"For with God nothing shall be impossible." Luke1:37

Had we not contained ourselves, I think they would have heard us in California!!! However unfortunate we are that this has to be cancer, we are fortunate enough that pathology reports that it is a pure seminoma. While it's still cancer, it is the lesser of two evils. Pure seminoma's have a 99% cure rate!! Todd will require radiation therapy (a lot less harsher on the body than chemotherapy). The lymph node in question was reportedly "borderline enlarged". This could be from the cancer or it could be congenital. Once the radiation is started it should melt away, if not it could just have been that way to begin with. We are expecting to hear from a Radiation Oncologist on Tuesday of next week to set up an appointment to get the ball rolling. Because of his surgery, he won't be able to start the radiation therapy for about 3 weeks and his therapy should last anywhere from 3-4 (possibly 4-6 weeks due to the problem lymph node). Once his radiation is finished he will have to get regular CT scans and blood tests to check the serum levels. This surveillance will last for about a year or two. We were also informed that he is at greater risk for other cancers, but we will cross that bridge should we ever come to it.

From the bottom of our hearts we want to thank each and every one of you who have sent a card, said a prayer, delivered a meal or just thought of us. It means so much to us to have such caring people like you that we call our friends. Though we still have a long road to haul- we will reach our destination although at times it may be rocky. We so greatly appreciate everything that everyone has done!! Really, we can not even begin to express the gratitude to all of you who care so much, it fills our hearts with joy to have friends and family like you!

The orchiectomy

Today is the day in which Todd, as he calls it, lost half his manhood. The whole procedure, which took place at Aultman Hospital, took about 45 minutes and a 4 inch incision. Dr. Kraus met with me after the surgery and brought me up to speed. The whole surgery went well, but there was a groinal lymph node that was visible. I was reassured that it was not enlarged, but merely visible. They cut the tumor in half right in the OR and could tell 100% that it was a malignancy. He also explained that the overwhelming pain that Todd had had days ago was from a spot within the tumor which had started to die. I was also informed that the tumor markers (from his blood work) were not elevated. That could be good or bad. The way I understood it was that nonseminoma's have a tendency to not show elevated tumor markers. Treatment is going to come down to the pathology report. If it comes back as a seminoma Todd will undergo low dose radiation therapy. However, if the reports come back as a nonseminoma, Todd will likely undergo a second surgery, the RPLND, to remove the visible lymph node. On top of the RPLND he would possibly have to have some chemotherapy. We have an appointment set up for this friday to see the dr and get the pathology results. They aren't kidding when they say that it's just a waiting game!

The results are in...

We got the all clear today!!! According to the CT scan taken wednesday, everything was clear. However, that doesn't mean that it hasn't spread. There could still be some cells floating around and they haven't shown up anywhere yet. Depending on how the pathology report comes back, Todd may only need radiation following the orchiectomy. At least we have made it over one hurdle, with many more still to come I'm sure.

Get the facts

Here are some little know facts on testicular cancer

• TC is the most common type of cancer affecting men between the ages of 15-35 (peaking between the ages of 20-34).
• TC is almost always curable if detected early. ( So all you males out there- do a monthly self-exam! It only takes a minute and it is just as easy as taking your testicle and rolling it between your thumb and forefinger to feel for any lumps. Testicles should be smooth and egg shaped, you shouldn't feel any lumps.)
• Testicular cancers are generally found my men themselves. Tumors can be painless, a hardening, change in size or pain in the testicle.
• TC can be treated with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, surveillance, or any combination of the above mentioned treatments.

Testicular tumors begin in special sperm-forming cells known as germ cells. 40% of testicular tumors are seminomas which are made of immature germ cells and are very sensitive to radiation therapy. Nonseminomas are made up of mature germ cells, can occur in combinations and are more aggresive. These types are generally treated with a RPLND (retroperitoneal lymph node dissection).

Because of the advances in medical technology, nearly 90% of men with any metastisis are cured!! That is a huge leap from 38 years ago, finding only a 10% cure rate in 1970! Here are some cure rate stats:

• Stage I ( cancer confined to testicle) seminoma- 99%!!!
• Stage I nonseminoma- 98%!
• Stage II (cancer spread to retroperitoneal lymph nodes) - 90%!
• Stage III ( cancer spread beyond lymph nodes into organs) - 50-80%!

