Interview 32

Age at Interview: 21

Sex: Male

Age at Diagnosis: 21

Background: IT engineer; single, no children.

Brief outline:Testicular cancer (teratoma) diagnosed in 2001; orchidectomy. No evidence of secondary tumours; no more treatment but regular monitoring (surveillance).

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The doctor came round, marked on my left thigh what testicle it was you know that they were going to be operating on. Then a consultant came in, he said that did I know what the operation entailed? I said, "Yes removing the lump." He said, "A radical orchidectomy," I said, "No removing the lump," he said "Yeah." My girlfriend commented on the look on my face, when he used radical I knew that it wasn't probably just going to be removing the lump. So then my doctor came round with a consent form and said, “Did I have any questions before I signed it?” I said "Yeah one big question that's burning inside me what are you actually going to do?" He said, "We're removing the testicle." And I just looked at him in amazement. And I remembered back to the Monday that I was told that I was going to have the operation and I remember his exact words "We are going to remove the lump." At no point did he say that we are going to remove the testicle. So I sat there in amazement. I signed the form. I wasn't going to go back. I knew that it was the best thing for me. He said that operating on a testicle with a lump on it, if it was cancerous that would encourage the cancer to spread. So I then went on to ask him if it was cancer what would then be the procedure. He said that I'd be asked back in for a CT scan and then obviously further treatment if required. So again I just, it all came to me, it was three hours till the operation and they tell me this. It was not good timing.