Jcat My Cancer Journey

[jcat]

Hi all, Been a member here for sometime, in my search for myself I guess, just discovered that I have a tumour in my left testicle, so perhaps this is a good place to share my journey to now?

Let me know, but don't ban me!!

I have been around on and off for sometime, identifying as identifying, trapped in a male body, wishing my genitals were not male and wanting to be rid of them, I may well now be on a journey to lose some bits or all now.

Of late I have been planning to start hormone treatment, but now this has come on the scene.

I should say I have not been officially to the doctor yet, a friend of mine is a doctor and he has had a good look and reckons it is the big C and I should seek medical help ASAP.

The problem is I am actually really really scared right now, big commitments, no life insurance.......... so I am sitting here typing this.

The truth is I's would love to be rid of both balls, taking hormones would be a breeze and the results would be probably very good.....


But now I am on the threshold I am undecided.

So this is me and where I am and I hope this thread will be the start of this Cancer Thread here because this place helps so many of us to find the answers we need.

JCat.

[Paolo]

Don't go a Dr. until you have gone to the bank and emptied all your assets off of the "paper trail" thing. Get cash, bury it in pickle jars. I'm serious. I've seen friends cleaned out of everything by medical bills. Money in the bank is automatically GONE when you go for a diagnosis. Buy something in cash, if you can, like moderate TV and keep a receipt. Tell 'em you blew the $ - had symptoms while shopping.

Anyway, you're right on for the forum. That's what we're here for.

I had a lump once - turned out to be a wild vein, but it sure scared the hell out of me. All I could think of was cancer traveling up the cord and getting into something important somewhere.

Sorry, I know that's no comfort! But I sorta know the feeling here.

I'll be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers, just as soon as I find a listening Deity.

[tugon]

Welcome to the EA. Yes get yourself to a doctor. Before you enter a hospital make an appointment with the social worker at your hospital. Ask about any funding they may have to help the uninsured. There were government programs to help offset the cost of care. They do not offer this to you, you have to ask for it. I would also contact the Cancer Society if you are diagnosed with testicular cancer. They may have ways to help. Please keep us posted on how you are doing.

[Uncle Flo]

If Jcat's profile is accurate he is a resident of the UK and shouldn't have the money problems those of us in a less civilized country would have. That doesn't make it any less scarey for him. Now all he has to face are the legendary long waits for treatment. To repeat what others have said:" Get to a doctor!" We will all be waiting to hear from you again soon. --FLO--

[jcat]

Quoting Paolo:-

"Don't go a Dr. until you have gone to the bank and emptied all your assets off of the "paper trail" thing. Get cash, bury it in pickle jars. I'm serious. I've seen friends cleaned out of everything by medical bills. Money in the bank is automatically GONE when you go for a diagnosis. Buy something in cash, if you can, like moderate TV and keep a receipt. Tell 'em you blew the $ - had symptoms while shopping."

Thanks Paolo, In the UK we have healthcare as part of our taxes, so no worries there. IT is mortgages, loans and other insurance, as soon as you mention Cancer, you are as good as dead!

I have just bought a new house and have no cover should I get ill, so I need to address this and then think about the doctors.

Thanks too for the empathy, the idea of this disease creeping up my cords is the very scary thing. Its all very well wanting to be rid of ones testicles but via cancer is a very scary thought.

Jcat

[jcat]

In the UK we do have a "free at the point of need" healthcare system, which has been and can be second to none. Successive government has been trying to get rid of it, because it does cost billions.

The thought of having no cover at all in this situation is very very scary indeed.

IT is as I said the knock on effect of declaring certain illness, after which you can't get loans, insurance, mortgages.............

I have every intention of living on through this thing, with or without my testicles!

Anyway it is great to be able to share these thoughts here, I don't know where else I could be this open and get support. So thanks all.

Jcat

[jcat]

There are lots of symptoms for this cancer and I won't list them all but some of mine are:

1. A tumour on the top my left testicle.
2. My left breast is swollen
3. I get a lot of dull aches from the hernia area all the way down thhrough the testicle
4. Some skin rash
5. some bumps on my scalp

On one ocasison I squeezed the lump in the shower, quite gently, the pain was so intense I nearly passed out in the hot shower.

At the moment the tumour is about 2 cms long and oval in shape. I get days when it is quite painful and others where I am just aware that it is there. I suspect the painful days are when it is getting bigger!

It has not lessened my libido.

Because I am transgender, the idea of losing one or more balls does excite me, I actually hope to lose both of them in the course of this illness.

Jcat

P.S. PS. Yes, I know, life ain't like that, I will probablly end up with one testicle, a half way house so to speak!

[kristoff]

There are lots of symptoms for this cancer and I won't list them all but some of mine are:

1. A tumour on the top my left testicle.
2. My left breast is swollen
3. I get a lot of dull aches from the hernia area all the way down thhrough the testicle
4. Some skin rash
5. some bumps on my scalp

On one ocasison I squeezed the lump in the shower, quite gently, the pain was so intense I nearly passed out in the hot shower.

