tl;dr Today I found out I have testicular cancer

Just over a week ago, I had been having some gas pains throughout the weekend and thought I had constipation. On Monday when things weren’t appearing to get better but now I had a fever, we made the decision to go to the ER.

It turns out the gas pains and the fever were a part of some stomach bug and dehydration—nothing that some antibiotics and fluids couldn’t fix. But in doing a CT of my abdomen area, they found something. Something that got me admitted into the hospital.

There is a large mass about the size of a tennis ball that is pressing up against my left kidney and pinching off the ureter. So while in the hospital I had a stent put in.

But I also had a biopsy done of the “tennis ball.” And today I met with the doctor to discuss the biopsy results and talk treatment options.

It’s testicular cancer, but at the moment there doesn’t seem to be any outward signs that it started there. I have some upcoming ultrasounds and imagery to confirm the cancer is just isolated to this mass in my abdomen.

The cancer is classified as stage 2, but the doctor seems very optimistic that this is treatable and curable. The first of three rounds of chemo is scheduled to start August 10.

I literally went to the hospital for one thing and was admitted for something completely different.

This last week has been a roller coaster of emotions. At the moment, I’m starting to accept it. I would even say I’m hopeful—if you can be both scared and hopeful at the same time.