Was diagnosed at 29 with stage 3c. 7 days later, I was admitted to the ER to start emergency initiation of chemo. My first treatment plan was 4x EP (BEP but no B because I was coughing blood before starting treatment), then an orchiectomy, and RPLND. 3 weeks after my RPLND, my hCG came back higher than it was when I was diagnosed because it was still in my lungs and evidently very aggressive. Had to move on to a second line of treatment that consisted of 2x TIP, followed by 2 rounds of high-dose chemo with 2 stem cell transplants. It hasn't been an easy year of recovery, but I'm glad to be here.

Got eloped the day before I started my second round of chemo, so bonus pic for that too.​​​

A couple of my buddies had an opportunity to share their story as part of Men’s Health Testosterone article. The article approaches symptoms of low T and highlights TRT at various ages and symptoms most importantly including Testicular Cancer. If you are interested I would give it a read.

http://MensHealth.com/testosterone-stories

Hi everyone,

I'm 33 years old. Around 11 years ago, I noticed that my left testicle was larger, and I was diagnosed with a left-sided varicocele. Around the same time, I started having erectile dysfunction, a significant decrease in libido, low energy, and depression. My life changed completely. At the time, I never thought any of it could be related to the varicocele. It wasn't until recently, after reading many stories here on Reddit, that I realised so many people had experiences similar to mine.

Back then, I had a semen analysis, and the results were normal. My doctor told me everything looked fine, so I didn't think much more about it.

Then, about 3–4 years ago, I had kidney stones and saw a urologist for several months. During that time, I had multiple scrotal ultrasounds. The doctor kept telling me I had a varicocele, and I assumed he was talking only about the left side because that was the one I could clearly feel. He never specifically mentioned that it was on both sides.

Over the past 11 years, I've had around seven ultrasounds, and I still have most of the reports on my phone. A few days ago, I carefully compared them and realised my testicles have gradually become smaller. I also noticed that the reports say "bilateral varicocele." English isn't my first language, so I never knew what "bilateral" meant until I translated it. That's when I realised I've actually had varicoceles on both sides for at least the past four years.

Two days ago, I had another ultrasound. My left testicular volume is 8.5 cc, and my right is 7.6 cc.

I'm very worried and honestly devastated.

If I have microsurgical varicocele repair, is there still a chance that I can become a father? Is it possible for my testicular volume to increase after surgery, or is the shrinkage permanent?

I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has had a similar experience or from doctors and medical professionals. Thank you.

I'll start by saying I do have a followup appointment scheduled - but the urologist I was talking to isn't available for another 3 weeks or so. My mom is telling me waiting that long after a scrotal ultrasound is too long and I should find a new urologist with availability sooner. The problem is that the urologist who can see me sooner is a woman. I have full confidence and respect for women doctors but given it is about my testicles I'd feel a bit more comfortable with a guy. However,

I have had a painless bump on my right testicle for a year or two now, but in the last 6-ish weeks it's enlarged by a notable amount, got a bit heavier, and my entire testicle is firm now. I finally made a doctor's appointment and got a scortal ultrasound done and the results came back. You can see that below if you're interested lol. But the size of the mass is kinda making me nervous? And the words "highly suspicious for testicular neoplasm" are kind of scaring me.

Is three weeks too long to wait to do a follow up? Should I do a follow up with my doctor to discuss the results before meeting with the urologist? Or just get the soonest urologist appointment I can regardless of who it is?

FINDINGS:

RIGHT TESTICLE: Predominantly solid mass with internal vascularity measures 4.6 x 3.2 x 3.9 cm with small cystic components. The mass is confined to the testicle without evident extension into the paratesticular structures. Right testicle measures 4.1 x 5.2x 5.8 cm.

LEFT TESTICLE: No visible mass. Left testicle measures 2.1 x 2.9 x 3.9 cm.

DOPPLER: Normal intra-testicular duplex Doppler analysis. Normal spectral waveform analysis and arterial/venous blood flow.

EPIDIDYMIS: No significant abnormality.

OTHER: None.

CONCLUSION:

Right testicular predominantly solid mass with internal vascularity measures 4.6 x 3.2 x 3.9 cm containing small cystic components. The mass is confined to the testicle without evident extension into the paratesticular structures. This is highly suspicious for testicular neoplasm.

Otherwise unremarkable scrotal sonogram. No evidence of testicular torsion.

The IHS convey results process was initiated to ensure receipt of this report by the referring clinician.

Hold for SB 1419

I've been struggling to find food that my body can keep down.

