Bradley’s story
I was 24 when I started feeling lethargic and developed a lot of pimples on my back, which was unusual for me. My left testicle was also increasing in size and felt hard. At first I thought it was some kind of hormonal change but as the testicle was becoming heavy and uncomfortable, I told my dad. He took me straight to the doctor, who did a physical examination and sent me for an ultrasound.
After the ultrasound, the technician said to see my doctor right away. So my dad and I went back to my GP, and he told me I had testicular cancer. I was shocked and emotional, but tried to keep calm.
The GP referred me to a urologist who said the testicle would need to be removed. Within 12 hours of seeing him I’d had the operation. It was sent to the lab for testing and it was confirmed as stage 1 seminoma testicular cancer. I had a little inflammation but otherwise I felt good. I only had to stay in hospital overnight.
A month after the surgery I had two rounds of chemotherapy in case the cancer spread. The chemotherapy made me feel tired and left a funny taste in my mouth. These side effects passed quickly and it helped to drink a lot of water.
My urologist suggested I store some sperm before the chemotherapy because there was a small chance the treatment would make me sterile.
I saw my doctor for regular follow-up appointments and had blood tests as well as a CT scan and ultrasound. I also examined the other testicle regularly for any hardness. It’s been five years now and there’s been no recurrence of the cancer.
My life has now returned to normal and I don’t really think about the cancer much.
My urologist suggested I store some sperm before the chemotherapy because there was a small chance the treatment would make me sterile.
Bradley
Find out about testicular cancer symptoms.
