the_clockwork said:
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removal of the testicle is almost unavoidable. has to be done in 99.9% of cases from what I understand. I have been on the internet reading all day.
I am going to see a couple other docs and specialists tomorrow.. did not give me the possibilities of how it occured.. I have been trying to find links to steroids and cancerous cells but can't really find anything.. about to head out to borders books and buy some books.. hard to concentrate now to even read or study on it.. my mind is going a million miles per hour
thanks everyone for supporting comments
I had a bunch of complications with the tumor spreading after the first and second surgeries, so I took a weekend and hit up the world-famous Mayo Clinic (in Minn.) to get some further expert opinions. If you find anything with your situation out of the ordinary or your doc(s) mention different variables presenting themselves that could potentially lead to complications, I would suggest hitting up a place like Mayo or other big-name clinic for an opinion.
Make sure the surgeon/specialist you will primarily deal with is communicative and is willing to take the time to talk to you and answer any questions. My second surgeon was horrible, and didn't tell me crap, even when I asked. Horrible experience, even though he was highly recommended by university faculty members. Don't be afraid to "shop around" for a doc you click with. It will be worth it.
Testicular cancer is a common form of cancer in males, kinda like breast cancer is for females. (What's with the reproduction systems being so prone to this?) It's generally not life-threatening, so there shouldn't be much concern there. But it will be annoying as fuck. I was diagnosed right before transferring to an expensive out-of-state university, and the multiple surgeries pretty much ruined my chance to stay there, as well as killing the ability to work out for quite some time. (Before the tumor ended up eating my ear drum away, I blew it out during a warm-up set of squats, even though it should have been healed at the one-month-after-surgery mark.)
Yeah, best you can do is make sure you're as informed as possible about the systems effected, general procedures and treatment options, medications, etc. I had a bitch of a time after my third surgery with my surgeon and various meds, so I'd suggest learning about the various drugs and their pharmacodynamics/kinetics, interactions, etc. Knowledge will totally be your key to making the best of a shitty circumstance. Don't think about "luck", think about medical facts and statistical probabilities. And every time you feel shitty, just take a look over in another room in the hospital at dudes stuck in wheelchairs -- things can always be worse.
