Interview 03

Age at interview: 51

Age at diagnosis: 46

Brief Outline: Testicular cancer (teratoma) diagnosed in 1996; orchidectomy. No evidence of secondary tumours; three cycles of chemotherapy (each cycle over three weeks with three days in hospital) to prevent recurrence.

Background: Retired electrician's mate; married, no children.

Remembers that his wife put on a brave face while he had cancer but was feeling very bad inside.

At the time she just put a brave face on it but she literally fell to pieces inside. But its one of those that if you don't tell her, she's gonna find out eventually, she's gonna find out anyway and sometimes its best just to grab the bull by the horns and say 'Well this is what''

When I came home uh that Christmas Eve and I said 'Right that's it girl I, I've got tests to go to but I'm clear now.' that's when, that's when it all came out. That's when all the tears happened and I got called names and God knows what else for telling her and 'You'd be the only person that would come home and say you've got cancer.' you know, moan, moan, moan. It came out in bits over the next couple of months, you know that she'd, how bad she'd been feeling and what have you. But they won't tell you, they won't tell you the truth while you're going through it, no, they'll, they'll wait until you're clear and then give you a right earful!
 

Says that he was given so much information it almost became boring.

It was, I was always fully informed as to where I was with me treatment, how well it was going or how, you know, if it wasn't going well. I was lucky; it went well all the way through for me.

Did you, were you given enough information about the disease itself?

Yeah, oh yeah, overkill, literally overkill. If you wanted to know you could find out anything, you only have to ask a nurse and a nurse would just uh, you'd only have to ask the, the GP specialist. You know, even if you didn't ask you was told!

Were you?

Yeah! You know you can get quite boring on the subject you know!

So there was plenty of information?

Oh there was plenty of information once you was in the, being treated by cancer specialists, yeah, there, there was no hidden corners or anything. You was given what could happen, why this could happen you know, nothing was hidden from me, no. I mean I was told what the teratoma was, a wild cancer you know, it could be, you know, could re-appear anywhere in me body, and whatever, which is why I needed the scan, they did the scan, there was no, there was no sign of it anywhere else in me body and then they went ahead with the plasma treatments and what have you, the 'plasmatics', that's what they're called, and burnt it out of me blood system.

Were you given written information as well?

Oh there was written information all over the place if you wanted to read it but to be quite honest we was all bored with it. Well, you're, you're in there, you know what's happening to you, and that's all you're bloody interested in really.
 

Reassures men that sex is just as good as it was before the operation to remove a testicle.

So is sex just the same?

Afterwards I mean, to be quite honest with you, I enjoyed it more [laughs]. But uh, no I mean there's no, I couldn't find any difference at all with sex at all. There is none. I mean they did say to me they could freeze my sperm but seeing as it wasn't active beforehand that would have made no difference to me, but for other people they can, they can freeze, freeze half a gallon of the stuff if you want about a thousand babies, I mean its up to them. But you literally, once you've had the op you don't 

So for you sex is just the same, you've had an erection just the same, you can ejaculate just the same?

Oh in fact I found I ejaculate more. It seems to produce more whatever it is it's producing, but it seems to produce more.

That's good.

Yeah, everything, literally everything in that quarter, none of its gone; it was just the same.

Explains that he continued to have sex during chemotherapy, and his wife didn't notice any difference in sensation.

Did it affect your libido for a while, I mean during treatment?

No actually it didn't, no it didn't affect anything like that, no. Me wife thought it would and it should, uh and I said 'Don't worry about it, it'll only burn you!' 

Were you told to take different precautions when you were having chemotherapy?

Well funnily enough, because I was having chemotherapy it was in me system you know. I was told, uh, I wasn't told, no, I wasn't told to avoid sex or anything like that. I don't think they actually thought I'd be capable of it to tell you the truth! But me being an awkward bugger, I obviously I was, yeah, I've still got erections through and after treatment, yeah.

And they didn't tell you to wear a condom or anything like that? 

No, no. Mind you I just used to tease the Mrs and say 'It'll burn you girl!'

But she didn't notice any difference?

No.
 

Reassures men that sex is just as good as it was before the operation to remove a testicle.

So is sex just the same?

Afterwards I mean, to be quite honest with you, I enjoyed it more [laughs]. But uh, no I mean there's no, I couldn't find any difference at all with sex at all. There is none. I mean they did say to me they could freeze my sperm but seeing as it wasn't active beforehand that would have made no difference to me, but for other people they can, they can freeze, freeze half a gallon of the stuff if you want about a thousand babies, I mean its up to them. But you literally, once you've had the op you don't really know you're walking around with one testicle.

So for you sex is just the same, you've had an erection just the same, you can ejaculate just the same?

Oh in fact I found I ejaculate more. It seems to produce more whatever it is it's producing, but it seems to produce more.

That's good.

Yeah, everything, literally everything in that quarter, none of its gone; it was just the same.
 

Asserts that it is not obvious to others that he has lost a testicle.

Do you think younger men might feel embarrassed if they were in the shower?

No, because you couldn't tell, you couldn't tell, by looking, by looking at the sack you can't tell that you've only got one testicle. It's as simple as that, you just can't tell. Even me wife had to feel around and say, 'Are you sure you've only got one?'

Did she? Oh right, so that's reassuring.

Yes, so I mean honestly, if you go in the shower, nobody, unless they say to their mate 'Look, I've only got one' that's it. Nobody would ever know quite honestly.