Hey everyone,
I haven’t posted in a while and honestly stepped back from this forum a few months ago. But I’m back now and gearing up for chemo starting Monday.
I’m 37. I was diagnosed with TC in January. I have NSGCT with a mix of yolk sac, teratoma, EC, and 10% PNET on the right side, and seminoma on the left. I had primary RPLND at Indiana in March. I don’t regret this choice since it led to the removal of 59 nodes, three of which had 100% EC.
I went months on surveillance, following their usual protocol of blood tests and chest x-rays, and was feeling pretty confident. Then, late September hit me with some strange abdominal discomfort. Initially, I thought it was just gas, but I decided to see my local oncologist. He suspected possible appendicitis, so he ordered an abdominal CT scan. Honestly, I was praying for it to rupture just to get it over with. The scan revealed two partially necrotic masses in unusual areas for recurrence. Masterson from IU said it would be rare for it to be a recurrence unless there was a surgical mistake (less than 1% of his cases). That news was a huge blow for me and my wife. I went into RPLND thinking I would need chemo given my original pathology, but this really hit hard, and the wait for results was unbearable. The biopsy confirmed EC. The good news is that it’s nothing that chemo won’t take care of. I’ve worked on my mental state and just want to finally get rid of this and move on with my life.
I wanted to share my story again. I’ve chatted with several guys here about dealing with treatment, and I really appreciate the support. I want to be a resource for anyone here. Always advocate for yourself and don’t hesitate to ask questions. This whole experience is draining, but I can’t wait for Christmas Eve—the day of my last infusion! Perfect excuse to skip helping with Santa’s toys for my little ones!