Cancer II The Sequel

So like any good movie there has to be a sequel.  There seem to be two ways sequels go.  The first is a continuation of the same story the second is a different story of the same type maybe involving the same characters.  In my case I choose the second option and have been diagnosed with testicular cancer.  

Like the first movie the plot line is also about cancer with some of the same characters.  New to the case is my urologist.  More about that in a bit.   

The way this came about is I went in for my checkup with the oncologist and I had been noticing a tightening / pulling sensation in my groin for a while.  The oncologist did the normal checkup for the first cancer I did have (also the namesake of this blog) and ordered up the normal blood work.  He also did a groin exam and ordered up an ultrasound.  Fast forward a week and I had the ultrasound.  The oncologist offices are in the same building and my oncologist happened to be there at that time so they asked me to wait to see him.  BTW It’s never a good thing when you have a test and they ask you to hang around to see the oncologist.  It's not like he wants to ask you how your golf game is going .

So it turns out the ultrasound in the groin revealed cancer in the left testicle.  They immediately set me up with an appointment to see the urologist the next morning.  Talk about being on the express train.  I think the normal process is to see your regular doctor, then the urologist, then get the ultrasound and then see the oncologist.  I went from the oncologist to the ultrasound to the urologist in about a week.  Getting a bit ahead of myself (spoiler alert!) I have surgery scheduled for Friday.

Anyways back to the plot line.  This morning I met with the Urologist and he pretty much confirmed what the oncologist thought.  He went over the treatment options (and I use the term options very lightly) with me.  Basically the first step is surgery to remove the testicle that has cancer in it.  They then evaluate that to see what type it is.  There are two types seminomas and non-seminoma.  The seminomas type is slower growing and less likely to spread to other parts of the body.  They won't know what type I have until they look at it under a microscope but the thought is that it is the seminoma type.  

The surgery is outpatient surgery and similar in scope to surgery to repair a hernia.  I won't be able to drive for a few days and it will be 3-4 weeks until I can resume normal physical activities.

After the surgery they will do some tests, blood work and CT Scans, to see if it has spread to other areas.  If it has then the treatment is chemo and / or radiation.  I am told that it is nothing like what I have been through with my other cancer so big time yippee! for that.

Once again the team approach is used for treating cancer.  So far the cast of characters includes myself and my oncologist along with his staff from the first movie.  The urologist is new for this movie and seems to be a good guy.  He is considered the best in this area for this type of thing.  If there is a need for radiation we will have to get a new actor to play the part as my radiation oncologist has moved on to other things as in out of the state.  Once the surgery is done the urologist turns me over to the oncologist who handles the rest of the program from there.   It’s kinda like a space flight.  The guys at Cape Canaveral handle the blast off and then turn it over the Houston for the rest of the trip.  

The overall cure rate is somewhere between 95% and 99% depending upon who you ask.  In general the prognosis in my case looks to be pretty good.    Having been through this before I am less anxious about the treatments and what follows.  The treatment I had for nasopharyngeal cancer was one of the more nasty treatment programs.  Things that have been discussed here are maybe one or two chemo treatments that are lighter than what I went through and maybe 3 weeks of radiation once again lighter and only if needed.    As with the first movie the thing I am most anxious about is the surgery.  

So I had thought I would just let this blog fade into the land of lost internet blogs  never to be updated again.  Instead its getting dusted off for the sequel.   Personally I thought the first movie didn’t need a sequel. Let’s just hope this doesn’t become a trilogy.  J