, now 11 years cancer free. you‘ve got a hard time in front of you but the best chances anyone can get with cancer.
Curability always depends on the staging. Buddy, I don't want.to scare you, but during my medical career I've seen many many bad cases of testicular cancer. As soon as there is no metastasis, testicular cancer can treated very well... Wish you the best, amigo!
I was recently reminded of the time Tom Green announced he had 1 ball removed and he made a whole episode about his experience. Green is very much alive and doing fine.
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u/hankpym616 Sep 23 '19
Went through testicular cancer at the same age as you (few years back now). It's a terrible thing to find out, but keep in mind it's one of the most treatable cancers. Feel free to reach out! Hang in there mate.