If you don't know
what the Big C is, I am talking about cancer.
Five years ago I felt a lump in my right testicle, and naturally
enough this freaked me out. The usual denial followed, but I
eventually got my act together and had it checked out, 3 months
later..! (so lets talk about denial)
The lump turned out be a malignant Seminoma, CANCER. The testicle
had to be removed, but thankfully before cancer had spread to my
lymphatic sytem, from where it would have spread. A cat scan
showed saw no evidence of spread, but this was NOT a 100% all
clear, I needed three months of intensive radio-therapy to
increase my survival chances.
Thankfully I am now in remission, and didn't ever need
chemotherapy , but since this scare I have studied more about
testicular cancer, and it's causes.
There are various forms of cancer, in my case testicular
seminoma, which is caused either by scar tissue, or by a
malformation of an organ. (the teste, in my case)
At birth my testes hadn't descended properly, and a few
operations were needed during my first years of life to correct
this. It cannot be determined whether it was the scar tissue from
these operations that caused the cancer or if it was due to a
malformation. Either way there was always a high risk of cancer
and I was unaware! Even my GP knew my medical history and should
have said something (or known something?)
Apparently the risk of a tumor (not necessarily cancerous) in
such cases is about 30%!
Another interesting but little known fact I uncovered was that 1%
of breast cancers occur in males!
In my case the tumor also affected sperm production in the testes, and a sperm count before the op. proved that I am infertile. (hmmmmm, oh well!?) This was a shock to me, and I hope that this page will alert you of the dangers! If you feel a lump get it checked out NOW! They call testicular cancer the silent killer, men are usually much more guarded about their private parts than women.
If you are still here I hope this page has been helpful and informative, sorry if it was a little morbid.
The story has a happy ending, I am having the time of my life, Rene is out for all to see and admire. I still have some complex issues to sort out, like finding the right shade of nail polish, and shoes to match my new dress. I call this my `Quest for the holy grail' ~~BEAUTY~~. I think this is what drives us all!
Love
RENE
January 2001
Had my last check up at RPA, after 5 years of yearly checks, and
X-rays I have been pronounced cured! Waaahooo! Needless to say
I'm over the moon!
I would like to thank all of my friends, who have wished me well,
I give thanks every day that I have found such a wonderful
community of friends.
Thanks girls, I love you all! *kisses*
© 1997 Rene Sydney
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