So, the story starts in April. I was one month away from graduating from the MBA program at Georgetown, hard on the job hunt and continuing to help in the planning of my upcoming wedding. One morning, I noticed that my left testicle had nearly doubled in size - there's a whole post coming later about the importance of doing monthly self exams - and I made an appointment to see someone about it. I had a bacterial infection and so I was given antibiotics and when they didn't work, I was sent over to the urology department at the main hospital where I was treated to an exam and given an order for a CT scan to get more clarity about what the mass in my testicle was. After the CT came back with enough imagery to be suspicious, I was given a different antibiotic and eventually another CT scan. They also drew blood to look for chemical indicators of cancers called tumor markers. Waiting for the phone calls for the results of those tests included some very long days.
When the news came, it wasn't great. What I had was likely cancer and we wouldn't know until they got the mass to pathology; it could be seminoma (very good prognosis - 98% cure rate) or non-seminoma (less good prognosis). Interestingly, biopsies are not typically done for testicular masses because they are almost always something that needs to be removed anyway so rather than subject patients to two surgeries, they simply remove the testicle. "Whoa," I thought, "I'm going to be kind of like Lance Armstrong."
I don't think Lance heard news and decided to bring his friends in on it by inviting 30 people to a happy hour, but I did. A bunch of my friends and Abby's co-workers got together to say goodbye to my left nut. I said that I would buy the first drink for the person who made the best/most inappropriate joke about it; he didn't make it to the happy hour so I still owe Erfaan one when he gets back from Tanzania.
So, out came my left testicle. The surgery went smoothly, the cancer turned out to be a seminoma and the pathology report looked good enough that the surgeon was hopeful that my dance with cancer was over. Turns out that he was wrong. A few weeks before our wedding, we met with an oncologist at the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown hoping to hear the "all clear" of the CT after surgery. Instead, they found suspicious masses in my lungs and nodes in my groin and retroperitoneaum (near the kidneys). The oncologist was pretty sure that this was additional cancer, but he gave us the freedom to have our wedding, go on our honeymoon to Greece and come back for another CT after we returned. If the CT was clear, then the plan was to monitor through additional CT scans and blood work every few months, if not then I would be headed for chemotherapy. I remained cautiously pessimistic and starting preparing for chemo as I ate Greek salads and drank Ouzo.
Last week on Monday, I went for the followup CT in the morning and during the afternoon followup Abby and I got word that I was headed for nine weeks of chemo starting the following Monday. That was today, the day before my 32nd birthday and I spent it in bay seven of the Georgetown outpatient infusion center.
So there's the short version of this tale. I've taken a bit of an unorthodox approach to this whole journey, but I think that there's value in making this experience somewhat public. I hope that this blog gives you the updates that you're looking for, makes you smile a bit and brings us closer together. Sadly, none of you can cure cancer, but you can send a quick note of support or make fun of me when I lose my hair. It's time for a fight folks, but I'm ready and with a 98% cure rate - I'm going to win. Thanks for being in my corner.
Cheers,
Dom
Let's see, I'm a little bummed that I wasn't invited for the joke session happy hour, I'm quite sure I could have come up with a few good (read inappropriate)ones. Also, you're quite wrong as I'm pretty sure that I can indeed cure cancer, but it does involve a lot of beer, a monkey, two llamas an angry goat (the angrier the better), and Swedish whore (Sueco would work, but he's kind of dirty these days)... so, challenge accepted! At least on the bright side, the loss of your hair won't be such a great loss (I mean, there can't be too much left to lose by now), but if you need some spare hair, I've got a few squares to spare! Also I would recommend that you start wearing two watches on your left arm, or get one of those ridiculously big ones so you don't start leaning to the right all the time, this is especially important after the angry goat. Good luck and hang in there (if only partially)!!!
ReplyDeleteDom,
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to know how to even start this comment. As I get older, I'm still amazed how these diseases end up impacting my friends. Thank you for sharing your experiences so publicly. It reminds us all that we need to be aware of our health and the things that change. You have a great support system and are one of the most strong willed people I know. You're in my thoughts!
Big hugs,
Paige
PS... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
ReplyDeleteDom,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I want to wish you a very happy birthday! This year has opened up so many new exciting and emotional chapters in your life. How incredible that you were blessed to find such a beautiful woman (inside and out) to begin your life together during a time where your emotional and physical strength is tested to the upmost. Abby is an incredible woman, and she is just as lucky as you are to have found each other at the perfect time in your life. The two of you have created such a solid team that I know (with the support of all of your friends and family as well) you will conquer each treatment with all of the strength and support you need to help you throughout the process. As you know, Zach and I have a similar story, so I am trying to reflect on that time and how I felt starting the heavier chemo treatment the moment we returned from our honeymoon, compared to how things have changed over the past 5 years of marriage. We have overcome many hurdles together, and won many battles with my health. I want to share with you my experience with hopes that it can help you, or inspire others who may be going through a similar moment in their life. At your wedding I felt so lucky to be a part of such a beautiful day where you could not only see the love pouring out from you two, but could feel such an amazing energy that showered everyone who attended. :) You could tell how supportive and loyal you two are, and the ceremony itself just solidified the commitment. As newlyweds, some people have an idea of how it is supposed to be, but sometimes there is a different path to follow. In the end it is just as amazing, if not more! Like I mentioned, I started chemo after our honeymoon. I never imagined that my "newlywed" phase would involve me laying sick in bed, exhausted and in pain. This may not have been an ideal newlywed phase, but in my mind it was exactly where Zach and I were meant to be in order to grow stronger together and appreciate everything that life had planned for us. I saw a side of Zach that I never saw before as he wrapped my body in warm towels to help my achy bones, or running out to the store in the middle of the night for ginger ale to help with my nausea. We grew stronger together through this experience, learned how to support each other, communicate, and turn towards each other when times got tough. I truly believe that everyone is only given as much as they can handle, and you two are strong enough to take on cancer, achieve remission and inspire others through out the process. You are an incredible man with so much to accomplish and share with the world. I look forward to reading your blog, supporting you with prayers, laughter and love, and celebrating the moment you hit remission! We love you both!! xoxo
deb