Interview 45

Testicular cancer diagnosed in 1999; orchidectomy. No secondary tumours, but one month of radiotherapy (20 treatments) to prevent any recurrence.

Explains that he did not keep his appointment with the urologist because he found the Gps…

Age at interview 55

Gender Male

Age at diagnosis 52

OK, well I had some slight irritation you know, nothing sort of particular you know and I didn’t want to be a hypochondriac and so I delayed going to my GP and for a considerable time, maybe for six months or something like that. And then when I did go and see this GP there was a locum and he gave an inspection of me and I found it sort of quite uncomfortable, the way how he went about the inspection. And so I further delayed you know he had referred me to somebody else, hed said that he couldn’t find any lumps and bumps and things like this and he referred me to somebody else. And I delayed that.

Yes, and when the GP examined you it was, she or he, it hurt a bit while they examined your testicles?

Yeah, yeah, well you know its an unglamorous sort of thing to have done and it was excruciatingly painful you know sort of the, I didn’t like that you know and I don’t suppose anyone does like that sort of thing you know. Anyway it was my own fault that I delayed the thing you know.

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Describes cycling to and from radiotherapy and says that he got a little tired on the way home…

Age at interview 55

Gender Male

Age at diagnosis 52

And did you have any side-effects of the radiotherapy?

Yeah I got a bit tired, while I was cycling home, which was about twenty miles, and there was this one hill that was sort of half way, that I used to be able to sort of shoot up you know sort of, and towards the end of the treatment I found that I couldn’t cycle up the hill. I’d sort of just go and collapse in a field and have a kip for half an hour or something. That was all really, I just got a bit tired. And I don’t think that lasted for very long, you know, after the treatment.

Did you feel sick at all?

No, not really, no nothing.

Were you given any special tablets to help with any feelings of sickness?

No I don’t think so, they were always saying to me sort of ‘Are you sure you want to cycle back, and things like that, because it was, they’d said that they’d arrange transport and things but I suppose I was fortunate that the weather was on my side you know every day. It would have been depressing I suppose if you were cycling in the rain every day so you know if you’re ever ill try to be ill sort of when its fine.

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Says that the follow-up was tremendous and that it was a good experience.

Age at interview 55

Gender Male

Age at diagnosis 52

The doctors at my hospital here yeah, and that was it started off every month you know and have x-rays and blood tests. And the follow-up you know was tremendous, it was also good to get out of work you know. Sit in the waiting room, read a magazine and speak to the doctors, you know, and the head of the place here, you know, you get to speak to him and whatever questions or what have you, you know they’re all incredibly nice. It was quite good, a very good experience actually out of all of it, rather than thinking, ‘Oh God, this is all ghastly’, you know, it was pleasant. I know that sounds terrible doesn’t it?

No, a lot of people have said that they felt some good has come out of it.

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