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Jeff Fecke of Alas, a blog says

[L]ast night I went into the doctor with pain in my…er…boy parts. The doctor sent me directly to the emergency room, where I got an ultrasound, which showed I likely have testicular cancer.

So that’s not fun.

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At any rate, this is of course not the most fabulous news, but it is what it is. The good news — and it is good news — is that testicular cancer is extremely treatable, and the vast majority of men who suffer from it are treated successfully, even if the cancer has metastasized. So the odds are in my favor. And there is still a chance it isn’t cancer at all, but just a painful benign tumor, in which case the gonad has to come out, but treatment afterward won’t include any not-fun things like chemotherapy or radiation.

All that said, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit scared by this; cancer is not something you ever want to get. But something’s going to get all of us in the end. I’m just hoping that something, in my case and yours, is extreme old age.

So please, do forgive me if posting is a bit light over the next few days; I’ll update as I have updates. Oh, and men, since this is something I never bothered to do, let me suggest you listen to Mr. Tom Green here.

He said it here.

The good news is that as cancers go the most common forms of testicular cancer really are pretty treatable. Most of the men I know who’ve had it have gone on to lead productive, even reproductive lives. If it’s caught early. But you won’t catch it early unless you check.

The other good news, for those of you who clicked the YouTube link, is that since testicular cancer often shows up between the late teens and late 20s Mr. Green’s sort of juvenile-sounding message is actually pretty age-appropriate. And accurate.

The only thing I’d add is that it’s very common to find a soft, spongy “lump” on the lower end of your testicles. That’s probably the epididymis, but guess what? A) Your doctor won’t mind (or be embarrassed or dismayed or “turned on”) if you ask him or her to check just in case, and B) keep that in mind if you’re ever asked if your sex education was comprehensive and current. Oh, and C) if you’re a man and you’re not sure what your healthy epididymis feels like it’s a very good idea to check more often.

Anyway, best wishes to Jeff and here’s hoping for a speedy and complete recovery.