Apart from numerous trips to the emergency department as a teenager, my medical past was pretty uneventful until my early forties. The only significant thing I had suffered from was an appendix which ruptured on the way to theatre to have it removed the night before my 21st birthday.
In late 2008 I was diagnosed with testicular cancer, had a unilateral orchidectomy in December of that year and then a single dose of chemotherapy in February 2009. An ultrasound mmm. exam following the initial surgery identified deposits on the remaining testicle, which investigative surgery showed only to be calcium deposits. Regular checks continued until 2012 when I was discharged from Oncology, but continued to be seen by a Urologist until 2013 due to consequential symptoms.
I have had testosterone replacement therapy since 2012, initially as a daily gel, then as a monthly injection and for several years now as a 10 weekly injection.
I started to notice the early symptoms in my right leg in 2012. I was subsequently diagnosed with Brown-Séquard syndrome (BSS). BSS is typically caused by physical trauma to one side of the spinal cord, for example a stab wound to the neck or spine. However, in rare cases it can be caused by other conditions, as is the case with me. Having previously had testicular cancer, the initial suspicion was that I had a tumour forming on or near my spinal cord, but a subsequent MRI showed that the cause was in fact idiopathic spinal cord herniation. I was extremely relieved to know it wasn’t cancer, and I am still grateful it wasn’t, although I have actually had a much tougher time dealing with the BSS than I ever did with the cancer treatment.
My hope in writing this blog is that, by documenting my journey – the good days and bad days, the treatment I receive and the affect it has – it might provide some insight for others diagnosed with the condition.