Interview 29

Age at interview: 42

Age at diagnosis: 41

Brief Outline: Testicular cancer (teratoma) diagnosed in 2001, orchidectomy. No secondary tumours; no further treatment but regular monitoring (surveillance).

Background: Company Director; married, 1 child.

Explains that his wife was very supportive, and that it was tough for her.

How did the whole event affect your family and wider family, and neighbours, who you've talked to about it?

I talked initially obviously to my wife and in many ways it probably was tougher for her than it was for me. I lived with it and therefore knew exactly how I was feeling and knew immediately whenever results came through. My wife just had to wait and although I was able to phone her fairly quickly after getting results the waiting was the worst part as far as she was concerned. I think her feelings she expressed to me were that, that she put her life on hold for probably three months whilst we went through the process, and found it difficult to, to sort of think beyond that sort of period of time. So it was tough for her. And as far as the rest of my family is concerned, I didn't really talk to them at all about it until I knew where I stood. 
 

Says that the Internet was helpful but that American and English websites sometimes gave conflicting information.

And it wasn't easy at that stage, I didn't find it easy find, to get to a site that, that um, really gave me the depth of information that I was, I was looking for. And what information I did find seemed to be somewhat conflicting. There seemed to be a difference of opinion between, particularly between international and American sites and British sites. One or two, one site I did find did actually recognise there was a difference in view between American sites and English sites and they explained that difference so I suppose in that sense I was able to get hold of some information.

And you suddenly realise there's a huge void in what you know, and you need to fill that void. And its so personal because its you, its your body but, but you need to go somewhere. What better place to go than, well certainly in my own circumstances where I have a computer at home, that I can just switch on, in total privacy. I don't need to feel that I'm asking a dumb question. I don't need to feel that I have to ask all the right questions first time round, and that you know however long a doctor might be prepared to sit in front of me and answer my questions, at the end of the day, you know we're going to dry, you're going to dry up and not be able to answer another, ask another question. And you move on and then that's when you suddenly think, oh I should have asked x, y and z or what-have-you. Having it on a Website means that you can go at any time of the day and you can go back as many times as you like and re-read and ask the same question, because there's a lot to know.
 

Says that he was glad to have surveillance and no further treatment.

When the consultant came in, he very quickly assured me that there was no indication that it had spread to anywhere else in the body. The scan was clear, the blood tests certainly didn't indicate there were any traces which would suggest that it had spread, but that I needed to be under very close observation for the coming months and years. 

I would go immediately be on to a sequence of blood tests, monthly blood tests or monthly check, or two weekly initially blood tests followed by monthly blood tests, and then monthly check-ups, which involved a chest x-ray. That would last at that interval for the first year. I would then go on to two-monthly and then go on to quarterly, six-monthly, annually until I got to ten years and'

Were you given any choice at that stage, whether you should just have surveillance or whether you should have any other sort of treatment at all?

Not really I mean there was no need for, for any other treatment, or I was assured there was no need and I, I don't see why I would need to. So there was no, you know there is no choice there, it was just a case of saying, 'What we need to do is for you to come in regularly and, and check.'