Ball Out

You know when your mind wakes up, but your body doesn’t? Well, when I was in the recovery area after my surgery this was happening to me. I felt my mind awaken but my body wasn’t quite ready to follow suit. I tried to open my eyes, but they were too heavy. Through the blurred vision I could make out the nurse overseeing the patients in the recovery area, and that’s when I remembered I just had surgery where they took my ball out. (It was bound to happen; any great story calls out its own name. All I can really think of is that moment in Family Guy when Peter calls out a movie for using its title in the movie.)

Source: Family Guy

Until I came to that realization, it all felt like a dream. When I fully came to, it was still kind of a shock. I knew where I was and what happened, but for a brief moment I couldn’t believe it. The nurse came over to me and gave me a post op brief. Letting me know that the operation went well, that there were two incisions, one in my groin and one on my scrotum. When he said this, I thought it was weird because my urologist said there’d only be one incision, but I figured that maybe there was a slight complication that required a second incision, so I didn’t question him. As he continued, I began to feel groggy, and I could barely remember what he was telling me. At the end of his brief, he informed me that in order to be released from the hospital I’ll first need to be able to hold down some fluids and use the bathroom on my own. Holding the fluids in was no problem, getting out of the bed to go to the bathroom was another story. I felt like I had just been hit by a bus, and then that bus came and backed over me. The nurse helps me out of the bed, and I shuffle my way to the bathroom like a little old lady. When I get into the bathroom, I wanted to check out what my incision looked like. So, I began investigating, and I found myself in this diaper like underwear that was stuffed with gauze. Instead of continuing, out of fear of opening one of the incisions I decided it would be best to just go to the bathroom and go back and lay down. Once I was settled back into the bed, the nurse came back over with my belongings and a folder with some post-surgery instructions. He once again gave me a run down of what I was supposed to be do, this time I was able to remember more of his instructions. I was supposed to take some laxatives due to the pain killers I was given causing constipation. I was also supposed to wear tight fitting underwear for additional support for the next few weeks. No showering for the next 2 days, which I can’t say I was too excited about. After a little more waiting, he had me get dressed and led me out to where Shannon was waiting to load me into her car.

After procuring her precious package, Shannon got me home safely and settled on the couch, where I promptly fell asleep. A little while later she woke me up in order to eat some chicken noodle soup, which was probably the best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had. I don’t know if it was the drugs or not, but that’s how I remember it and I’m sticking to that story. The rest of that night was pretty uneventful, I just slept. While I was asleep, my friends came by with a little care package for me, that included a bell that Shannon was just thrilled about. The next day I woke up feeling it, I laid on the couch all day, only getting up when I had to go to the bathroom. I received a follow up phone call with the nurse from the day before, making sure I was doing what I was instructed to do. The next day, Wednesday, October 6th, I was starting to feel much better. I could get on and off the couch on my own and could walk around with just a little discomfort, I actually felt as if I didn’t need to take any pain medication. Later that day I actually drove myself to Men’s Warehouse to pick up my suit for the wedding I was in two day later on Friday, October 8th. I was also able to make an appearance at the rehearsal dinner for that night for about 45 minutes, and then I started to feel some pain and discomfort and decided it was best to go home. Once there I took pain medication for the last time in my recovery. Thursday was another uneventful day where I just rested as much as possible, but I was feeling much better. Friday finally came, and I was very relieved to be able to fulfill my duties as a groomsman at yet another wedding. I managed to stay most the night before going home. I felt for Shannon because she was in a wedding the following day and had to be up super early to prepare for that. It felt good to be able to make those weddings. Not just because they were our friend’s wedding, but because we proved that this battle with cancer wasn’t going to stop us from living out lives.

On Monday, October 11th, I had a post operation check up with my urologist to go over my pathology results and to see how I was healing. The only catch is that there was a mix up with scheduling, so I met with his Nurse Practitioner to check how my incision was healing. Which a few days after my surgery when I was able to shower after some investigation there in fact was only one incision and not two. The pathology results were also not in, they had been sent up to Boston for a second opinion. I was told I can gradually start returning to my normal routine by the end of the week, but I should avoid heavy lifting for a couple of more weeks. By the end of that appointment, I had a follow up teleconference with my urologist scheduled for that Thursday, October 14th to go over the pathology results because “They should be in by then.” Thursday comes, and the official results are not back from Boston yet, but in the initial pathology report, 3 types of testicular cancers were found. Yolk sac, choriocarcinoma, and teratoma. He told me I should definitely get into a sperm bank as soon as possible because I would be needing to get chemotherapy. He also gave me a few names for some doctors in Plymouth and in Boston that I should talk to for as many opinions as possible. He put a lot of emphasis on me reaching out to this particular doctor in Boston, who he claimed was very well known and accomplished and was a unique specialist in dealing with the cancer treatment in the field of urology.

As soon as I got off the phone with him, I was on the phone reaching out to the doctors he had told me to reach out to, starting with the specialist in Boston. Who was out of town for a conference, so I had to have my urologist e-mail him and explain my situation because my file was still locked for being under review. Then I targeted the doctors in Plymouth, where I was able to get an appointment on the 27th of October. Then I did some research for what sperm bank I should use, and the offices of a couple hospitals told me they send they’re patients to New England Cryogenics. I reached out to them and made an appointment for Monday, October 18th. The next day, I was able to get an appointment with the specialist in Boston scheduled for the 22nd of October. When my urologist gave me a call back later that night, he was thrilled with the news of how on top of things I was being and that I was able to get an appointment scheduled so soon with the uro-oncologist in Boston. He also reported that the pathology results were not yet in from Boston yet, but he was sure the doctor I was seeing in Boston would put the pressure on them to have the information for my appointment. Sunday comes, and I’m getting ready to get back into my normal work routine, but then I got an itch. I wanted to move. I essentially sat around for 2 weeks, so I decided to go for a little run, which was more of a fast walk. I was proud of myself, sure it hurt. Not like I opened my incision hurt, but in the I haven’t been working out hurt. It felt good to just move my body again. I felt almost normal. I was ready to keep fighting this, no matter what came next.