Alan's testicular cancer story
Alan is proof that testicular cancer doesn’t just affect young men - he found a lump in his left testicle when he was aged 70, just months after having prostate cancer.
He said: “One morning I was in the shower when I felt a lump on my left testicle. It was swollen and tender and I knew instantly: ‘something is wrong. It shouldn’t be like this.’ I didn’t think it would be cancer though, as I was sure testicular cancer was something that happened to young men, not people in their seventies. Plus, I was recovering from an operation I’d had four months prior to remove my prostate, after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
"Because of my previous diagnosis I was very vigilant about my health, so when I found the lump in my testicle I arranged to see a consultant straight away. I couldn't take it in when the surgeon told me: "I'm afraid it is cancer. This is unusual - testicular cancer usually affects men in their twenties, thirties or possibly forties. You are really unlucky to have this so soon after your prostate operation."
"My mind was numb, although I do remember thinking - not again, I don't want to go through another operation again. I'm only just recovering from prostate cancer. This cannot be happening."
"But then I started to think another way. If it wasn't for my previous brush with cancer then I probably would have ignored the lump, dismissing it because I thought testicular cancer didn't happen to people of my age. It was my previous experience that made me take action quickly.
"I had my operation within a few days of meeting the surgeon. Because I'd previously been operated on, I wasn't nervous, I had complete confidence in my surgeon. I had the operation in the evening and left the hospital the following morning - I wasn't in any pain - I even managed to walk home from the train station.
"I had one dose of chemotherapy after my operation and that did make me feel extremely sick but the side -effects were short-lived and to me having chemotherapy was a no brainer because it reduced the chances of the cancer coming back from 25 per cent to two per cent."
"I think my story should be a warning to men to never think it can't happen to them because they are a certain age. It can happen to anyone. And if you do find a lump, it costs noting to go and get it checked out, but if you don't, it could cost you your life. Ignoring it won't make it go away."
Story supplied by Alan (aged 74), courtesy of The Urology Foundation
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