From here you can keep up to date on the progress of the treatment for my cancer and follow how I'm coping with the battle to whoop cancer's ass! And if you're interested in the Three Peaks Challenge to raise money and awareness for testicular and ovarian cancer then check out Scare Down There!!!
Read the rest of the blog here
Ok, so if you know whats been going on up to the chemo and just want the highlights reel of what happened and what will happen, read on. If you're reading this for the first time, jump below first then come back up here!
Ok, so first up, did you go bald???
Very much so, yes.
Ha ha!! Slaphead!!! So did it all work??
Well, not entirely. The point of the chemo was to nuke what the docs were confident was cancer in one of my lymph nodes behind my stomach, the result being that it would shrink back down to normal. It did shrink, but not as much as they wanted.
Oh. That sucks. So what happens now?
Its not all bad. The cancer is known as a mature teratoma, but the only thing that really counts now is that it is inactive, which means that typically hopefully it shouldn't spread anywhere else in my body, but just start to grow again once it recovers from the chemo. I'm having blood tests every week so that they know as soon as it starts to change. And there is still a chance that between the cancer and the chemo the lymph node has simply died, hence why it didn't shrink back to normal. Either way everyone (including me) wants it outta my gut!
I'm guessing another op then. Sucks to be you, but hey, chicks dig scars!
They do indeed, and as this one will be over a foot long I better be getting chased down the street by hotties!!
A FOOT long?!?! What the hell are they doing to you????
Its known as a RPLND and just involves cutting me open, lifting out my innards, slicing out the sick node from behind my stomach, as well as the one above and below it just to be sure, stuffing everything back in and stitching me up.
Sh*t, that sounds pretty serious, again.
The surgery is termed as major, and comes with at least an 8 week recovery, including up to 2 weeks in hospital (so feel free to visit!) but in terms of losing 3 lymph nodes, its no big deal. We have hundreds of the things and can stand to lose quite a few with no side effects.
Two weeks in hospital!! How will you cope with that??
I think my exact words to the doc when he told me were "Are you serious?? Two weeks?? I'll go insane!". He suggested that I take a book, my short reply was in that time I could write a bloody book. But most of the time I'll probably be drugged up on painkillers so won't notice most of it. DVD box sets are welcome though!!
So after the op and after you recover, is that it?
I hope so! They'll do more scans and tests to check afterwards, but given that its inactive I'm really hoping it won't have spread, but if it is possible it has the doc might recommend another stint of chemo, same as I've already had.
Well I hope that isn't necessary.
Seeing as this is another conversation with myself, I bloody hope you feel that way!
Aaaaaaanyway, how is your recovery after chemo?? All back to your normal, hairy self??
Pretty much yeah, the hair is growing back and most of my energy is back though my fitness has definitely taken a hit. Sadly I think I have picked up one long term side effect in tinnitus, a constant ringing in my ears, which isn't too bad as I can only hear it when its quiet, but it does bring a new meaning to me of a deafening silence.
That sucks, but in the big scale it could be a lot worse.
Definitely! I am not in any way complaining, as the doctors discussed the list of possible side effects and to come out with only that then I'm pretty happy.
Happy, maybe, but if you keep talking to yourself people are going to question your sanity, even more than usual.
Yep.
Hey everyone!
Ok, so I'll answer your most likely first question; Yes, sadly I am serious and this isn't a joke.
I am currently undergoing treatment for testicular cancer. At the start of January I had surgery to remove one of my boyo's but unfortunately a CT scan revealed that the cancer has spread to a lymph node behind my stomach. The lymph nodes are usually the first place my type of cancer spreads to and it means that I do have to undergo chemotherapy to ensure that any cancer cells moving around my body can be destroyed before they do any serious damage.
You all know me and probably won't be surprised that I'm gonna be publishing everything online to keep my friends around the world updated, as well as playing on their sympathies so that when it comes to raising some money for cancer charities you'll donate that little bit (or a lot!) extra! So this is where it is at the minute, along with the blog covering the usual stuff, and I'm not sure what the plan is yet but I'll probably put on another site to cover the fundraising stuff I'm hoping to do.
So, back to the start and just the facts. Back in June 09, just after I arrived in Kununurra, I noticed that one of my testicles had swollen considerably so I did what any normal man would do and left it well alone, hoping that it would shrink back down! When this didn't happen I did some research into what it could be but without any other side effects I had no pointers to guide me in the right direction. The next step was clearly to visit a doctor but for various reasons and excuses I decided to leave it until I returned home in December. The doctor was also unsure what was wrong as I still had no side effects but gave me an urgent appointment with the consultant. The consultant wasn't so hesitant and after my visit with him I was in for the operation a few days later.
The operation was a 'success' (look, they cut one of my nuts off, success is a loose term!) and has left me with a cool 3inch scar just below my stomach. Sadly I was a bit cheesy as the laughing gas did actually make me laugh as I lost consciousness on the operating table, and after the operation I felt the need to thank one of the nurses in the recovery room, drunkenly slurring that “I ushed to live with a nurshe and I know they don't get the gratitude they desherve, sho thankyou”. I spent the next week experiencing a taste of life after 70; being unable to stand up straight for 10mins after sitting down and making sure that I planned everything that had to be done before I got up so that I didn't forget anything, like making a coffee, was lucky no one could hear me when that happened!
Sadly the CT scan before the operation revealed that one of the lymph nodes behind my stomach had become enlarged as the cancer has spread meaning that I would need chemotherapy treatment. The lymph nodes filter the fluids in your body and are usually the first casualties as cancer spreads around your body. When people are sick and the 'glands' in their neck swell, those are actually the lymph nodes for your head that you can feel, you've got some more in your armpits and the rest are behind your stomach. The doctors emphasised this still wasn't disastrous as my lymph node was only 2.75cm, they investigate anything over 1cm but they can go up to 12cm, and they were still confident of success.
