Do you do testicular self exams?

How often do you do a testicular self-examination? How many of you felt squeamish thinking about it? How many of you answered "No"? \nSince high school, when I first heard of testicular cancer and of testicular self-examinations, I began to do them at least twice a month. Don't worry, I felt squeamish, too, and even had a bit of a hypochondria. Regardless, nothing surfaced -- no lump nor symptoms. \nRecently, I did a test, and this time, I found a lump. It was quite possibly the most terrifying experience of my life; I turned white and began to tremble. \nI remember thinking, "Tomorrow, it will be gone." The next day, it wasn't. Without thinking twice about it, I went to the Health Center and waited an hour to see a physician. \nThe doctor, after examining me, confirmed that there was a small lump on the right testicle the size of a grape seed. He said two words that became my focal thought from then on: "Malignant" and "benign." He also told me I would need to see a urologist right away to get an ultrasound. \nAn ultrasound? Up until that moment, as scared as I was, I hadn't cried. When she hung up the phone, she said the next appointment would be at 11:00 a.m. Monday (it was Thursday). She told me in the meantime I should do some investigating and reading about the condition and prepare questions for my appointment. \nI knew I would not be able to handle three days of uncertainty. At that point, my thoughts centered on the eventual coin flip; malignant or benign, and I broke down. The next three days were, by far, the most tumultuous ones of my life thus far. I surfed the Internet incessantly, reading about testicular cancer. \nThe most rampant information I found was about the importance of self-examinations. Nearly every site I came across mentioned the detriment of waiting too long and/or the hesitance of men to do tests. Every site recommended that men get a lump examined regardless of what he suspects it is. \nThe age range for testicular cancer in men is primarily 15-35, and most men are too freaked out to drop their pants in front of a physician or to roll their testicles between their thumb and forefinger in the shower to check for a lump. \nAfter reading, I waited. I barricaded myself in my room, and even suffered panic attacks. I thought about my own death, and ironically was asked in a questionnaire just two days before finding the lump what I would like have my friends say at my funeral. \nI missed classes, prayed and cried a lot. It was scary. After telling two people, they both exclaimed, "It's good you caught it early." The only thing that saved me during those three days was knowing that I didn't wait. \nFinally, at the appointment Monday morning, my friend and I laughed as I felt comforted by her presence. The urologist walked in, and it was pure torture waiting to find out my fate. He did a testicular ultrasound, and tried to comfort my anxiety by asking me about graduation -- it didn't work. I watched the monitor as he explained that cancer grows inside the testicle, and I saw nothing. Then, out of nowhere, the urologist said, "There it goes." He was referring to the lump. "It's nothing, these lumps are not uncommon; it's a benign accumulation of the tissue around the testicle, and it will probably be there forever -- it's not cancer, you're fine." \nI felt relieved but didn't react -- I was still in shock. I just sat there and listened to him tell me how I acted responsibly by coming in right away, and how he also had the same condition in college. I remember his last words: "Keep doing your self-examinations because not many men do them." \nI think it wasn't until I arrived back home that I celebrated quietly. Although I plan on getting a routine second opinion after graduation, I found that the most rewarding thing to come out of this experience was the fact that I could now try and educate other males about the importance of self-examinations. \nIn fact, that's why I submitted this story. Testicular cancer is real, and all college men are in the target age group. It's not that hard guys -- do it!