Embryonal carcinoma and 4xEP
I’ve been following this subreddit once it became possible I might have cancer (turns out I did), and it’s been a huge help for me in my journey. So I’m sharing my story in hopes it can help someone else.
Long story short - I (34M) went to urgent care for pain radiating from left testicle. They sent me to ultrasound, which found a 1.9 cm mass that they speculated was seminoma. Saw urologist 3/18 who said it was likely cancerous, had orchiectomy on 3/24. I thought all along it was seminoma, and the orchiectomy would take care of it. However, the pathology confirmed it was pure embryonal carcinoma, with small LVI. CT scan showed one enlarged lymph node. This all happened within a month.
Accepting it was cancer at first was tough. It was harder to accept that I would need chemo. I have two kids, and this whole ordeal has really upended their lives - and my wife’s, who has done an incredible job keeping our house and family afloat while I recovered from surgery.
After talking with my oncologist, I decided on 4xEP to avoid the bleomycin risks.
I started outpatient chemo on 5/5. Five days of infusions for five hours each day. I’m hoping this all pays off by end of July.
So far, chemo sucks, though I’m hesitant to say it’s been awful (because I expect it to get much worse). I’ve been able to work here and there and do some chores around the house. I even cooked dinner last night. The nausea sucks, and the hearing issues (sounds are muted) are annoying.
I would appreciate any tips for dealing with chemo over these next few months, and I’m happy to answer any questions as well.
Stay strong!
ETA - I was diagnosed stage 2b embryonal carcinoma.