I'm sorry. I'm freaking out again.
Loldrugz... where are you?
You say it's unlikely to be cancer. But I'm at the perfect age for testicular cancer. And how come I can't get it? The logic doesn't work. That's unlikely doesn't mean it never happens. It just means it happens to some. And I could be that some(one). Why not?
Even if it happens to one out of 50 million people, you could be that one. And then the odds don't work.
If it happens, it happens.
The odds dont mean you are immune or exempt. If all my friends had cancer, all my family, then OK, it's statistically unlikely (though biologically not so in case of family), but I know NO ONE who has had cancer. Ipso facto, it has to be me. Lightning has to strike sometimes.
To say it's "unlikely" is no guarantee. In fact, it' sort of inane. It doesn't make sense. I AM at the right age, and therefore just a likely victim as the millions of other men my age.
I had some pain today. A few minutes then it passed. Enough to start a major panic attack. Couldn't breathe. It's passed now, and the attack is replaced by a sort of hollow, empty, fear filled depression that is mirrored by the grey weather and drizzle of rain.
How am I supposed to do anything right now? How am I supposed to be productive?
I was already depressed and useless, now more so.
I could barely survive as it was.
"You say it's unlikely to be cancer. But I'm at the perfect age for testicular cancer. And how come I can't get it? "
These statements are not inclusive of one another. Unlikely does not mean can't. I could have a few cells that sitting right in my testicle now that just haven't multiplied enough to cause symptoms.
"This has always been a pet peeve of mine. OK, it's unlikely to be hit by lightning, unlikely to win the lottery. Yes. But SOMEONE has to be hit, someone has to win. And for THAT person the odds don't matter"
Yeah man, welcome to life. It's unpredictable, and only recently have we been able to counter disease and cancer. Especially testicular cancer, especially in younger non-sickly males.
True, you are at the perfect age for testicular (not prostate) cancer. So what, so am I, and if it hurts when I pee for a bit, I don't all of the sudden have a panic attack.
You'd be lucky to have gotten it over many other types which can occur at your age , since it has such a low mortality rate, pancreas/lungs.
"Testicular cancer is one of the most curable forms of cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, the 5-year relative survival rate for all men with this cancer is 95%. If the cancer hasn't spread outside the testicle, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99%. Even if the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, the rate is 96%. If it has spread to organs or lymph nodes away from the tumor, the 5-year relative survival rate is around 72%." From cancer.org (
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/testicularcancer/overviewguide/testicular-cancer-overview-survival-rates).
That's fucking crazy. There are plenty of nastier things that are communicable that you could get. Botulism's mortality rate (you can get from eating food) "The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the current mortality rate is 5% (type B) to 10% (type A). Other sources report that, in the U.S., the overall mortality rate is about 7.5%, but the mortality rate among adults over 60 is 30%."
Far more deadly, that's the mortality for a single infection.
1-100 chance if you have it you die, and I bet that one person is already unhealthy and old.
My point is that those stats together with the first i posted should be comforting man. Almost no one dies from it, especially not at your age.
You're probably doing more damage to your heart stressing out constantly.
There's not much more to be said that can comfort you. No one here can promise you DON'T have it (unless some one here is an oncologist and radiologist and has a handy MRI). Maybe talking to your doctor about the anxiety it is causing you could help?
