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Testicular Cancer Awareness Week (tcaw.org) Is asking for your support to spread the following chain letter, especially during April 1-7 - Testicular Cancer Awareness Week.
What?! A chain letter? You have GOT to be kidding me - I hate those things! Yeah, us too - some get rich quick scheme or other related BS. But this time it's for a good cause: promoting TC awareness via email. If we can't get everyone to come to tcaw.org and read what they need to know, we can get some of tcaw.org to them, with a little help from you, that is! You know the drill - copy the letter from this page and paste it into an email.. Send it out to guys you know, and who knows what good can come of it? Thanks for your help, we really appreciate it! [and thanks to Mitch for this great idea]
Subject: We Haven't Talked About It
Greetings--This letter concerns a subject most men have never talked about, but we certainly should have: Testicular Cancer. This disease got a lot of publicity as it struck pro cyclist Lance Armstrong and Olympic skater Scott Hamilton. It is the Most Common cancer among men aged 15 to 35. While it is extremely treatable, the treatment is Much easier if it is detected early, and detection is Easy: you just perform a simple self exam every month. Yeah, it's embarrassing to talk about this, but guys have actually died simply because they were too embarrassed to get medical attention for something wrong "down there" (400 a year in the U.S. alone.)
Below you'll find detailed information on the monthly self exam. But before you read this, you should know that the point of the self exam is not to actually find cancer. It's so you can become familiar with the way your testicles feel and you'll be able to know if anything ever feels different "down there" - this different feeling then deserves a trip to the doctor, preferably a urologist. Also note that most guys with TC symptoms often do not have TC, but some other urological problem that still needs treating. There is a lot of information about TC available on the internet - three good starting points are The National Men's Resource Center www.tcaw.org, Testicular Cancer Resource Center at www.acor.org/TCRC and the Lance Armstrong Foundation at www.laf.org.
Please read the detailed instructions below and then pass this information along to young men you know who could also use it. (PS - when you do send it along, please remove all of the address headers from others who have been sending it as well - thanks!)
You might think of the self exam in terms which may sound familiar: STOP, DROP, and ROLL:
STOP -- Stop for a few moments in the shower once a month.
DROP -- Drop your hands to your testicles, placing your index and middle fingers under the testicles with your thumbs on top.
ROLL -- Roll your testicle gently between your thumb and fingers.
The self exam for TC is best performed after a warm bath or shower.
[Heat relaxes the scrotum, making it easier to spot anything abnormal]
The National Cancer Institute recommends following these steps EVERY MONTH:
1 - Stand in front of a mirror. Check for any swelling on the scrotum skin.
2 - Examine each testicle with both hands. Place the index and middle fingers under the testicle with the thumbs placed on top. Roll the testicle gently between the thumbs and fingers -- you shouldn't feel any pain when doing the exam. Don't be alarmed if one testicle seems slightly larger than the other, that's normal.
*** The testicle should feel smooth and have an egg-like appearance with the exception being where the epididymis attaches. This is the soft, tube-like structure behind the testicle that collects and carries sperm - you need to be familiar with this structure so you won't mistake it for a suspicious lump. Cancerous lumps usually are found on the sides of the testicle but can also show up on the front as well.
3 - If you find a lump, see a doctor, preferably a urologist, right away. The abnormality may not be cancer, it may just be an infection. But if it is TC, the chances are great it can spread if not stopped by treatment. Waiting and hoping will not fix anything - urologic or TC. When in doubt, get it checked out - if only for peace of mind!
Other signs of TC to keep in mind are:
*** Remember, only a physician can make a positive diagnosis ***
Free Self-Exam Monthly Reminder - On the first of each month, we will send you a self-exam reminder via e-mail as well as links to testicular cancer news and a self-exam guide. Sign up by sending a blank email to menstuff-testicular-exam-subscribe@topica.com It's free!
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