In the scheme of things, testicular cancer is one of the rarest cancers. BUT it's the most common cancer occurring in young men (that's probably your age group - 15 to 40 ish). It happens in about 2000 men per year in the UK. The good news is that it's one of the most curable cancers, especially if caught early.
Testicular cancer is often painless, so checking your testicles regularly is the most effective way of spotting anything that might concern you.
What's important is to know what's normal for you, so you should be checking your balls regularly. If you spot any change in the way your ball, balls or scrotum looks or feels then get an appointment with the doctor as soon as possible. Don't put it off. Most testicular lumps are NOT cancer, but early detection is vital if it is. This is a great guide for how to check yourself and perform a testicular self examination: http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/type/testicular-cancer/about/testicular-selfexamination
I'd like every man reading this to go away an examine your balls, whether it's now, later on, or in the shower tomorrow. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THEM!
And to any women who are in a relationship with a man, why not check his balls for/with him? It might be rare but it should never be missed!
I want you to check your balls because this year, when my partner (aged 24) was checking his, he found a lump that turned out to be testicular cancer. (It was caught early, treated quickly and he has been clear of cancer for over 6 months now.) I'm lucky to work at Lovehoney and have the opportunity to ask young men who are interested in their sexual well being to check their balls. Please do it, and please do it regularly.
Between us, we check WandA's balls pretty regularly, because like you say, it is rare - but it is a young man's cancer so it needs to be kept on top of!
I'm glad he's OK. I hope things are great and all mended! It's great it was caught early. Best wishes from the OA!
I did actually check mine 2 days ago in the bath.
I'd also mention the 'oh shit' sack that sits behind each testicle, it's normal to have some lumpy thing behind each testicle (that scares the shit out of you when you first find it) so don't worry about that but it is certainly worth getting checked at the docs if you notice something you haven't before, even if you suspect it is the tissue normally behind.
I'm trying hard not to go ranty about male cancers being completely ignored...
We'll have to remember to give this a bump now and again.
We had quite a scare about two years ago. My oh found a lump that was quite painful, the doctor sent him for a scan as she knew it wasn't a cyst. We were but shitting it but the scan showed it wasn't cancer (thank god) but was told to keep an eye on it as they weren't sure what it could be. Later the doctors thought it might have been something to do with the tubes.
He's always telling his friends to check. We were both so scared and he's always telling people not to be shy about telling the doctor. You never can be to careful when it comes to your health
Partners should definitely keep an eye out for each other. I keep a check on OH's balls and he keeps a check on my breasts. I've had to force a few friends to go to the Drs about various lumps and bumps which they've known about for months! I don't know why men are so embarrassed about small check at the Drs, we women have it far worse every couple of years!
Great advice Alice - I had a different cancer (Hodgkins Lymphoma) last year - had all the chemo etc & thankfully all clear for nearly a year now, much of which is thanks to catching it early. It brings it home how important it is to keep aware of your body , check yourself, & if you're worried about anything or find something suspicious, don't panic, but do go to a doctor! It doesn't matter how young & invincible you might think you are (when I was diagnosed I was 25) - some things don't just get better on their own!
Boys - check your balls!
Girls - check your boobs!
And once you've all done that - have lots of sex! (It's good for the immune system!)
I have to admit I've never really done this outright, but then I am extremely familiar with what they feel like, so have no doubt that I would notice anything abnormal really pretty quickly anyway.
Yeah we're the same - we don't sit down and say "right, let's do a cancer check!" but by being familiar we'd notice any changes.
And once you've all done that - have lots of sex! (It's good for the immune system!)
Or as others have said:
Boys - check your OH's boobs!
Girls - check your OH's balls!
All joking aside though, everyone should be keeping an eye on all their body parts as a routine. We've just had a cancer scare in my family with my father. It's bladder cancer for him, and he's going in for an operation on it next week. We can only hope he spotted it in time, so eyes peeled people!
And once you've all done that - have lots of sex! (It's good for the immune system!)
Or as others have said:
Boys - check your OH's boobs!
Girls - check your OH's balls!
All joking aside though, everyone should be keeping an eye on all their body parts as a routine. We've just had a cancer scare in my family with my father. It's bladder cancer for him, and he's going in for an operation on it next week. We can only hope he spotted it in time, so eyes peeled people!
Bumble, I tried to reply to your message, but I think I broke my chat thingy. Surgery is monday at the moment, so once I know how it goes later next week, I'll update you.
Interesting thread. I always thought us guys would notice any changes in our balls as we tend to play with our nether regions quite a lot. Perhaps it is a case of not wanting to find anything.
we got a talk about this at school, erm would have been 4 years ago now. They gave us fake balls (made of a rubbery stuff) and we have to find which one had the lump, not as easy as it sounds, but it ment we all knew what we were looking for. Best time to check is after a shower or bath because they are usaly hanging lowest then, and therefore easier to check
Great post Alice, i'm glad he is ok, i check my OH's regularly, i'm a bit ott with checking for cancer, my friend died last year age 29, plus my nan and Aunt died of cancer, it's so scary! I check his after he has had a bath, i'm sure i read somewhere that is a good time to check. xxxxx