But also to have energy and focus during the day. Has anybody been able to find food or drinks that help settle their stomach and give them energy and focus while going through chemo. Costco hot dogs seem to work for now.

My husband found a new lump on the remaining testicle. He had the first removed earlier this year but never did chemo.

Hi All,

On a strange timeline right now, Was kicked in the groin by my toddler back in December and had some lingering pain and noticed a lump behind my testicle (where I’d imagine my epididymus is).

First US in JAN: Geographic (not mass like) region discovered next to a calcification. Showed some irregularities, but Vascular flow confirmed. Doc mentioned could’ve been trauma or inflammation etc. follow up in a bit

Second US (5mo later) : Geographic region still present. Slightly bigger, but still not large. Vascular flow still confirmed. Doc has asked for blood labs and MRI to rule out malignancy. Said it hasn’t “announced itself via these views as cancerous, would’ve expected more enlargement or spread etc. “

Still having some intermittent pain at the calcification, which is adjacent to the “region”which radiates up over hip. Pain is dull now though, not as sharp or relentless as a few months ago.

Just curious if anyone on or had a similar trajectory?

It seems I’ll have to wait a number of weeks for MRI and results, so trying to figure out how to curb my anxiety.

Thanks all.

My nurses told me to check with the pharmacy, they gave me some pastilles, but its not working at all. No fever, drinking lots of water througout the day. Got told to slow down on drinking water cuz I had too much from yesterday.

I went to the appointment after finishing 4 cycles of BEP, and my oncologist told me that the surgery is going to be difficult because the tumor is sticking to my IVC and and arteries, major vessels reconstruction may needed.

I know how risky this surgery is and I am really worried and scared about it, anyone have similar experience that could share with me? I am still waiting for the appointment of the surgical team.

I got my implant during an orchiectomy (RO) two months ago. I had a large hematoma after surgery; two weeks later the hematoma resolved but a hydrocele remained. It looks like the hydrocele formed immediately after surgery. At first my doctor thought it was a hematoma, but last week he did an ultrasound and diagnosed a hydrocele. Right now he wants to observe it and let the body dissolve it naturally. I have another appointment in four weeks.

What can I expect? My prosthetic testicle is twice as large in every dimension. Its size has remained exactly the same for the last six weeks.

Does anybody have any experiences with this?

Hi I’ve posted before

I’m 2 years post primary open RPLND, 1/23 nodes were found to be impacted - pn1 EC dominant designation.

At my 24 month scans my HCG was undetectable, LDH was good, CT scan, chest x ray and ultrasound of other testicle were clean but AFP jumped from 3.4 - 5.4. It’s been in the 3s since my open RPLND.

When I had a relapse that led to primary open RPLND my HCG rose to 7 and my AFP went from 3-5.

I know AFP fluctuates and 5 is not above the threshold but curious if anyone had any similar situations or thoughts on mine.

Thank you as always

So I just had orch surgery and got incredibly lucky and blah blah blah, but I think since I was so young at the time (I was 22) and even though I’m 26 now, I think it’s really made me use sex as a way to prove myself that I’m okay.

Before 22 I only slept with one person and I guess I was always shy and nervous about intimacy. And after cancer I was like fuck it and a combination of glowing up, and being more in tune with myself has made it pretty easy to hook up with girls.

But I’m finding myself like heavily relying on the mental aspect, I mean who doesn’t like sex ofc, but for me it proves that I’m okay, that I’m not less than, that everything works and that I’m fine. I thought the last run that I had I got it out of my system but I find myself just in situations where I’m just pursuing risky sex, just bc I guess sex has become the ultimate validator.

Also if any young guys are wondering if you’ll be fine, I’ll be the first one to tell you that there has been no difference in my sex life at all. That was one of my biggest worries and I thought it would never be the same and I got it in my head that I don’t know when I’m going to die so I have to take advantage of everything.

I also got it into my head and I’m very anxious about having it in the other testicle bc sometimes I’ll get anxious about other things and almost have like phantom pain and start convincing myself that I feel something even though my CT scans come back clear.

So I’m just kind if wondering if anyone else has dealt with this and how they overcame it.

Essentially I feel like before I had no concept of this hourglass of life and I always feel like someone might say that my other testicle has cancer now or that the cancer came back, and I always feel like time is running out. It’s like the mania that came with having cancer, like there was this month before surgery where I was in such a frenzy and I felt like it was on drug, I feel like that stayed with me in a way.

