In the summer of 1990 he noticed a lump on his testicle. He wasn’t concerned at first as he thought he had just been bruised whilst play fighting with his dog. In 1991 he had an episode of kidney stones, whilst he was at the hospital he mentioned that he had found a lump on his testicle and would like to get it checked out. They scanned the lump. It wasn’t until the nurse said You’ll have to talk to your Doctor that he knew there was a serious problem. He was shocked to be diagnosed with testicular cancer and felt as though it was something that happened to others but he had never expected it to happen to him.

In 1991, he underwent surgery to remove his testicle. He felt frightened as he was not sure what was actually involved in the surgery. It was sore and painful for a while after. He felt it was a tremendous blow. He explained that if the tumour had been anywhere else it probably wouldn’t have affected him as much as something that went to the core of his sexuality. He had to have chemotherapy as he had left it some time before seeing his GP; there were some cancerous cells in his blood as opposed to just the testicle. He started chemotherapy 2 to 3 weeks after his first surgery. He found that there was very little in the way of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for men back then. He was first treated with Carboplatin which initially had no side effects. Unfortunately, as a result of continuous treatment he developed progressive kidney disease and Type 2 diabetes.

About 18 months after his surgery, he started having problems with his other testicle. He was experiencing a lot of pain and they had to operate. When he came around from his anaesthetic the nurse informed him that his remaining testicle was beyond salvage. He did not understand. He found himself in the position of being 40 with no testicles. He explained that it affected his sense of masculinity, he felt emasculated and mutilated. He did not know whether he would be able to have sex again or how the testicles were involved in the production of male hormones. He was not sure what the future held for him and found there was very little in the way of support for men who had both testicles removed. He soon realised that there was no reason to feel any less of a man as there was no apparent difference between his sex life before and after testicular cancer. He explained that he was not affected by the thought of being infertile as he had already had children.

After his second operation, he tried various HRT’s but always had issues with his treatments. He found the tablets, patches, pellets and a slow dissolving compound injection to be ineffective and caused intolerable side effects. However, he would feel unwell and fatigued without treatment. He realised he needed both female and male HRT. He started taking a progesterone treatment, and currently self-administers a testosterone compound injection once every 3 days or so via a cannula. He believes it is important to examine every option, as he feels that when you find the right treatment you notice a positive change in your life and go from being the tired bear that wants to sleep and hibernate all day to someone who’s got their energy and vitality back’.

From his experiences with some friends he didn’t feel that he could talk to people or his work about what had happened and was frightened of the jokes that would be made or what would be said behind his back. He was hurt by the jokes and only felt comfortable telling close friends and family. He also found support with a Jewish Cancer Centre, that offered one-to-one counselling and complementary therapies such as aromatherapy which would provide him with comfort. He explains how he feels different and though he has changed after having cancer. He does not feel as though he is any worse off or any better from his experience. He believes the importance of self-examination should be made clear and that men should seek help sooner rather than later.

In the summer of 1990 he noticed a lump on his testicle. He wasn’t concerned at first as he thought he had just been bruised whilst play fighting with his dog. In 1991 he had an episode of kidney stones, whilst he was at the hospital he mentioned that he had found a lump on his testicle and would like to get it checked out. They scanned the lump. It wasn’t until the nurse said You’ll have to talk to your Doctor that he knew there was a serious problem. He was shocked to be diagnosed with testicular cancer and felt as though it was something that happened to others but he had never expected it to happen to him.

In 1991, he underwent surgery to remove his testicle. He felt frightened as he was not sure what was actually involved in the surgery. It was sore and painful for a while after. He felt it was a tremendous blow. He explained that if the tumour had been anywhere else it probably wouldn’t have affected him as much as something that went to the core of his sexuality. He had to have chemotherapy as he had left it some time before seeing his GP; there were some cancerous cells in his blood as opposed to just the testicle. He started chemotherapy 2 to 3 weeks after his first surgery. He found that there was very little in the way of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for men back then. He was first treated with Carboplatin which initially had no side effects. Unfortunately, as a result of continuous treatment he developed progressive kidney disease and Type 2 diabetes.

About 18 months after his surgery, he started having problems with his other testicle. He was experiencing a lot of pain and they had to operate. When he came around from his anaesthetic the nurse informed him that his remaining testicle was beyond salvage. He did not understand. He found himself in the position of being 40 with no testicles. He explained that it affected his sense of masculinity, he felt emasculated and mutilated. He did not know whether he would be able to have sex again or how the testicles were involved in the production of male hormones. He was not sure what the future held for him and found there was very little in the way of support for men who had both testicles removed. He soon realised that there was no reason to feel any less of a man as there was no apparent difference between his sex life before and after testicular cancer. He explained that he was not affected by the thought of being infertile as he had already had children.

After his second operation, he tried various HRT’s but always had issues with his treatments. He found the tablets, patches, pellets and a slow dissolving compound injection to be ineffective and caused intolerable side effects. However, he would feel unwell and fatigued without treatment. He realised he needed both female and male HRT. He started taking a progesterone treatment, and currently self-administers a testosterone compound injection once every 3 days or so via a cannula. He believes it is important to examine every option, as he feels that when you find the right treatment you notice a positive change in your life and go from being the tired bear that wants to sleep and hibernate all day to someone who’s got their energy and vitality back’.

From his experiences with some friends he didn’t feel that he could talk to people or his work about what had happened and was frightened of the jokes that would be made or what would be said behind his back. He was hurt by the jokes and only felt comfortable telling close friends and family. He also found support with a Jewish Cancer Centre, thatoffered one-to-one counselling and complementary therapies such as aromatherapy which would provide him with comfort. He explains how he feels different and though he has changed after having cancer. He does not feel as though he is any worse off or any better from his experience. He believes the importance of self-examination should be made clear and that men should seek help sooner rather than later.