Just Diagnosed, interesting dilemma

[jpbaker81]

Hello everyone, I have been recently diagnosed with testicular cancer and I have an interesting path on how I got here(and wanted to get some feedback from group):

3/14/2012- I had a vasectomy done at one of those “In office Vasectomy Shops”, not an Urologist. (BIG MISTAKE!! - which I will get to later. ) The Dr informs me, after the procedure that one testicle(left) is harder than the other, and I should go see an Urologists.

3/30/2012 – I go see an Urologist. I actually have to bump up my appointment because I am experiencing intense pain in my left testicle that is bringing me to my knees. He orders me an ultrasound and prescribes me some anti-biotics. At this point I assume I got an infection in the testicle from the vasectomy.

3/31/2012 – I have my ultrasound done. The tech confirms an infection during the screaning. I continue on my meds and just assume this will all clear up with medication.

4/3/2012 – Another appointment with my Urlogist. He alerts me that the ultrasound also showed a mass in my left testicle. He orders bloodwork done for tumor markers

4//10/2012 – Tumor marks come back positive. (I’m devastated) I’m scheduled for an I/O the next day

4/11/2012 – Left I/O performed

4/17/2012. Get pathology report back. Tumor was huge! 7 cm. Dr lets me know however the margins looked really good from the Path report(indicating less chance of it spreading)

4/20/2012 – CT scan of chest and abdomen

4/23/2012 – Got my CT results back today and all looks good they say! It hasn’t spread. I have a meeting with my Dr. on the 30th of April to disucss future treatment.

Here’s my dilemma and wanted to get thoughts from the group. While I’m grateful that the doctor that performed my vasectomy told me about the issue with my testicle, I’m pissed that he even did the procedure in the first place. My Urologists’ said if you notice something like that, you should not perform the procedure and violate the ‘scrotum’. Before my vasectomy, my testicle area was examined, so he had to notice an abnormality, why didn’t stop with the procedure and send me to a DR immediately?(I think it’s because he didn’t want to lose the revenue in terms of billing the insurance company). Am I out of line to be so mad here?

[Jules]

Hi,

Sorry to hear of this, I don't think he put his pay check before you, I was walking round with a mature teratoma inside me for 20 odd years that non of them could feel, at least 3 Dr's missed this lump, because they could not feel it I was dismissed, I could have returned 6 moths later very ill.

I think in your case he could not feel a lump and the testicle just felt a little different so he wasn't concerned, I understand your feeling though, I to feel very mad that they missed this, in both our cases it is what they get paid for, on the bright side, your vasectomy could have saved your life and he did warn you of something amiss.

[davidhanson90]

Yeah tricky one, but over all I think i would be saying a big thankyou to the doc as he may have saved your life.

[Luc]

You have every right to feel the way you do. I would be angry too. Acknowledge that he may have saved your life, but he should have proceeded with more caution. The good news is scrotal violation doesn’t necessarily make your prognosis significantly worse.

Excerpt:
Much of the current bias in managing scrotal violation stems from a 1925 article... However, the validity of this report has been questioned, and numerous articles have suggested that scrotal violation may not necessarily confer a worse prognosis.

Sources:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/449033-overview
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10962315
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7...?dopt=Abstract