A man too embarrassed by a huge swelling on one of his testicles had his cancer misdiagnosed as kidney trouble.
When Daniel Simpson went to the doctor about the bad back pain he had been suffering for a year, he was too shy and only “16 or 17” at the time, to mention the “huge swelling” on his testicle.
This meant, without all the information, the doctor instead thought the pain was as a result of something else. He was wrongly diagnosed with a kidney infection, Hull Live reported.
On top of that, because he was too shy to mention the swelling, the cancer went untreated and began to spread throughout his body as he remained mute.
It spread to his lungs, kidney, stomach, and lymph nodes but incredibly he would make a recovery.
Mr Simpson, now 35, from Comber, Co Down, has spoken out about his experience in the hope no other young men will be too embarrassed to speak up like he was.
He said: “When I was 16 or 17 I was experiencing a lot of back pain, these symptoms continued for over a year before I saw my GP, who originally thought it was a kidney infection because I was too young and shy to mention a huge swelling on one of my testicles.
“I was immediately rushed to the Ulster Hospital, and because I ignored the symptoms for so long the cancer had spread to my lungs, kidney, stomach and lymph nodes.
“After chemotherapy and a major operation that consumed most of the following year, I was incredibly given the all-clear.
“My advice for young men is to please get checked out for anything you feel is not normal.
“If you have any symptoms, visit your GP as soon as you can, it is nothing to be embarrassed about. It could save your life.”
Mr Simpson is speaking out as apart of Men’s Health Week and charity Cancer Focus Northern Ireland are calling on local men to be body aware, to help detect cancer earlier on.
Anthony Stuart, community wellbeing manager with Cancer Focus NI said: “Our message is positive: over the last 10 years male cancer survival rates have increased by 16.7 per cent.
“By being body aware and detecting cancer at an earlier stage there are so many more options for treatments, leading to better outcomes.
“As well as being body aware, it’s important to take steps to reduce your risk of getting cancer.
“Up to 40% of all cancers can be prevented with a healthier lifestyle and seeking appropriate support.
“There are some simple guidelines that everyone can follow – keep to a healthy weight, eat healthily, be active, take care in the sun, limit alcohol, don’t smoke, attend cancer screenings if eligible and get unexplained changes in your body checked out by your doctor.
“It’s our mission to encourage men to take action and improve their health, and these days men seem more aware of preventable health problems and the importance of seeking early medical advice and treatment, which is great news.”
