RETURN TO NORMAL, FOR NOW

No news is good news, as the saying goes. And there is plenty of good news as a testament to my silence! Here’s my April health update.

On Monday, March 29th, I drove to IU Health in Indianapolis for second opinions with both a urologist and oncologist. While it was my second-most stressful day this year, I’m so thankful for the conversations I had and the things I learned. To sum up, both doctors recommended active surveillance as the way forward. This was based on the location and size of the lymph node as well as their experience with men in similar circumstances. At this time, chemo and radiation are off the table for me. Their research indicates that while chemo and radiation are effective in curing seminoma, there are often secondary cancers or issues 30-40 years down the road. Based on my age and stage of cancer, they recommended a second surgery, should it be necessary. The urologist, Dr. Cary, is on the cutting edge of this research, and the one who would perform this surgery.

The following Thursday I met with a local oncologist who agreed with the other two doctors. Talk about a blessing! All three doctors agreed on a path forward and I am happy to follow their lead! Currently I have another set of CT scans and tumor markers scheduled for early June and a follow up the next week to review results.

Assuming there is no cancer, I would continue to have frequent scans over the next 5 years to check for relapse. If I do relapse, which often happens within one year of diagnosis, the cure rate is 99.5%. There is truly so much to be thankful for!

Please continue to pray that this suspicious lymph node is benign or simply a reaction to the cancer! I’m praying that the lymph node shows indications of returning to normal size by June.

Meanwhile, I feel incredibly privileged to return to normal life for a couple months instead of jumping straight into another treatment. Thanks for praying, and I look forward to sharing more good news in June!