The Lemon Fool

The harrowing but ultimately informative tale of Jon was brought to my attention by a highly regarded member of our Lemon Fool family here.

Basically the message is that some men die earlier than they need to because they are often reluctant to reveal certain symptoms to their doctors until it is far too late to stand much of a chance of saving them.

So I recommend to all my male friends here, they find 30 minutes at some point to listen to the above feature on BBC Sounds.

Regards,
Chris

csearle wrote:The harrowing but ultimately informative tale of Jon was brought to my attention by a highly regarded member of our Lemon Fool family here.

Basically the message is that some men die earlier than they need to because they are often reluctant to reveal certain symptoms to their doctors until it is far too late to stand much of a chance of saving them.

So I recommend to all my male friends here they find 30 minutes at some point to listen to the above feature on BBC Sounds.

Regards,
Chris

My cousin's husband had testicular cancer 25 years ago. He's been in remission since. My good ladies friends husband the same, twice. He's still with us after two operations.

As you say, be aware and be alert ... and don't be embarrassed to raise any concerns with your GP.

AiY

A while back I was fumbling about down there - as you do - and discovered I had three testicles!!

Went straight to my GP (via Google) and asked him if I could possibly be the 201st person in the history of humanity to have been born triorchid! Apparently not. Was a boring old cyst. We went our separate ways.

C.

Been there. Done that. It's not fun. I handled it largely with humour. I once had Willy. Now I have Arfa.

I am a classic case. Had minor issues - small lesions, discolouration, but nothing serious enough to get it looked at. "I was busy at work". Even when more serious issues arose, I didn't raise the subject when visiting my GP, and they didn't investigate, so it wasn't until my second urinary tract infection that the senior GP partner looked, and started the investigation with subsequent diagnosis of penile cancer.

To be fair, like most people, I had never heard of penile cancer, so the diagnosis was quite a shock. Fortunately, I had private medical cover through my work, and this enabled me to get treatment started at least a month quicker than using the NHS. In my case, as is quite often the case, if it is caught early enough, the procedure is "purly surgical". No chemotherapy, no radiotherapy. "Just" cutting of enough of your manhood to get rid of the cancerous bit.

This all happened to me just over eight years ago, and I am now fit as a flea, and enyoying an excellent retirement.

If I can help anyone, I am happy to respond on or off board. There is also a brilliant UK based charity (https://orchid-cancer.org.uk/) who have specialists in all aspects of penile cancer and are happy to help.

If you have any concerns, just don't be shy. Once you have got your equipment out in front of the doctor once, it is surprising how easy it becomes, and it can save your life.

I have never been shy to discuss symptoms with any of my Doctors, but one memorable time in my late teens, I caught my "foreskin" in my zip (all men now cross their legs and go haaa). At that time it was a turn up and join the queue in the local village hall. Imagine my surprise to see a "locum", a very young "new" Doctor, I managed to keep it under control. But seriously, it is always worth a check, I had a small lump on one testicle, nothing serious apparently, but great peace of mind.

seagles wrote:I have never been shy to discuss symptoms with any of my Doctors, but one memorable time in my late teens, I caught my "foreskin" in my zip (all men now cross their legs and go haaa). At that time it was a turn up and join the queue in the local village hall. Imagine my surprise to see a "locum", a very young "new" Doctor, I managed to keep it under control.

I'm sure he appreciated that

Scott.

swill453 wrote:

seagles wrote:I have never been shy to discuss symptoms with any of my Doctors, but one memorable time in my late teens, I caught my "foreskin" in my zip (all men now cross their legs and go haaa). At that time it was a turn up and join the queue in the local village hall. Imagine my surprise to see a "locum", a very young "new" Doctor, I managed to keep it under control.

I'm sure he appreciated that

Scott.

It was a "she"

you did well to keep it under control

Bminusrob wrote:If you have any concerns, just don't be shy. Once you have got your equipment out in front of the doctor once, it is surprising how easy it becomes, and it can save your life.

