My Testicular Cancer Story

Joe Doyle, Testicular Cancer Survivor

A couple of months before my diagnosis there were irregularities on my left testicle, by the end it was very hard and enlarged.

I was aware of checking myself before, which is actually why I spotted it in the first place, but I never said anything when I should because I was scared.

I brought it up to a few people, but it’s obviously difficult with the placement to ask people about it. Most people said you should probably go. I brought it up to my Mum as well. I just joined university to study Law in Warwick and I’d joined a new GP there, but when it happened I was at home in Manchester so had to go to the walk-in centre.

Originally, they thought I had epididymitis, so sent me to the STI clinic for medication. But one of the doctor’s there wasn’t too sure on that diagnosis and sent me to a specialist clinic.

They felt it and did some ultrasounds in that area. They came to the conclusion that I needed to have an operation to have it removed so they could check it was cancer through a biopsy.

After a week I got referred to The Christie in Manchester and started treatment. I had chemotherapy for 3-4 months, it was short but an intense few months and lost all the hair on my body. I took between my first and second year out of university while I was having treatment.

I know if it had been really pushed, it could have pushed me to go a bit earlier. If I had done it earlier, I probably would have had to spend less time in hospital.

It’s important for other people to know the same thing and not go through what I went through.

I’m now just having check ups and am perfectly fine.

Inadvertently, because of what happened to me, I’ve had a lot of my friends start checking themselves. One of my friends found a lump in his testicle from my awareness and luckily it was fine and was a cyst, but he only went and got it checked because of me encouraging it.

It is scary going to the doctor, but the longer you leave it the worse it’s going to be in the end, so you just have to dig in and do it. It’s better to do it early!