Journal CrackHappy's Journal: My cancer
I posted this comment a while back, but thought it was important enough to include it in my Journal as well so people could still see it.
The link http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=84671&cid=7389912 is here .
Here's my comment that was most pertinent:
Thanks for the great questions, happy to answer to the best of my ability: 1) Treatment is usually IMMEDIATE REMOVAL OF THE CANCEROUS TESTICLE. When I say immediate, I mean usually the same day you find out, or if not that day, then the next.
2) Depending on if the tumor is encapsulated inside the testicle, it may or may not have spread. What this means is that even if they successfully remove it, and are very sure that it hasn't spread, there is STILL NO WAY TO KNOW if it really has spread or not, except to do MORE surgery. The second surgery that is recommended is essentially a massive lymph node removal. These are the lymph nodes where testicular cancer usually spreads to next.
3) Normally, only one testes becomes cancerous, afaik. I didn't get into it too much with my doctor.
4) Radiation and/or chemo CAN leave you quite sterile. Usually, before doing this, if you are still interested in having children, you would, after the removal of the cancerous testicle, then be encouraged to freeze as much sperm as possible.
By the way, I'm going to plug my doctor here, because he is absolutely FABULOUS and did an absolutely AMAZING job. The lymph node removal surgery took slightly over 2 hours, which as far as I am aware, is VERY fast. My recovery time was about 3 weeks (to be at least semi-comfortable). I'm currently 6 months out from that surgery, and I'm back to normal in all ways except an 18 inch scar from my pubes to my sternum, and a half-empty ball sac.
His name is:
John Freeman, M.D.
Nevada Urology Associates
(775) 786-3895
699 Sierra Rose Dr, Reno, NV 89511
http://www.americasdoctor.com/Physician_profile.as p?site=0059
The link http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=84671&cid=7389912 is here
Here's my comment that was most pertinent:
Thanks for the great questions, happy to answer to the best of my ability: 1) Treatment is usually IMMEDIATE REMOVAL OF THE CANCEROUS TESTICLE. When I say immediate, I mean usually the same day you find out, or if not that day, then the next.
2) Depending on if the tumor is encapsulated inside the testicle, it may or may not have spread. What this means is that even if they successfully remove it, and are very sure that it hasn't spread, there is STILL NO WAY TO KNOW if it really has spread or not, except to do MORE surgery. The second surgery that is recommended is essentially a massive lymph node removal. These are the lymph nodes where testicular cancer usually spreads to next.
3) Normally, only one testes becomes cancerous, afaik. I didn't get into it too much with my doctor.
4) Radiation and/or chemo CAN leave you quite sterile. Usually, before doing this, if you are still interested in having children, you would, after the removal of the cancerous testicle, then be encouraged to freeze as much sperm as possible.
By the way, I'm going to plug my doctor here, because he is absolutely FABULOUS and did an absolutely AMAZING job. The lymph node removal surgery took slightly over 2 hours, which as far as I am aware, is VERY fast. My recovery time was about 3 weeks (to be at least semi-comfortable). I'm currently 6 months out from that surgery, and I'm back to normal in all ways except an 18 inch scar from my pubes to my sternum, and a half-empty ball sac.
His name is:
John Freeman, M.D.
Nevada Urology Associates
(775) 786-3895
699 Sierra Rose Dr, Reno, NV 89511
http://www.americasdoctor.com/Physician_profile.as p?site=0059
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