My Cancer Story

Oh my gosh, DViegas‍ ! Thank you for posting this for us. You have given me such a greater understanding of young men and how they are coping with a diagnosis of not only testicular cancer but cancer in general. I’m going to share your Movember article on my Facebook. I wish there was a way that we could have this on here permanently to refer people too. You are my hero! Even though my son went through this it was only him and I trying to manage it. Because of his cognitive disability I had no idea what he was going through but he went through the same experiences as you with an added dose of confusion and isolation. 

Even though you have not gotten a response I hope that you do know that many people have and will read this and be helped by it. Imagine if you had found your post by someone when you were at the beginning?

Hugs- In solidarity with testicular cancer ❤️
Judy

How are you doing today?

Thank you for writing that, massive hug bomb, you are a hero.
 

Thank you so much frozenstar‍ you are awesome :) I hope you are doing ok.

Trillium‍ your words really touched me, I hope your son is doing much better. I wrote this article so the next person that is diagnosed can have an easier time than me. Also so that they will be able to better process and understand the cancer process. Thank you for sharing my story :) You can also add me on facebook if you like. I'm doing much better these days! It's kind words like yours upon hearing my story that reaffirms that I made the right decision to open up and share my experience. 

DViegas‍ - Sorry it took so long for me to reply. I had a full weekend of spending the beautiful warm days outside just for me! Our weather in Southern ON is so sunny and will carry on for a few more days it seems.

Glad your health is good and you are OK! You definitely made the right decision to open up and share your experience with testicular cancer. Many people will not have to have it as hard as you by reading your post and article. What a gift that is to young men!

This Tuesday my son has his first follow up appointment since his last chemo and mri and cat scans. I have always felt that it was all over for us and we can carry on with life as usual because he was diagnosed as cancer free. However just yesterday I became anxious once more with thinking that his oncologist might say - “ well, those spots on your skull may just be more cancer so we need to do more.....”. I have no idea what this first appt usually entails but I’m assuming that this appt will be done again to review how he is feeling and blood work. I’ll find out though, and until the dDr says there is a concern then we need to assume there is no concern. Such is the life of someone diagnosed with cancer I guess.

Hugs
Judy

No problem Trillium‍ ! I hope you and your family had a great weekend. The weather was amazing! It feels like summer again. I was outside enjoying the weather while running. The leaves look beautiful as well.

Thank you :) Your words were so kind. I saved a screenshot of your response and put it in a scrapbook I am making of my cancer experience. 

Good luck tomorrow to you and your son. I know that scans are always going to be an anxious time. I'm sure everything will be fine :) Please let me know how it goes. I imagine it will be the Blood Test and CT Scan surveillance check up.  Mine is coming up soon on the 27th. Your son is very lucky to have a great mom like you by his side!
 

DViegas‍ - wonderful you got to enjoy the great weather too. Today I was outside most of the day again but rather than playing with my art supplies and leaves, I was raking and doing yard work. Who needs a gym when yard work is free exercise and more fun! 

Thank you for your kind words as well and sharing your journey. Will update tomorrow.

Hi Trillium‍ any word? I am hoping for the best ❤

DViegas‍ - Thanks for asking! It was a relief to have blood work within normal ranges. His next appointment is in 3 months with a CT scan just before so Dr can review with him.

That same day I updated my sons nurse about the results and she told me he is having issues with his cholesterol, low blood pressure, blood sugar levels high and a very fast heart rate which a new med was added a couple of weeks ago and it seems to be working. 

We are doing the best we can with taking care of it and while not ideal I have to accept that it is what it is and let it go rather than be worried too much about it. His cognitive disability makes it hard for him to take care of himself like you and I can.

How was your follow up appointment?

Trillium‍ - Fantastic news! I hope everything goes well in three months as well 😀

I hope the new medication works smoothly. I imagine all of those issues must be bothering him.

You have a very good mindset and you are very strong 🤗 You will both get through it and be better for it.

My follow up appointment is this Friday (27) 🤞

DViegas:
Trillium‍ - Fantastic news! I hope everything goes well in three months as well 😀

You have a very good mindset and you are very strong 🤗 You will both get through it and be better for it.

My follow up appointment is this Friday (27) 🤞

Hey DViegas‍- How did your follow up scan go?

Hi Trillium‍  😀 Everything looks good!! The CT Scan shows nothing concerning. Still waiting on the blood test but the doc said they would get back to me ASAP if anything was concerning. Looks like I'm good for another 6 months 😁😁 I hope you have a good weekend and you and your family have a wonderful holiday season 🎄🎉

Great news DViegas‍ !

Lianne

Thank you Lianne_Moderato‍  😁

So good to hear from you, DViegas‍ .  Good to hear the good news as well! Hopefully we will only need to have 6 mth follow up appointments soon.

May you also have cheerful times during this holiday season.

Hugs 
Trillium

DViegas,  I just saw your story, Glad to hear that all is good.  I too had Testicular Cancer, I had it in October of 2000.  Fortunately they got it all out  with one surgery. I went through 2 years of monitoring It did return in Feb '02 but thanks to 'chemo' the cancer was eliminated several months later, and I haven't had to worry about it since.  So although everyone's experience if different, I have an idea about what your going through. I didn't know about 'Cancer Connection' back then or whether it even existed, I only had the people around me.  The reason for joining this group was because I had Skin cancer in 2018,  but even though that is still cancer, it is totally unrelated to my testicular cancer.

dster2400‍  - Thanks for posting your experience with testicular cancer here. Happy for you that you were able to get it gone both the first and second time. We were also told that testicular cancer can return but I’m hoping the my son’s chemo would eliminate that possibility. I’ll have to ask the oncologist next month.
For your future reference - the best way to connect with a member is to tag them with their user name so they get a notification by email. Below I copied The explanation  from  frequently asked questions  (FAQ) which is found at the bottom of all pages in very tiny print. 

How do I tag or mention someone?

Tagging or mentioning someone is a great way to keep discussions going. When you tag someone, they are notified that you are replying to them. To tag someone in your reply or post, type the "@" symbol and begin typing the username you want. A list of usernames will come up and you can select the one you want from the list. If you have done this correctly the username will appear hyperlinked in blue.

All the best

dster2400‍ I'm happy you are past your experience with Testicular Cancer! I'm sorry to hear about your skin cancer though. I hope you get all the best treatment you need and I am happy you have this community to help you!