At the moment the tumour is about 2 cms long and oval in shape. I get days when it is quite painful and others where I am just aware that it is there. I suspect the painful days are when it is getting bigger!

It has not lessened my libido.

Because I am transgender, the idea of losing one or more balls does excite me, I actually hope to lose both of them in the course of this illness.

Jcat

P.S. PS. Yes, I know, life ain't like that, I will probablly end up with one testicle, a half way house so to speak!

Testicular cancer, if that is in fact what you are dealing with, can be extremely dangerous and very lethal. Some forms of it can spread very rapidly. It is imperative that you do NOT wait, GET TO A DOCTOR. If a cancer in the testes is given enough time, it will metastasize, often quickly, spreading throughout your body. Then you have a far greater chance of not surviving it.

[Jesus]

Listen to the good sister. Testicular cancer is VERY serious business and you need to see a doctor as quickly as possible. Treated early it is 100% curable. Left to later it is most often fatal. DO NOT WAIT!!!

[jcat]

Hi all just a quick update.

Had a preliminary examination. The growth is not in the testicle, there is no sign of anything in the testicle at all. The growth is in the epididymis (this is the C shaped membrane attached to the testicle and cord.

Usually TC starts with a small pea shaped tumour in the testicle and spreads to the epididymis an on. It is extremely rare for it to start here.

Generally a the 'growth' in isolation in the epididymis is either a cyst, which are generally not painful, as is the case with me. Or it is an infection.

My doctor does not think this is an infection, his reasoning is:

1. It is too painful and usually infection carries inflamation or swelling of the scrotum.
2. There is too much associated pain in the kidney area usually associated with lymph nodes
3. I am constantly tired and lacking energy

There are just a few documented cases of a malignant tumour of the epididymis as a primary:-

http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB...rtikelNr=50957

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=15146354

Usually a tumour here is associated with cancer elsewhere:-

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=11464129

It is too early at this stage to determine what I have, except that it is unusual as far as TC is concerned.

The problem is that the usual diagnosis for TC does not always apply, there are rare exceptions to the rules.

There is also another possibility which is a disease called von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. My doctor does not think this is relevant:-

http://path.upmc.edu/cases/case438/dx.html

Though at this stage we are not ruling anything out.

The point is that a growth in the Epididymis is usually an infection or a cyst and benign. It is extremely rare for it to be a malignant primary tumour.

The next diagnosis is usually associated with cancer of the prostate or kidney.

When I was 16 I had a serious accident which seriously damaged my left kidney. I did recover and since I was 18 have had no issues, we are looking at the associated pain in my kidney area as a possibility of the root of this.

Well that is it for now, we are making progress and I have seen a doctor so thanks for the concern.

If anyone has any information relating to cancer of the Epididymis in isolation to cancer of the testicle please share it here.

There is an issue in that the medical profession are usually confronted with TC in the form of a growth starting in the testicle. When the exceptions occur they tend to treat it as an infection, because the occurence is so rare.

JCat

[Uncle Flo]

I'm very pleased that you've seen a doctor. Let us trust the news continues to sound hopeful. --FLO--

[jcat]

I'm very pleased that you've seen a doctor. Let us trust the news continues to sound hopeful. --FLO--

Thanks Uncle Flo,

Been to the Docs again today, no news on my blood test, but my urine shows no signs of blodd or protein, indicative of my old Kidney problem so all is well there.

However, over night there is growth and the doc is not prescribing anything for infection.

I am down for a sca, but there is a long wait for this. I am going to try and find out how much it would cost to get it done private. I know my body pretty well and if it ain't an infection it is something serious.

Will keep you all posted.

Jcat

[jcat]

Doing my daily feel up in the shower, I notice the'growth' is bigger today, the problem is the epididymis is a slippery thing.

Any way I felt a new, smaller thatn a pea growth underneath it, because the mebrane is so slippery and thick it is hard to feel the surface of the testicle beneath that area.

Three times and yes it is most definitely in the surface of the testicle and not the epididymis.

That slippery epididymis has been hiding it even from my Doctor.

Will keep on monitoring.

Jcat

[jcat]

Fortuen smiled upon me and there was a cancelataion for the ultra sound test so I got an appointment yesterday.

In the UK they use ultrasound as the cheapest form of scanning.

Anyway the scan showed no sign of anything cancerous, there is a cyst on the surface of the testicle which the Doc says is benign.

It does not explain why it is so painful and he reccomenede I see a specialist.

For the last week I have been taking 100mg of androcur morning and the pain has dininished a lot, taking estrogen too there are no bad symtoms, in a week my morning erections have gone and I like the control I have right now.

I won't close this thread just yet, I am going to keep monitoring this situation because it does not explain to other symptoms of weight loss and exhaustion.......


Jcat

[Uncle Flo]

I wish you good luck in hunting down testicle pain and eliminating it. The medical community does not have particularly good success in that respect. --FLO--