Life After the MIUU

I created this blog based on a simple premise: i went through something life-altering and this was a way to chronicle it. At 22, when I first encountered cancer, I assumed it was sort of a once-in-a-lifetime deal. Well, 19 months later, i found out fate can be a funny thing.

It all started about a month ago when I felt something that just wasn't right. Feeling a lump on your body is always a scary moment, especially for someone that's faced cancer before. I had it checked out, was referred to a radiologist to get an ultrasound and was then referred to an NYU urologist for an additional ultrasound where the diagnosis was clear: testicular cancer. That was Thursday, 6 days ago. Yesterday, September 15th, exactly one year and seven months after my first surgery, I was back under the knife.

Naturally, facing cancer again, my thought process gets broken down in two ways: the known and the unknown. The known was that I had a tumor that appeared cancerous, and to remove that required an orchiectomy. An orchiectomy is performed by making a small incision on the lower abdomen and removing the testical that the tumor is impacting. This, hopefully, is what rids your body of the cancer completley. But, that leads to me to the unknown.

Coming into the surgery, I had no idea if the cancer had spread to other parts of my body, or what sub-type of cancerous tumor I was inflicted with (either seminoma or nonseminoma). Depending on the sub-type, it can require additional treatment even if it hasn't spread. Well, I received a CAT scan two days before the surgery, and was treated with this news right before I went under: it came out clean. So, at a minimum, one piece of the unknown was made clearer - the cancer hadn't spread. However, I still don't know know what type of cancer it is, and what the next steps will be. So, while I've made strides to answer the unknown, there is still progress to be made.

Physically, the contrast between what I detail in this blog about my previous surgery and what I am going through now are night and day. My first operation required a 5 day hospital stay, and getting in and out of bed felt like climbing mountains. This most recent operation took place at the NYU Medical Center in the MIUU (minimally invasive urology unit). The words "minimally invasive" were like music to my ears. Thanks to the amazing world of medicine, the doctors are able to perform this operation while taking a very small physical toll on me. The recovery time is 7-10 days, not 4-6 weeks.

So at this point, all there really is to chronicle is that stage 1 is complete. The cancer is out of me, and while I'm not in the clear yet - I'm moving in the right direction. I may not have the time on my hands like I did a year and a half ago to keep up with this blog, but I felt it necessary to revisit it.

Cancer had me down once, and I got right back up. I don't know what it's thinking coming back for more. I look forward to my 2nd victory dance.