Testicular Cancer Fighter Shares Positive 'Before And After' Chemo Photo Prompting Men To Get Checked

Man Shares 'Before And After' Chemo Photos With A Hearty Dose Of Positivity
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A brave man who battled testicular cancer has shared his story in the hope that it will encourage other men to check themselves.

The guy, who is known as 'LandK22', has spoken of his experiences of having chemotherapy. But rather than focusing on the negative aspects of the treatment - such as the weight loss, hair loss and nauseousness - he has praised it for "saving his ass".

Since sharing his story on Imgur and imploring fellow men to check their testicles for lumps, he has received an array of positive messages from the Imgur community who have commended his upbeat attitude and branded him a "fighter".

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The man before and after battling testicular cancer

The man explained that he found a lump on his neck one day and went to get it checked out. After undergoing tests and a biopsy, he was diagnosed with cancer.

He said he was "hopeful" that he'd caught the cancer soon, but it wasn't so.

"Later tests showed my testicular cancer had spread up my lymphatic system and onto my organs," he explained.

Because the cancer had spread, he immediately started chemotherapy sessions.

Speaking about the treatment, LandK22 praised it for saving his life and for helping him to lose weight and get in shape.

"I was 235 pounds before my chemical diet and a healthy 145 after," he said. "My treatments worked, along with surgeries to remove what's left."

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He is now married to the love of his life

The man has since had one of his testicles removed and says he is "better and recovering". He has also now married the love of his life and one day hopes to make "cute, fat babies" .

He added: "No need for sympathy or to feel bad. Look, I'm smiling and married to a purdy lady."

He explained that he didn't feel his best at 145lbs, so he has put on more weight and is at a "good medium weight".

His parting words to fellow men: "Get checked, cancer has took [sic] enough people from our world."

Symptoms Of Testicular Cancer
A lump in the testicle(01 of05)
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The most common symptom of a testicular cancer is a lump or swelling in part of one testicle. It can be as small as a pea or it may be much larger.Remember that most testicular lumps are NOT cancer. At a testicular clinic at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, only 76 cancers were found out of 2,000 men seen with a testicular lump. This means that fewer than 4 in every 100 testicular lumps (4%) are cancer (figures courtesy of Mr Mike Wallace, FRCS).
Lymph glands(02 of05)
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Sometimes testicular cancer cells can spread into lymph glands at the back of the abdomen. This can cause backache, which is usually constant and you need to take painkillers. If testicular cancer has spread, there may be lumps in other parts of the body, such as around the collarbone, or in the neck. These lumps are lymph glands that contain cancer cells.
Hormones in the blood(03 of05)
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Many testicular cancers make hormones that can be detected in blood tests. Doctors call these hormones markers. There is more about this in our section about diagnosing testicular cancer. Occasionally, men with testicular cancer have tender or swollen breasts because of these hormones.
A heavy scrotum(04 of05)
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Your scrotum may feel heavy. Your GP may shine a strong light through your testicle. If you have a fluid filled cyst (called a hydrocoele) rather than a cancer, the light will show through. A cancer is a solid lump and the light can't pass through it. Your doctor may call this test transillumination.
Discomfort or pain(05 of05)
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Testicular cancer is not usually painful, but about 1 in 5 men (20%) have a sharp pain in the scrotum as a first symptom. Some men may have a dull ache in- The affected testicle- Their lower abdomen