TESTICULAR CANCER - Please Help Me, i dont have much time! - cynomel / cynoplus the cause??

[BigShoes]

Hi all,

I've done my best to catch up with all of you in private messages where possible, to show my gratitude.

I want to say a huge thank you here once again. But also, I want to apologize.

I used the terms eunuch, hermaphodrite, and soy boy to describe what I thought I would turn into if I had to have my testicles removed / no longer had working glands.

Whilst eunuch was possibly a "correct" term at some point, it is still pretty offensive. And the other two terms were simply inaccurate, and pretty stupid. I wasn't thinking clearly, and was talking out of fear / catastrophizing. I was putting *myself* down, and certainly wasn't aiming to direct an insult at others - still, this was untactful. There I was whining about fertility, hormonal profile and my masculinity, when there were other people out there who were having to face these kinds of troubles already.

...

I have written an account of exactly what happened (a "timeline" if you will) from Monday a.m. to Wednesday p.m. - it is c. 7000 words, and a 20 minute read. I found writing it to be very therapeutic in processing the events. I was going to post it here to "close the book". It is quite personal, but possibly it will give people some tips if they go through similar struggles in the future (a lesson in what NOT to do), and also be an entertaining read. Perhaps I will do so if there is interest. A quick summary though:

SUMMARY

- I had an invasive, largely unnecessary, exploratory testicular surgery to check for torsion. With the information available at the time, it seemed like the only option - better safe than sorry.
- I was told that "growth/s" were found. When I inquired where the growths were located (tubes / epididymis Vs. the testis), I was told it was on the testis – this was factually incorrect.
- This led me towards being virtually convinced that I had testicular cancer, an idea that was further ingrained into me through conversations with the nurses.
- I was fully preparing for that outcome, told my family, told two friends, told this forum etc. etc. and got worked up into a pretty bad state.
- After another day’s wait, and finally getting the ultrasound, the doctor reveals that the “growth” was indeed on the tubes, not the testis, and was definitely non-cancerous. It couldn't really be called a "growth" at all.

WHAT LIKELY HAPPENED

- Pressure in the area may have caused a compromise to the wall of the tube, creating a pocket on the epididymis (like a bubble) – often called an epididymal cyst, or spermatocele.
- This could possibly have occurred through lying on my side with my legs tight together in bed (excess tension), possibly through lifting something / moving through space too quickly, or possibly just random bad luck.
- The pain / discomfort was likely because it had only just happened, and hadn't "healed" / stabilized.

LESSONS I HAVE LEARNED

- I need to learn how to control my emotions better. Notably, this lack-of-control only really occurs in matters of health – I *hate* knowing that there is something wrong with me, and I find even the slightest of health issues to be very distressing. I am generally much more level-headed / clear-thinking in any other situation of strife.
- Do not rely on the words of doctors or nurses without direct test confirmation as evidence. I am not assuming any malicious intent, but 99% of the panic would have been avoided had I been provided with accurate information.
- Do not be so ready to share my burden with other loved ones too soon, especially when they are unable to help. I *wish* my family had not come to visit me when they did, at my lowest point … I would have been no worse off, and no more scared if they weren't there – there was nothing they could do… the things I said to them. I didn't need a "shoulder to cry on", I needed an action plan...
- I need to find a safe and healthy way to bring down my estrogen and prolactin ASAP. Perhaps with a better hormonal profile, none of this would have happened. Both in terms of the physical problem, and in terms of the subsequent panic and catastrophizing.

Cheers all.

 

[shucknchuck]

So proud of you bro.

 

[kimbriel]

Sorry to hear you're going through this man. I gotta say, I can't see myself going for any conventional cancer treatment...with the exception of if I had testicular cancer.

99% 5-year survival rate if cancer not spread beyond testicles, it doesn't get any higher than this.

My type of lung cancer (lung carcinoid) also has a 99% 5-year survival rate so it does happen. I had my right lower lobe hacked off and am now cancer free (no chemo or radiation needed).

 

[geusterman]

Just two cents here from our experience. Iodine is critical to reproductive organs and was very useful in eliminating my wife’s diagnosed breast cancer. Also Fenbendazole, which is available outside of prescription through a Merck product in the pet store. We have prostate cancered friends healed quickly with it, even stage four. Everyone read www.mycancerstory.rocks (on a PC not phone) and save your friends. Real deal.

 

[vocedilegno]

I just want to take an opportunity here to applaud BigShoes for reaching out to the community in his time of distress. It was an admirable and courageous move. Few are so stout-hearted and brave as to reach out for support and advice while facing such a terrifying prospect. Most would be overwhelmed by fear and withdraw, closing in on themselves. So bravo bravo bravo to the OP for the courage under fire it took to put it out there so that the whole world may benefit from his experience.

