Treatment

Okay, things are starting to move a little quicker. I begin my radiation treatments on Monday, April 3. I'll have a daily treatment for two weeks. The doctor I talked to was very thorough and really appealed to the science guy that is still somewhere inside me. Here is a quick synopsis of why they are recommending radiation therapy.

Risk factors for spreading/recurrence of Seminoma
1. The size of the tumor - The medical community uses 4cm as the benchmark for risk. My tumor was over double that size. This is one case where bigger is not better.
2. Lymphovascular invasion - There were some cancer cells that showed up in the border between the tumorous testicle and the lymphatic system.
3. My age

The radiologic oncologist reports that these factors all lead to his opinion that I'd have over a 1 in 3 chance of recurrence within a year or two if left untreated. He also said that chemotherapy would be overkill.

So, they are going to get all the prep work done on Wednesday. And the treatments will begin on the following Monday.

Overall, I'm feeling pretty good. I think that I've been overdoing it a little bit. I've been trying to do too much - mostly at work. Then again, I'm pretty frustrated that I haven't been too helpful at home.

Again, I am humbled by the outpouring of support from family, friends and even strangers. THANK YOU!

Hopefully in the next few weeks I can get away from the somber tones that the blog has taken and into some important upbeat thoughts. Like fantasy baseball!!!

Peace.