Testicular cancer, losing a pelota, effects?

I started a thread awhile back that I had found a lump on my one testicle.

Small lump on testicle

After several embarrassing exams and ultrasounds, my doctor is encouraging me to have the testicle removed to be safe. I guess it still could be cysts (I now have two lumps :( ), but it also could be malignant (testicular cancer). They’re just not sure without being able to run tests on the lumps.

Does anyone have experience with losing a testicle? I’ve been told that I can get a prosthetic one put in. Maybe I can request an extra large one.

I’ve had testosterone issues in the past – is this going to severely effect T-levels?

How about my ability to have children?

Any advice or experiences would be appreciated.

No advice or experience with this particular issue, but know that I’m hoping for the best possible outcome for this situation. Keep us posted as to your prognosis and Best of luck.

Well, maybe some advice based on different kinds of medical scares:

Remain as calm as possible. Panic could cause you to act rashly.
Talk to more than one expert in the field
Take the time to do the research. A day or two probably won’t have all that much impact on the outcome
Let other people help you with emotional and spiritual support,and friendship. You needn’t try to go through this alone

Thanks clgp7. I’ve been quite calm about it on the outside, but I’m slightly upset on the inside. A few things are going my way. If it is malignant, it’s been caught very early. Plus, testicular cancer is one of the most curable cancers in existence, if not the most. The thought of having to undergo chemotherapy is scary because I’ve seen how it destroys people for awhile. But I guess most of my concerns are centered around the effects of only having one testicle. I just hope that it won’t haunt me someday when I’m trying to have children - or effect my ability to make progress in the gym. I’m hoping to run across someone here who has experience with only having one testicle :)

If you lose one testicle, odds are you will be fertile if you are now. My guess is that if you’ve had testosterone issues in the past, you’ll only need to have periodic monitoring to make sure your levels are acceptable. A back-up plan: have a fertility test now to check it out. You can always opt to store semen (for years) in case you need it in the future for baby making.

Have they offered to biopsy one lump or both rather than remove the testicle? You should check into that option. Why lose a ball if the lumps are not cancerous?

If you do have one testicle removed, no one will ever know. They can easily insert a remarkably realistic, fake one, and sometimes give you a choice as to the size of it. :)

My thoughts exactly. I’m no doctor, but it’s easy for a doctor to suggest, “Hey, let’s just remove it.” It’s not HIS testicle.

Removing it may be quicker and easier, but if it was my testicle and it had lumps, I would want a biopsy, and to be treated by someone who knows about testicles and testicular surgery because he does a LOT of that kind of medicine. If you have a heart problem, you don’t want to be operated on by a guy who does one or two procedures a year.

Check this out, from one of the best departments of urology in the US, maybe the world. You can join up for free. Nice folks.

Gesundheit-im-Leben.com - Natürlich, Gesund und fit durchs Leben

Hey guys, thanks for the responses.

The doctor that I am seeing is a urologist. I started with my primary physician, but he quickly directed me to a urologist.

I asked about simply doing a biopsy of the lump. While he told me that that is an option, they generally avoid doing it because if the lump is malignant, a biopsy could cause the cancer to spread into the rest of the scrotum. Removing the testicle is a different procedure. They cut through the groin area.

I don’t think that’s a risk I’m willing to take. The ultrasound that they did of my lymphnodes, brain, and liver showed nothing and those are the first places this cancer spreads to. I don’t want to run the risk of spreading it. I’d rather lose the testicle and later find out that the lumps were harmless.

This is encouraging. Thank you :)

Thanks for the link, avocet.

I’ve also found a very nice forum dedicated to the disease - Home - TC-Cancer.com - Testicular Cancer Information & Support Forum

I don’t want to jump the gun quite yet because we’re not even sure it is cancer. The only thing that is certain is that I am probably going to have the testicle removed. Not excited about it, but I’ve found some interesting threads this weekend on that forum. Seems like a lot of folks are living perfectly normal lives with one testicle. Encouraging :)

My brother had one removed because it had never descended properly. Living with one testicle all his life, he has fathered children, grew a bigger dick than his little brother (me), and has a great,deep, Radio announcer’s voice. Would not worry a bit if it has to happen to you. Like you said, “Have a bigger one put in!” Best of luck.

Good luck Gator and keep us informed, okay?

Thanks, and I certainly will :)

Some more good news. Thanks!

I’ve decided that I’m going to go ahead and have the testicle removed. I’m not waiting around on it anymore. Sitting on the idea isn’t helping although I’ve been doing a good job lately of not letting it bog me down. I visit my doctor tomorrow afternoon so hopefully we’ll set a surgery date then.

You will still be fertile. Your testosterone should also not be affected much, because your body releases hormones to trigger testosterone production. FSH and LH send signals to the testes to produce testosterone when the body senses there is not enough in the body. Your body will likely simple produce more of these hormones to “make up for” having one “manufacturer” instead of one. It is still possible that your levels will be affected slightly, but there is little to no danger of it being “cut in half” or anything drastic like that.

That said. I would talk to a urologist, and maybe a cancer specialist before I looked into surgery.

Positivity, positivity, and positivity. Three things that work miracles in these situations. And I don’t mean to say that positivity will positively rid you of cancer. That’s why you’re having the testicle removed and/or may or may not have chemo down the road. But from my experience of seeing through other people with cancer, it is a war, not a battle. Positivity will win you the war.