For anyone reading and for anyone who may stumble upon this thread at any point in the future: My own trial, which is what it took to end my idiotic flirtations with keto, intermittent fasting, and fasted training once and for all, really made me sit up and pay attention, even though I had been reading Ray’s writings for several years, without fully understanding all of the ideas discussed in his articles. From our very own Haidut I learned that reductive stress is the real cause of so many chronic diseases, and that K2, niacinamide, other fatty acid oxidation inhibitors, progesterone, androsterone/DHT, and other serotonin synthesis inhibitors all have potential to be therapeutic in cancer where surgery alone doesn’t get the job done.

Specifically I was enlightened by listening to Georgi on Danny’s GE podcast #86, where he spoke about reductive stress and how the NAD+/NADH ratio relate to cancer, and how quinones like K2, NAD+ precursors like niacinamide, and thyroid can help cancer cells break out of reductive stress and then undergo apoptosis, and by his posts on the forum which discussed articles showing the following:

-DHT inhibits serotonin synthesis and thereby inhibits metastasis of seminoma

-role of thiamin in preventing cancer by stimulating the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase which prevents lactic acid buildup, which we know from Ray is a carcinogenic factor and which Georgi has discussed as an oncometabolite

-biotin as necessary for oxidative phosphorylation to occur (i.e. necessary to prevent glycolysis and lactic acid formation); biotin being obtainable from diet in significant amounts only from liver and eggs!!

-excess lipolysis as the fundamental cause of chronic disease

-niacinamide as a fatty acid oxidation inhibitor, which was also administered by Abram Hoffer to his cancer patients (1,500mg daily!)

-baking soda as therapeutic for cancer by how it can improve extracellular/intracellular ph ratio

I will update this post with links ASAP.

Many thanks again to the OP for turning his very negative experience into a conversation which may save lives.

 

[BigShoes]

@vocedilegno - thanks so much for this post - you are the real MVP.

 

[Peater]

@BigShoes You must be so relieved, thanks for updating us.

 

[BigShoes]

@Peater - not quite "out of the frying pan..." as they say. See below:

Hi all,

Almost at the one month update since the surgery.

I have been in pretty consistent pain since the operation - not good. The 'Scrotal Exploration' surgery's complications are listed below:

I had to sign a waiver acknowledging that I confirmed and understood the above before the operation could take place. I actually protested quite heavily - "how could an exploration cause infertility? What is the mechanism? Does it occur in the event of a mistake (e.g. accidentally cutting of the vas deferens)? Or could it just be a by-product of the surgery anyway, even if successful / relatively non-intrusive?" - of course, the surgeon would not give me any definitive answers, to keep them from being liable / not over-explaining. All he could point me towards was the statistics - 10/100 this, 2/100 that blaa blaa blaa.

In hindsight, the surgery was completely unnecessary - and I somewhat suspect (perhaps hastily) that the surgeon KNEW that the surgery was probably unnecessary - but hey "gotta get that practice in, right??" ......... or maybe this is just me being bitter.

The A&E doc who saw me believed that it was not a torsion, and so did not think surgery was necessary, but could not confirm 100% (he was pretty awesome actually, very accommodating, he said "95%+ / 99% sure, but he could never confirm 100%"), so asked me if I wanted to speak to the specialist urologist surgeon as well, for further re-assurance. Which I did.

The surgeon was much less reassuring "I can neither confirm nor rule out a torsion" - in my mind, I'm thinking "50/50? What are the odds?" but he wouldn't say.

Now I am left concerned with the following:

(1) Am I going to have permanent testicular aches / pains for the rest of my life? It feels like I have been kicked in the nuts about half an hour ago, but all the time... a constant ache. It is seriously impacting my quality of life - I am unable to focus on my work, unable to enjoy my hobbies (guitar playing, weights, gardening), unable to do much of anything except veg out.

(2) Fertility - I had my fertility tested in 2019. All was well. Since 2019 though, I believe some pretty heavy hypothyroid / stressed metabolism symptoms have set in on me - some of these being related to sexual function: low / unreliable libido, premature ejaculation, not feeling virile etc... This year, I set a goal to recover from hypothyroidism and stressed metabolism (thyroid supp, lots of food, as much rest as I could get etc. etc.) and was going to have my fertility re-tested once I felt better. Now this operation has happened, I'm quite concerned that there may have been some damage to my fertility. Surely, constant pain could not be a good sign in any department. What a nightmare this has been.

That said, I did book a private ultrasound follow-up the other day (29th June), and was told that the testes tissue was healthy, and that the volume of the testes themselves was in the normal range / a bit above average - a promising sign, but not a confirmation of fertility / function just yet. Additionally, when left loose (no constricting underwear) they are cool to the touch - in my mind, this is implying that things are working at least somewhat.