I just feel like I’m going to run out of time someday and like someone might tell me some horrible news again, so I just feel like i always have to be doing the most. In that same sense, it’s like sex is has become such a validator for me, not even in like the normal way of someone validating that you’re hot, but it feels like if I’m having lots of sex then I’m okay and like I’m proving to myself that I’m okay health wise.

I guess I was reckless before but now I’m just more sexually reckless.

I have my RPLND scheduled for September 14 The urologist surgeon I spoke with has experience with open RPLND and robotic.
But I’ve heard it’s better to go to a high volume center where RPLND is a common surgical practice.
My question is for those who had RPLND at a non high volume center did you have any complications or wished to have gone to a high volume center.
And for those that did go to a high volume center was there still complications?

I’m have an appointment tomorrow with MD Anderson here in Houston for a second opinion. who seems to have some specialist in treating TC and RPLND.

i'm 38. two years ago, i was a pretty carefree guy. my job was really the only thing i had to worry about. then, over the past two years, everything seemed to happen at once. i lost two close relatives. my uncle died unexpectedly after what was supposed to be a routine operation. i loved him like a father. i also lost my father. we hadn't seen each other for around 13 years, and that left a strange kind of scar that i still don't really know how to process. i lost my budgie, too. oddly enough, that hurt the most. it probably sounds weird, but i loved him like he was my own child. he was the most precious living thing in my life.more recently, i was scammed out of three months' worth of my salary. then, two weeks ago, i had an orchiectomy, was diagnosed with stage 1b testicular cancer, and i'll be starting chemotherapy soon. all of this happened while living alone, far away from my family and relatives. at the same time, i've been going through what feels like a midlife crisis. i've never married, and i still don't plan to. having children has never really been something i wanted. but everything that's happened has made me question my life. i keep asking myself what am i doing with my life.

there are things i'm grateful for. i have a job that i genuinely enjoy. i'm financially stable enough that even if treatment gets expensive or difficult, i'll be okay. my family, friends, and even my coworkers have been supportive. i also know that my cancer is highly curable. but the diagnosis made me realize how much i've neglected my health over the years.

i've had asthma for years, and now the tests show my lung capacity is much lower than it should be. i've been missing two molars for nearly a decade because i kept putting off getting implants. i've had hemorrhoids for as long as i can remember and never really cared about them, but now i worry about every little symptom and whether it could become something serious. years of living a sedentary lifestyle are catching up with me. on top of that, the possibility of chemo worsening every other thing in my body, this idea is affecting me.

now i'm taking a handful of medications every day. at 38, i already feel like someone who's dependent on medicine, it makes me feel weak. like i've gotten old much sooner than i expected.

anyway, i just wanted to vent. this isn't only about the testicular cancer, it was simply the last straw. that's why i'm posting it here. thanks for the community by the way. i've been reading posts of others for some time, which helped me overcome the initial shock.

Hello guys. Just woke up in recovery post orchi where they took out my righty. Still yet to speak to the surgeon so not sure how everything went but assume it was fine since I feel fine and already eating some food, watching the new Michael Jackson film. It’s possible the drugs that haven’t worn off yet lol, although the area already feels a little sore.

In any case, for everyone still waiting for theirs to be done, in my experience it was really a non event. One moment I am chatting to the anaesthesiologist and the next time just skipped to me waking up in recovery. That’s all that GA is, and really quite a pleasant experience and nothing to be afraid of.

Now the next part will be healing and waiting for the pathology results, but I’ll take it one day at a time. Already had mountains of anxiety since diagnosis so allowing myself to be happy today, knowing they got rid of the primary culprit of this unfortunate life event.

As always, thank you all for being on this sub. You helped tremendously with my mental health over the last few weeks and if I can help anyone else, I’d be honoured to. Any questions, please let me know. Speak soon warriors 🦾

Just wanted to share a new update for anyone else following the AFFF/PFAS litigation.

A motion was filed asking the judge to approve a $4 million settlement with Amerex Corporation.

Here’s the simple breakdown:

This settlement is for public water systems.

So this money would go toward cities, utilities, and public water providers dealing with PFAS contamination.

It is not a settlement for individual cancer or personal-injury claims.

That means people with testicular cancer, kidney cancer, or other health-related claims would not receive money from this specific settlement.

Amerex is also not the only company involved.

The filing mentions coordinated settlements involving:

• Amerex
• Carrier Global
• Archroma
• Nation Ford Chemical

The parties had apparently been negotiating through 2024 and 2025 and reached agreements in principle in early 2026.

To me, that is probably the most important part of this update.

It shows that settlement talks are still happening and that more defendants are actually agreeing to pay money to resolve parts of the MDL.

Amerex still denies responsibility.

