Totally Unexpected
Donation protected
NO ONE expects a kidney stone. No one expects Testicular Cancer either. Well I went to the ER because I had passed a kidney stone before and as bad as it hurt the first time, I was in twice the pain this go round so something had to be wrong. I figured worse case scenario the stone had become lodged in my urinary tract because I earn my living now driving people around as a LYFT Driver . (It's a gig that pays pretty good about three quarters of the time. Sadly its mostly a cash flow business where i am spending half if not more of everything i earn just to try and keep earning. I pay a bill then earn to pay the next one, over and over. Some weeks i have twenty bucks in my pocket that's not designated as bill money sometimes i don't.) I figured with the 100,000 miles I had driven so far this year that the stone being lodged just had to be the reason for the agony. Well it wasn't.
I spent 7 hrs in the ER that night. I didn't earn but $37 that night before i decided i had to get help, I couldn't ignore it anymore. I was sitting there in that uncomfortable ER bed angry that i was in agony, uncomfortable, and down right pissed off that it was taking so long. All i could think of was getting the money for the next bill. "Time is Money i have to get out of here can they please hurry the hell up!!" Nurse walked in and i felt a sign of relief. Maybe i could finally get out of here, after the CT scan they see its just a lodged stone or possibly multiple stones. Its 2am but if I double time it to Tallahassee i might be able to scrape up enough fares to break it off at a $100 for the day by 5AM. Not a great night but definitely better than just replenishing my gas money because breaking even just isn't a viable option in this business. The nurse didn't have any information except that it was going to be just a little bit longer. A little while later around 5:30AM the doctor came in and told me that i needed to see a urologist asap. That she had me a 10am same day appointment already setup. I really needed to be there, because she didn't want to scare me and that she would rather a specialist discuss what was found and to dictate the treatment course with me from there. While I understand that she was trying not to scare me as best as she could, i am smart enough to know that its bad when you get a same day 10am appointment with a urologist. Making money at point wasn't an option had been up for roughly 24 hrs and here it is 7am with a 10am appointment i cant even get a nap or I would probably miss the appointment, so i sat in the parking lot. The entire time worried. I had already informed my wife and told her i would let her know what was going as soon as I knew something.
The urologist informed me that i had a mass on my right testicle and a high white blood cell count which means it could just be a strange infection so he said i had two options. Option 1, take 10 days worth of ciprofloxacin at 1000mg/day and get another ultrasound done on my right testicle in 10 days just to see if the mass would go away. Then there is option 2, go ahead and remove your right testicle and once its removed biopsy it to find out if it was in fact cancer or not... Just like any man with an ego who had just out of the blue been asked if he wanted to separate the boys i chose option 1.
Well 10 days later the mass was still there but it hadn't gotten any bigger. Testicular Cancer is very aggressive it typically doubles its mass every thirty days. The urologist suggested we go ahead and schedule me for surgery and remove the testicle. I asked if there was any other options. He told me that while it hasn't grown doesn't mean that it wont. I said doc my son will be here any day now, Christmas is right around the corner, my bills are already on the edge of being behind, is there anyway we could put it off just a little while till my wife gets over her c-section with my son. He said 6 weeks we'll do another ultrasound and go from there.
Well ever sense that last appointment i have been working as much as possible and getting sicker and sicker. I cant drive nearly as much so my income has taken a major hit and here i am with a family to support, bills are now past due, and we are on the edge about to loose everything and i still have a surgery to pay for. Not to mention the added bonuses of having to be cancer free for 10 years before i can get life insurance or health insurance.
Someone please help even if its just praying or sharing this so more people see it. Help is Help and all is graciously appreciated!!
I spent 7 hrs in the ER that night. I didn't earn but $37 that night before i decided i had to get help, I couldn't ignore it anymore. I was sitting there in that uncomfortable ER bed angry that i was in agony, uncomfortable, and down right pissed off that it was taking so long. All i could think of was getting the money for the next bill. "Time is Money i have to get out of here can they please hurry the hell up!!" Nurse walked in and i felt a sign of relief. Maybe i could finally get out of here, after the CT scan they see its just a lodged stone or possibly multiple stones. Its 2am but if I double time it to Tallahassee i might be able to scrape up enough fares to break it off at a $100 for the day by 5AM. Not a great night but definitely better than just replenishing my gas money because breaking even just isn't a viable option in this business. The nurse didn't have any information except that it was going to be just a little bit longer. A little while later around 5:30AM the doctor came in and told me that i needed to see a urologist asap. That she had me a 10am same day appointment already setup. I really needed to be there, because she didn't want to scare me and that she would rather a specialist discuss what was found and to dictate the treatment course with me from there. While I understand that she was trying not to scare me as best as she could, i am smart enough to know that its bad when you get a same day 10am appointment with a urologist. Making money at point wasn't an option had been up for roughly 24 hrs and here it is 7am with a 10am appointment i cant even get a nap or I would probably miss the appointment, so i sat in the parking lot. The entire time worried. I had already informed my wife and told her i would let her know what was going as soon as I knew something.
The urologist informed me that i had a mass on my right testicle and a high white blood cell count which means it could just be a strange infection so he said i had two options. Option 1, take 10 days worth of ciprofloxacin at 1000mg/day and get another ultrasound done on my right testicle in 10 days just to see if the mass would go away. Then there is option 2, go ahead and remove your right testicle and once its removed biopsy it to find out if it was in fact cancer or not... Just like any man with an ego who had just out of the blue been asked if he wanted to separate the boys i chose option 1.
Well 10 days later the mass was still there but it hadn't gotten any bigger. Testicular Cancer is very aggressive it typically doubles its mass every thirty days. The urologist suggested we go ahead and schedule me for surgery and remove the testicle. I asked if there was any other options. He told me that while it hasn't grown doesn't mean that it wont. I said doc my son will be here any day now, Christmas is right around the corner, my bills are already on the edge of being behind, is there anyway we could put it off just a little while till my wife gets over her c-section with my son. He said 6 weeks we'll do another ultrasound and go from there.
Well ever sense that last appointment i have been working as much as possible and getting sicker and sicker. I cant drive nearly as much so my income has taken a major hit and here i am with a family to support, bills are now past due, and we are on the edge about to loose everything and i still have a surgery to pay for. Not to mention the added bonuses of having to be cancer free for 10 years before i can get life insurance or health insurance.
Someone please help even if its just praying or sharing this so more people see it. Help is Help and all is graciously appreciated!!
Organizer
Rodney Lewis
Organizer
Ochlocknee, GA