Amen to that, and pass it on. My seven sessions of bowel cancer treatment left very little about my privates to the imagination, by the time they'd got me spreadeagled in front of the team (which was usually four women and one man). And the only person in the room who ever thought the situation was anything but normal was me! (And that was for the first time only) . You get used to it pretty fast.

Every team was the same. Total professionalism, total focus, good humour and efficiency, and thoroughness, and care. It saved my life, for sure. Please don't let anyone you know die of embarrassment. You're worth more than that.

BJ

bungeejumper wrote:

Bminusrob wrote:If you have any concerns, just don't be shy. Once you have got your equipment out in front of the doctor once, it is surprising how easy it becomes, and it can save your life.

My seven sessions of bowel cancer treatment left very little about my privates to the imagination...

I also emerged victorious from bowel cancer and had a similar experience. Initially, there were lots of scans, lots of appointments and lots of examinations of the problem area (my rear end).

At one consultation with the oncologist, a MacMillian nurse, a female medical student and my wife present, the doctor asked me to 'hop up onto the couch'.

A familiar request so I duly leapt up, laid face down and lowered my trousers and underpants.

Pregnant, uncomfortable pause - 'Mr. Brightside - on this occasion, I just want to listen to your heart'.

My, how we laughed.

mrbrightside wrote:A familiar request so I duly leapt up, laid face down and lowered my trousers and underpants.

Pregnant, uncomfortable pause - 'Mr. Brightside - on this occasion, I just want to listen to your heart'.

My, how we laughed.

Plenty of laughs in my experience too. On one occasion I hopped off the table at the end of a procedure, still woozy from the sedative, and set off up the busy corridor with my @rse hanging out of my robe and two nurses chasing me. And I thought that sort of thing only happened in Carry On films.

BJ

bungeejumper wrote:

mrbrightside wrote:A familiar request so I duly leapt up, laid face down and lowered my trousers and underpants.

Pregnant, uncomfortable pause - 'Mr. Brightside - on this occasion, I just want to listen to your heart'.

My, how we laughed.

Plenty of laughs in my experience too. On one occasion I hopped off the table at the end of a procedure, still woozy from the sedative, and set off up the busy corridor with my @rse hanging out of my robe and two nurses chasing me. And I thought that sort of thing only happened in Carry On films.

Sorry, but I couldn't resist ...

Clitheroekid wrote:Sorry, but I couldn't resist ...

And there I was, expecting: "No, no, nurse, I said remove his spectacles!"

Shall I get both our coats, CK?

BJ

It is perhaps worth noting that Jon (in his interview) went to his GP, who clearly didn't recognise this cancer. Jon was referred to a sexual health clinic, that could check for STDs¹, but which also didn't recognise this cancer.

It was only through self-help (i.e. internet research) that he went straight to someone who was clearly qualified enough to supply the diagnosis within 20 seconds.

I believe outcomes could be improved if we tweaked the system here to be more like the German one where it is completely normal (if the condition is clearly in a specialist area) to walk straight into a specialist practice avoiding all the delays for misdiagnoses, experimentation, and referrals (in the UK I've waited many times for many weeks for referrals in the past). In the case of Germany all you need to know is your name and which semi state-run medical insurance firm² you are with and it is just as free-at-the-point-of-use as it is here.

I get it that Jon did eventually gain access to the correct practice but the system here led him to use a part of the health service that actually failed him. He wasn't even referred to the place he needed to be! Maybe with enough time he might have been referred there, but it doesn't inspire confidence. I imagine he paid for the urology visit on a private basis. An option not everyone might have.

Chris

¹ Sexually Transmitted Diseases
² State pays half of your premium (and all of it for the unemployed).

csearle wrote:I believe outcomes could be improved if we tweaked the system here to be more like the German one where it is completely normal (if the condition is clearly in a specialist area) to walk straight into a specialist practice avoiding all the delays for misdiagnoses, experimentation, and referrals (in the UK I've waited many times for many weeks for referrals in the past).

I quite agree. But I think that medical diagnoses will increasingly be carried out by AI in the future. It's already more accurate than many doctors, and I recall reading somewhere that one reason is that people don't feel judged by a machine, whereas they often do by a doctor, so they are too embarrassed to give an accurate explanation of their problem.

