The "First" Post

Alright...so fast forward a little more than a year. Originally a trip journal that petered out, this blog is being reborn as a medical journal to keep friends and family apprised of my medical happenings. A lot can happen in a year, and there are people out there reading this to whom I haven't spoken in some time. So, let me give you a quick summary. The year at home in Colorado was a complete success. I mountain biked a ton, met great new people, did some traveling, and got into Dartmouth Medical School (my first choice). After moving to Hanover, NH with the help of my Dad, I dove head first into medical school. The fall term was tough with "quizzes" every two week and a very nasty roommate situation. Still, it was clear that I had chosen the right school. My classmates and professors are the most caring of the caring. I returned from winter break ready to attack the remainder of the winter term from a fresh living situation in Thetford, VT. A little more than three weeks back from winter break and with the first set of exams done, it happened...

Before I start, a disclaimer. I apologize if this is my first communication with you in a while or if this is how you're finding out or if this was forwarded to you by someone else. It doesn't mean that I care about you any less. Honestly, the hardest part of having cancer so far has been trying to keep in touch with everyone. So please, please don't be offended.

Last Tuesday (Jan 27, 2009), I was having some diffuse pain in my testicles throughout the day. Nothing new for those of you who have been around in recent years when I've had problems with my cremaster muscle followed by a nasty bout with epididymitis while at home last year. Still, the pain escalated throughout the day and eventually localized to the left testicle. Teresa and I were going to go for a walk, so in the course of suiting up for the cold temps, I thought I would do a quick self exam. I was horrified when I found my left testicle to be much larger than usual, very hard, and very, very tender. So, we called the PA on call at Dick's House (the infirmary on campus). Both she and I were concerned about torsion, so off to the ER we went.

At Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, I was taken back quite rapidly where Teresa soon joined me to wait. After a quick exam, the ER doc ordered an ultrasound. I was pleasantly surprised when the ultrasound technician was a radiology resident named Ben. Both previous ultrasounds I had were performed by women, which didn't bother me. Still, it made me think that most women don't have a good understanding of the physics of how testicles move around. Things went much smoother with Ben up until he put the ultrasound on the left testicle. Immediately, I thought, "just wait for him to say it." And then he did, "So, you're probably noticing that this looks abnormal. There is a large avascular mass in the center of the testicle." Teresa responded, "I feel like I'm going to throw up," and put her head down on the examining table.

We went back to the ER room and waited for the doc to come back. Obviously there were some tears and phone calls, but mostly just waiting. The doctor came back and relayed the news again. He said, "There's no diagnosis yet, but I just want to tell you that I went to Dartmouth Medical School, and I was diagnosed with lymphoma during my first year at Dick's House. I had all of my treatment at DHMC and made it through ok and finished school, and the same thing is going to happen for you." Very nice to hear. He called the urologist on call who was also a DMS grad and a personal friend of his.

So, we returned home at about 12:30. Sarah, one of my landlords, made me promise I would wake her and Barry up with the news. I felt somehow guilty assuming the status of cancer victim when I told them, but that was the reality of it.