So this is where chemotherapy enters the battle and which should cure me completely with no permanent damage. The treatment I will be receiving is called the BEP regimen and is pretty much standard for my condition, involving three cycles each about three weeks long. The BEP stands for the three drugs that they will use; Bleomycin, Etoposide & cisplatin, which contains Platinum. It started on 14th February and should be all finished by 13th April, with three 5 day stays in the hospital in Belfast. Its a three week cycle and during my inpatient stay I'll receive all three drugs first, then a week later I get just one drug, on the third week I get another single drug dose and a week later the next cycle starts with another inpatient stay.
And that's hopefully the end of the story, I'll have another CT scan and if the lymph node has shrunk back down to under 1cm then job's done, bring on the party!! If it is still too large then I have to go for surgery to remove it and that is the scariest part, I did a little research on the internet and I really wish I could “unread” that sh*t, the risks of permanent side effects is much higher.
But!! All the doctors are confident and the success rates for my stage are at least 90% so I'm still confident and optimistic that by this time next I'll be looking back and smiling!
So, the questions that people usually ask:
Seriously, are you serious, this isn't a wind up, for real??
Yep :-(
Bit public, announcing this across the internet and all?? Is it not the sort of thing to keep quiet??
Well, maybe yeah, but I don't know how hard this is going to be and I'm hoping I can rely on the support of all my friends just to keep my spirits up. So far the people that I have told have been fantastic and really helpful, plus I'm looking towards a few other positive things afterwards that I want people involved in, like raising money for cancer research.
Ok, so you gonna lose your hair? Why does that happen?
Probably, but the good news is that I'll most likely keep my eyebrows and eyelashes so I still woo all the girls by fluttering my luscious lashes! The chemotherapy targets and kills cells which replicate rapidly, a trademark of cancer cells, but sadly so do your hair follicles. My hair will grow back although it may be slightly different, just better not be ginger.
That sucks, (slaphead!), but any other side effects?
The most important side effect is my immune system will be very weak and any small cold or flu could be life threatening, pretty scary when the doctor says that, but they've told me how to deal with it so it should never get that serious. The other common side effect is probably tiredness, the three drug dose at the start will really knock me back, but I will be able to recover during the single drug doses, just in time for the next big dose.
Please don't die, I want us to get married and have your babies!!
Cool! But sadly for the next 18/24 months I can't/shouldn't have any kids, although I don't think this will be a concern given my total inability to hold down a woman, decent or otherwise. I've left a 'deposit' in the 'bank' in case I'm unlucky and my fertility doesn't return.
You're a bit of an idiot for waiting until you came home to get checked up.
Well, ok, true. At the time I made excuses but they did have some reasoning behind them, but the bottom line is that I knew that if it was bad enough I'd have to come home early, and I was already leaving Australia well before I wanted to. Besides, I wanted to keep all the good stuff for Oz and all the crap for home, not the best idea but its what I chose. In retrospect if I had got checked earlier than I probably wouldn't need chemo but that's the choice I made and I have no regrets.
So are you waking up each morning with a new found appreciation for life, smelling roses and looking at beautiful babies?
What?? Why?? I'm not dying or gone weird! I wake up with a hangover, I smell farts and look at hot brunettes.
Fair enough, so what are you gonna do now?
Well, I'm gonna beat it for a start. But apart from that for about the last 5 years I've wanted to do the Three Peak Challenge in the UK, climbing to the top of the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales, all within 24 hours. I was going to raise money for a random charity but now I can raise it for cancer research and hopefully milk everyone's sympathy towards me (you are feeling sympathetic, right???) and raise loads of cash!!
Any other plans?
Funny you should ask that(!) but seeing as I'm most likely going to lose my hair I am willing to receive donations of hats! If you're thinking that you can send me a 3foot sombrero and I have to wear it around town, well, you're right actually. But only on the condition that you donate a reasonable amount of money to cancer research, the more daft the hat or situation the more you pay. And once my hair grows back I'll donate or sell all the hats for more money for charity. I'm also going to try and organise some sort of night event or party to raise some more money and have a bit of a laugh.
Its all about money with you, isn't it??
Not only money. Also hot brunettes, Australia and geeky stuff, and now also medical students (Belfast City is a teaching hospital!). Anyways, I'm not getting to keep the money, I just get to keep the pride and sense of achievement (and hopefully my remaining nut). But I'll get everything set up for donating money and if anyone wants to join in or help on the challenge (in August) that'd be fantastic.
How come you haven't told me already?? I thought we were friends!!
Sorry!! I have been trying to tell loads of people but it takes time, and even though I find it strangely therapeutic it does wear you down cos I'm essentially spreading bad news, which is never much fun. But if you want to call or email me please do!! I'm pretty open about it and don't mind talking about it, you can ask me anything and I'll probably answer it.
So how are you feeling?? You all cynical and emo and life is a bitch??
I always said life was a bitch, but no, I'm not really any different, I think. Its strangely motivating, nothing right now is going like I planned, unemployed, still single, living at home, not living in Australia, still broke and now I'm a bit 'sick'. Really I should be pretty unhappy now but what's the point?? Its all gonna happen anyway so I'm just using it to push me the other direction and try and make this the best year yet, which is why I'm aiming to do the Three Peaks Challenge and hopefully organise this party night. Besides, I've been down that road and I have no intention of going back there.
You realise that this is technically a conversation with yourself, which makes you slightly very insane.
Yep.