I also anticipate that an increasing amount of surgical procedures will be carried out by robots, and that they will probably do as good, if not a better job than many surgeons.

Clitheroekid wrote:

bungeejumper wrote:

mrbrightside wrote:A familiar request so I duly leapt up, laid face down and lowered my trousers and underpants.

Pregnant, uncomfortable pause - 'Mr. Brightside - on this occasion, I just want to listen to your heart'.

My, how we laughed.

Plenty of laughs in my experience too. On one occasion I hopped off the table at the end of a procedure, still woozy from the sedative, and set off up the busy corridor with my @rse hanging out of my robe and two nurses chasing me. And I thought that sort of thing only happened in Carry On films.

Sorry, but I couldn't resist ...

Funnily enough, I remember that very well, though the picture was of a matron shouting to the nurse with the water, who was chasing a man in the ward.

When we used to go on holiday, there were hundreds of postcards like that at the seaside. Even if too young to understand, the pictures always made me laugh.

Steve

stevensfo wrote:When we used to go on holiday, there were hundreds of postcards like that at the seaside. Even if too young to understand, the pictures always made me laugh.

Ah, Donald McGill. George Orwell's essay (https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-or ... ld-mcgill/) is still a marvellous read.

Apologies, though. I/we seem to be drifting somewhat from the pretty horrible condition that gave rise to this thread? I remember, as a 13 year old, being lined up in a queue to drop my trousers so that the school medical woman could poke at our anatomies with a wooden spatula, to see if we were all on course for manhood? And my sincerest hope at that time was that I'd never again need to subject myself to such an indignity. The reality, when it came, was a lot easier and a lot less undignified than I'd supposed.

BJ

bungeejumper wrote:

stevensfo wrote:When we used to go on holiday, there were hundreds of postcards like that at the seaside. Even if too young to understand, the pictures always made me laugh.

Ah, Donald McGill. George Orwell's essay (https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-or ... ld-mcgill/) is still a marvellous read.

Apologies, though. I/we seem to be drifting somewhat from the pretty horrible condition that gave rise to this thread? I remember, as a 13 year old, being lined up in a queue to drop my trousers so that the school medical woman could poke at our anatomies with a wooden spatula, to see if we were all on course for manhood? And my sincerest hope at that time was that I'd never again need to subject myself to such an indignity. The reality, when it came, was a lot easier and a lot less undignified than I'd supposed.

BJ

As far as I'm concerned, anything by Orwell is marvellous. The ideas portrayed in his '1984' and 'Animal Farm' are becoming so scarily recognisable that I wonder if our masters will find a reason for banning them, as they did in the USSR.

I'm jealous. I can't remember having my bits poked by a woman at that age. To paraphrase a comedian: 'The memories of having your pants pulled down and spanked by a middle-aged woman? The sort of thing you pay a lot for in your fifies!"

However, our kids had regular check-ups at their school and one of their friends was diagnosed with undescended testicles when he was about 12 and rushed in for an op immediately, so they can be useful.

Goolies poked with a wooden spatula? I think I'll be having nightmares tonight!


Steve

stevensfo wrote:I'm jealous. I can't remember having my bits poked by a woman at that age.

You're letting your imagination run away with you. Terrible old trout. And the spatula was cold! :

However, our kids had regular check-ups at their school and one of their friends was diagnosed with undescended testicles when he was about 12 and rushed in for an op immediately, so they can be useful.

When I was teaching in the seventies, there was a kid in my class whose voice hadn't broken on schedule, and the staff were wondering what to do? His parents belonged to a religious sect that refused all medical interventions, and they said that that was just how god wanted him to be. Which didn't seem fair on him, really. Besides, he was getting teased for his pipsqueak voice.

Eventually they agreed to have him checked out, and a doctor persuaded them that a course of hormones wouldn't be against their religion. The week before it was due to start, he started yodelling wildly and was down to a basso profundo within a month or so. Everybody happy. Phew!

BJ