A MESSAGE TO MEN

Gentlemen, get to know your body. Understand what your testicles look and feel like. Check out anatomy charts of how everything works down there. And perhaps most importantly (and unpleasantly) - I highly recommend reading about what can go wrong down there, and what it looks like / how it presents / how it likely feels:

- Testicular Torsion - This is where the testicle is literally turned / rotated 360 degrees (or more) in the sac - literally like creating a helix out of the tubes and veins. I'm not sure quite how it occurs, but it seems to me that it wouldn't just happen while sedentary, it's something that could occur with vigorous exercise (obviously this is uncommon - I am not suggesting that men should not run or exercise for fear or torsion, that would be ridiculous), or some other impact to the area. Torsion is typically very very painful, and the testicle will often sit irregularly, and be higher up in the sack than it usually is (creating a spiral out of straight tubes will obviously shorten their hang distance). It seems to me like you would KNOW IT if it was torted - if you have some mild-to-moderate discomfort in the area (like I did), and the testicle looks to be hanging in the same location / same alignment as usual (like mine did), it is most likely not going to be torsion. I was convinced that torsion was far more likely than it actually was (based on my symptoms) so had a largely unnecessary surgery that has been shown to result in the complications listed above (whether 2% or 10% chance of said complication, they certainly CAN and DO occur), and an unpleasant scar forevermore. I underwent the surgery "just in case", because: if a torsion goes untreated in 4-8 hours of occurrence, you WILL lose the testicle - through gangrene / necrosis from lack of blood supply.

If you suspect a torsion - you MUST go to the nearest A&E as soon as possible - if it is not sorted in 4-8 hours, the testicle will be lost.

That said, please don't become overly anxious about this as a possibility. I made it to age 32 without even knowing this could occur, and never having heard anyone ever talking about it - so, safe to assume that no one I have ever met has had this complication (obviously no guarantee though).

- Hydrocele - this occurs when fluid gets into the sac and surrounds the testicle. Like the name suggests, it will feel like water pooling around the testis. It can cause discomfort, but certainly is treatable, and typically will not impact fertility. One other thing to be aware of though: random hydrocele onset in adulthood *could* indicate a hernia somewhere further up (e.g. an inguinal hernia), so it's best to get checked thoroughly. Typically, a hydrocele can be drained without complication - it may also go away on its own, but may need surgery to remove in certain cases though. If a hydrocele comes back after drainage, a hernia / damage further up is possibly more likely, and should probably be checked out.

- Spermatocele / Epididymal Cyst - this occurs when there is a compromise to the wall of the epididymis - which is the coiled tube that attaches to the testis and leading to the vas deferens tube that carries the sperm / semen towards the penis. This compromise leads to a lump / bump / bubbling in the tube. It is unclear quite how they occur, but logic suggests it could be due to a temporary blockage in the tube (dried fluids further up the tube), pressure in the area, or some other non-serious micro-damage. It is thought that anywhere from 30% to 50% (the ultrasound guy said 70%!) of men will have at least one of these during life. However, most of them are so small that the man will not notice (e.g. 3mm in diameter). Still, they can grow pretty large.

When men first observe these, it is very common for the man to fear that he has cancer. But don't panic about this straight away - if the lump is on the top of the testis, or around where the epididymis would be (get to know your body), it is almost certainly nothing cancerous - but should obviously be checked out anyway (ultrasound).

They are called "cysts", but are rarely infected, the fluid they are filled with is generally seminal fluids / water. It is unclear to me whether these can disappear on their own. Many sources state that they are unlikely to disappear on their own. But many other sources say that they CAN recover and heal, just that it can take months / years / may never fully go away. The official NHS (UK) line is that they will never go away, but I cannot discount personal experiences, e.g.:


View: https://www.reddit.com/r/NoFap/comments/7uzxuf/epididymal_cysts_are_gone/


- Cancer / Tumour - if the lump / growth is on the testis itself (not on the epididymis or surrounding tissue), then there is a much higher chance that it is a cancerous growth. However, it is virtually impossible to tell for sure through a visual inspection alone - an ultrasound is recommended.

As stated previously, when I first noticed the irregularity, I panicked about cancer. After some internet reading though, I confirmed that this was unlikely, and that I shouldn't worry, though it was wise to book an ultrasound to check for sure - which is exactly what I did.

However, when the pain / discomfort started the next day (likely because the spermatocele damage had only just occurred), I got concerned. I rushed myself to A&E concerned about possible torsion (the testis also looked different, because of the new "bump" at the top - I was actually suspecting it may have turned just 180 degrees / upside down and wanted them to confirm for me), leading to an exploratory surgery that successfully ruled out torsion. But when I awoke, the hospital nurses told me that a "growth" / abnormality was on the testis itself - NOT the epididymis - this led me to panicking that it was likely cancer, to which the nurses all-but agreed with me (confirming without confirming, saying 'yes' without saying 'yes', implying that I was correct). These interactions were what led me to start this thread, and sent me into a 24-48 hour panic. However, these statements were factually incorrect - the problem was indeed on the epididymis, not the testis, as confirmed later with an ultrasound. I haven't explained this too well.... but hopefully the point comes across.

Nightmare experience. Nightmare aftermath. Still with many future concerns from the surgery. I have to be thankful that it wasn't cancerous, but still, what a nightmare.