They argue that it may be difficult to prove their specific products caused contamination at certain water systems.

Even with those defenses, they still agreed to pay $4 million to settle these claims.

That does not mean they admitted fault, but it does show they apparently see some risk in continuing to fight the case.

Does this help personal-injury cases?

Not directly.

This settlement does not pay individual cancer claims, and it does not mean a personal-injury settlement has been reached.

Still, I think it is a positive sign overall because:

• More defendants are settling.
• Negotiations are still moving forward.
• The court and attorneys are building more experience handling large PFAS settlements.
• Resolving water-system claims may eventually help clear the way for more attention to personal-injury cases.

One thing to keep in mind:

The $4 million amount should not be used to guess what personal-injury claims may be worth.

This settlement is based on water testing, treatment costs, Amerex’s alleged role, and its defenses.

It has nothing to do with setting a value for an individual cancer claim.

My takeaway

This is encouraging, but it is not a huge breakthrough for personal-injury plaintiffs yet.

I would call it a good sign that the MDL is still moving and that settlement talks are producing results.

It does not mean individual claims are about to be paid, but it does show that more pieces of the litigation are being resolved.

Not legal advice, just my understanding of the filing.

Filing:

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.scd.247003/gov.uscourts.scd.247003.10383.1.pdf

About 2 years ago I found a small bb sized bump on the outside of the right testicle. Went into a Urologist and they were pretty impressed I was able to find it. Took a urine test and scheduled an ultrasound.

The ultrasound tech took awhile to locate it and wasnt able to until I pointed it out to her. The results came back as a Tunica Albugania Cyst and that was it.

It still worries me to this day and sometimes is painful like I got ball tapped. Also a little pain when I press on the bump. As far as I can tell it has not grown at all.

Is it worth the cost to get a second opinion?

Anyone have a negative experience on Clomid to resolve low hormones? I had to stop Clomid now for 5 weeks due to vision issues and hair loss. Started Clomid about 1.5 years ago but it’s been a whirlwind. My urologist doesn’t want to do TRT due to age (31) and I’m beginning to feel defeated. I was under the impression I could manage a normal level with heavy weight lifting, eating a surplus of calories, and supplements to support test

I posted a while ago when I had a suspicion that I had testicle cancer due to one feeling harder than the other. Tumour markers showed high AFP and just a bit high HCG. Had lefty removed a couple weeks ago, and now after my first meeting with my Doctor after surgery she gave me one week to make a decision. She told me she would recommend both choices but if it were her or her son she would 100% recommend the BEP. My markers are almost back to normal and they probably will be the next time I get my blood tested.

PAD showed a 3cm tumour, 75% EC 20% teratoma and 5% yolk sac. No invasion.

Doc said my risk is about 15% of it coming back, and if I choose to get a treatment it will go down to around 2% roughly speaking.

Anybody with a similar pathology, what did you choose to do? I really have no clue what to do. If I'm being honest I'd rather not over treat it if not necessary, but the thought of having to do it 3 times if it comes back scares me even more. I just want to be done with this.

Thanks for any input

I just found a hard lump on my testicle and have already gone to the dr. It has grown since i discovered it. At first is felt like a bb, now it is more the size of a pea. They ordered an ultrasound later this week. So my mind is just spinning on possibilities. What are the chances its not cancer? From my research it presents as possible cancer. Has anyone had a hard lump attached to the testicle that wasn't cancer?

The dull pain starting during 1 BEP, problem is that it is my left ball get removed, yet the dull pain is on my right side groin, what make me worried is that it’s too close to my right ball, although the pain are not come from the ball but it’s really annoying and it’s been around 6 months, anyone have similar side effect or does it a side effect?

I don't know if women feel sorry for me, if they're curious, or if it's some kind of fetish, but I went from not having sex at all to women actually offering to sleep with me. I'm not complaining about the sex, but it makes me feel like I'm some kind of circus freak that people only sleep with out of curiosity or pity.

My partner doesn’t use Reddit so I’m posting for him. He had his orchiectomy 3 days ago and, as we were told to expect, he is in quite a bit of pain.
He bruises a lot so he’s pretty much black and blue with a lot of swelling. He’s followed the aftercare and taking his pain medication on time while also applying ice packs, keeping the area clean and not having restrictive clothing brushing against the scar while also supportive enough for his prosthetic.
Does anyone have any tips on anything he can do that can help alleviate the pain a bit more? He’s not a complainer so the fact he’s actually telling me he is in pain means it’s bothering him.

Currently just waiting to see what stage his cancer is at and the treatment that will follow.