Matt’s story – testicular cancer

Matt was 29 when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He found a lump near the top of his left testicle whilst washing in the shower. He wasn’t sure what the lump could be and didn’t want to go to the doctors. He hadn’t been since he was a small boy and felt embarrassed at the thought. However two months later the lump was still there and he realised that it could be something serious.

The doctor was very supportive and understood Matt’s reluctance to visit. The doctor examined Matt’s testicles and thought the lump might just be an infection but referred Matt to see a specialist to make sure. Two weeks later Matt attended the local hospital. The urologist felt the lump in his testicles and sent Matt for an ultrasound. The pictures from the ultrasound showed that there was a tumour in the testicle. There was no way of knowing if the tumour was cancerous without performing a biopsy. Matt needed to have surgery so that part of the tumour could be removed and examined under a microscope.

The surgery was scheduled for the following week. Matt was given a general aesthetic and wheeled in for surgery. He came around a few hours later and was in a lot of pain, he was given strong pain killers to help him rest and sleep. Walking was impossible for a few days due to the incision in his groin and was painful for a good couple of weeks. Matt was told the tumour was cancerous, but was a highly treatable form and the prognosis for recovery was good. The surgery had removed the testicle with cancer but the cancer had spread to one of the lymph nodes in his abdomen.

It was recommended that Matt had chemotherapy to kill any remaining cancer cells. The different types of drugs that could be used were explained to him and he was told about the side effects on his body and emotions. It was also explained that the chemotherapy may affect his fertility. Matt was young and had no children but knew that he might want a family in the future. He decided to freeze his sperm so that he had the option of trying for children later on. It seemed strange to Matt that he was faced with all these important decisions when only a month before he had just worried if his football team won.

Chemotherapy began four weeks after surgery when Matt was physically strong enough to cope with the treatment. Matt had an IV hooked up to his hand. The cancer drugs were slowly dripped in to his body. He had chemotherapy for five days, Monday to Friday then a two week break. This schedule went on for four months. Matt coped fairly well with the chemotherapy for the first two days, then the sickness descended on him. He vomited and couldn’t control his body convulsing. The vomit burned his throat and he couldn’t stop dry retching. That went on until the first round of chemo had finished, the nausea suppressing drugs seemed to do little to help. Matt found it took him a week after the treatment finished to feel well again.

After his last bout of chemotherapy Matt left the hospital feeling more positive than he had in ages. It is now nearly two years since Matt discovered he had cancer and he feels fit and healthy. For the first year he had monthly X-rays and three monthly CT scans and he still attends regular appointments with the urologist. Matt is looking forward to the rest of his life and in the future hopes to be able to start a family.