Symptoms of testicular cancer include:

• A lump in either testicle.
• Any enlargement of either testicle.
• Significant shrinking of the testicle.
• Hardening or softening of a testicle.
• A feeling of heaviness.
• Dull ache in lower abdomen or groin area.
• A sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum.
• Pain or discomfort in the testicle or scrotum.
• Enlargement or tenderness of the breasts.

What's most important is knowing your body. Know your body enough to know when something isn't right. Do not be afraid to get checked out if you feel something abnormal to you!

Canton Urology

By just looking at the ultrasound, they are 99% sure that this is a malignant tumor. We were, however, reminded that while cancer sounds scary, testicular cancer is very curable. Todd was ordered to get a blood draw to check for tumor markers, a CT scan of the pelvis, abdomen and chest (May 14th), and also an orchiectomy (May 20th). We were told that he would no doubt need to have the testicle removed. Anytime there is a growth it always gets removed because a biospy would risk spreading the cancer into another lymph system. It was explained that the scrotum and the testicle were on two different lymph systems, spreading it to a second lymph system would only make it worse. They make a small incision in the belt area and remove the whole testicle and send the mass to pathology. We were also told about other possible treatments, banking sperm and how curable this type of cancer is.

Going into this appointment we had already kind of expected to hear that they were pretty certain we were looking at testicular cancer. To tell the truth we did some crying and we are scared, but we know the odds are in our favor. We know that we have an army of people behind us praying each and every day. More importantly we have the will to win. I say "we" because while Todd is the one who is sick, he is part of me. We are one.

Research day, subject: Testicular Cancer

I'm a highly analytical person. I want to know the facts. I do alot of digging until I feel as though I have enough information on a subject to help me understand. So in doing my research on testicular cancer this morning I came across a website which I found to very helpful, http://tcrc.acor.org/. It's a few years old but it really breaks things down into plain english. Basically there are two types (each with several subtypes) the seminoma and the nonseminoma. Both are treated by removing the affected testicle but, further treatment depends on the type. Seminoma's in North America are usually treated with radiation following the orchiectomy (removal of the testicle). Nonseminoma's are usually treated with a retroperitoneal lymph node dissection ( a large incision is made down the abdomen and the lymph node is removed) and chemotherapy. While these treatments, not to mention the word cancer, sound very scary- testicular cancer is very curable! Medicine has brought us a long way!! Cure rate is said to be 98-99% for either type of testicular cancer.

Last night, I admit, I was scared. Something about the "C" word does that to a person. This morning, however, after doing my digging I have to tell you I feel much better about meeting Dr. Kraus on Tuesday.

Our story begins...

The morning started out like any other day- my hitting the snooze button for the 3rd time! I finally forced myself out of bed to get a start on the busy morning. I had errands to run and appointments to be kept all before 9am!!! I finished getting ready and woke up Todd, my husband, so he could get a start on his busy morning as well. All was going well until he hunched over in pain, pain like never before. The nurse in me kicks in...rate the pain, where is it, how does it feel, so on and so forth. He compared the pain to being "kicked in the balls for 3 straight hours." He could hardly walk, let alone move so I told him he had two options...either I take him to the local ER or he calls his dr and asks to be seen right away. He opts for the latter. I left the house, ran my errands, came back and drove him an hour to see his dr. By this time he was in tears because he hurt so bad. Mind you the whole time I'm saying to myself "it's just a hernia." I couldn't have been more wrong. Dr. Brown thought it was probably a hydrocele, which is basically fluid on the testicle. He sent us for an ultrasound to confirm. Unfortunately, what the ultrasound technician found was not fluid but, a solid mass. Dr. Brown called to give us the results and I think had I been standing I would have fell to the floor. That was the first we heard the dreaded word- cancer. In my mind I'm thinking "what in the world just happened here?" Did I really just hear what I thought I heard? By the end of the evening Dr. Brown had made us an appointment with a Dr. Kraus with Canton Urology at Aultman Hospital for Tuesday, May 13th. Again, I say "what just happened?"