Testicular cancer awareness month is in full swing and with it comes our no frills guide on how to check your nuts! It’s extremely important that you regularly examine your testicles as it may one day just save your life. It’s normal for one of your boys to be bigger or hang lower than the other, so this is definitely nothing to worry about.

For anything else that may concern you, or to make sure you’re always on the safe side, follow this simple step by step guide on how to check your nuts!

Take a shower

It’s not mandatory that you have to clean your balls before you check them, but it does help to relax them beforehand. A warm shower will relax your skin and allow for a closer or better examination than if you were to do it after work or the gym, for example. If you get into a routine of always checking after you have a shower, it will become second nature and as frequent as it should be to be on the safe side.

Use your thumb and first two fingers

You want to examine one testicle at a time. Take each one between your thumb and your first two fingers. Roll them around the testicle, applying a consistent gentle pressure, to feel for any lumps or changes in size, shape or consistency. Take your time and don’t worry if it feels a little tender, this is normal. You should only be concerned if there is real pain when you touch them.

Get familiar with your epididymis

The often forgotten about epididymis is just as important to check as your testicles. This is the tube like part of the scrotum located behind the testicles. It should feel rope like and tender under pressure, this is absolutely normal. Again, feel for any lumps or changes in size or shape.

Don’t panic if you notice something strange

The vast majority of lumps, bumps or changes in shape or size found in the testicles are usually not cancerous. Many instances of this end up being cists or fatty build-ups that can be easily remedied. So don’t panic if you do find something, it may end up being nothing to worry about at all.

Get it looked at straight away

However, either way, it is extremely important that you get it checked out as soon as you can. Visit your GP and they will advise you on the next steps, which may or may not include having an ultrasound scan. If caught early enough testicular cancer is highly curable, with a 95% survival rate. But again it does depend how early you detect it.

Not just in testicular cancer awareness month!

So gentlemen, please, in the month of April start to develop the habit of repeating these steps as often as you can. Then make it a frequent thing moving forward for the rest of your life – you never know – it may one day save it!

April is testicular cancer awareness month. Throughout the next 30 days, charities like Baggy Trousers UK will be doing more than ever to raise awareness and funds to help support those experiencing testicular cancer. Sadly, over 2400 people in the UK are diagnosed with testicular cancer every year. If detected early though, the chances of a full recovery are extremely high.

This is why raising awareness and reducing any embarrassment around the subject is vital, not only throughout April, but all year round too. To help improve understanding and encourage more people to check their balls, we’ve come up with 5 things you may not have heard about testicular cancer.

1. It is 95% curable if detected early

The lifetime risk of dying from testicular cancer is around 1 in 5000, if detected early. Okay, so it might be a bit much to start right off the bat with death, but this is perhaps the most important fact of them all. The earlier you detect it, the easier your recovery will be. It is as simple as that. Treatment is so effective that the chances of a full recovery are excellent – but again – only if you check your balls often enough to find it.

Therefore, fellas, fondling your balls on a regular basis is extremely important. And let’s be honest, a lot of fun too, so why not?

How to check your nuts

1. Sit back and relax after a warm shower (steady now, don’t get too excited) as your skin will be at its most relaxed.
2. Take your time, and check one at a time.
3. Take one testicle between your first two fingers and your thumb and roll them around with gentle pressure.
4. Check for any lumps or changes in shape, size, colour or consistency.
5. Do the same for your epididymis (your spermatic chord / the tube-like thing at the back of the testicle).

It’s normal for the epididymis to feel tender under gentle pressure. Also, don’t panic if you do notice a lump or anything concerning, most of the time it is not cancer. However, it is important that you visit your doctor as soon as you can to have it checked out.

More information on how to check your nuts.

2. One of the most common cancers for young men

Overall, testicular cancer is relatively rare, making up just 1% of all cancers in men. However, it is the most common type to occur in men between the ages of 15 and 49. Although men past their 50s can and are still affected by testicular cancer, the chances of you getting it are a lot higher in your twenties and thirties.

3. Exact causes are still unknown

Despite research, the exact causes of testicular cancer are still largely unknown. For example, we know that smoking severely increasing chances of lung cancer, but there is no equivalent for testicular cancer. However, based on statistics from previous patients, there are a number of factors that can increase your risk of developing it.

Rather curiously, Caucasian men have a higher risk of getting testicular cancer than men from other ethnic groups, and so do taller men. Twins also have an increased risk of testicular cancer, especially if they are identical. Other factors include a family history of testicular cancer, or if you are born with an undescended testicle.

4. Testicles are removed through the abdomen

If you do find a lump that is concerning, your GP may advise you to have an ultrasound scan and some blood tests. You may also see a urologist, which is a specialist that diagnoses and treats disorders of the bladder, kidneys, prostate, ureters and male reproductive organs.

If they determine from your scans and blood test results that your testicle may have a cancerous tumour, it will need to be removed to be tested. The operation is called an orchidectomy.

What a lot of people don’t know is that in most cases this is done via the lower abdomen. Your scrotum (ballbag) is left untouched. The operation will result in a scar on one side of your lower abdomen, much similar to those who have had their appendix out.

5. You can have a ball job!

Breast augmentations (boob jobs) have been around since the 60s, but did you know you can have a ball job too? Before an orchidectomy, a testicular cancer patient is offered the choice of having a prosthetic replacement. The vast majority of young men will take the prosthetic option, but older men are more likely to turn it down and live with one testicle.

These are made of silicone, much similar to the material used in any other augmentation procedure, and come in a range of different sizes. They feel slightly firmer to the touch, but visually from the outside no different at all. Just don’t expect to be on page 3 with them anytime soon.

References

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/testicular-cancer/

https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/patient-information/insertion-of-an-artificial-testicle/

Jack Hinton was just 24-years-old when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2019. The musical theatre actor who lives in London, shares his story about discovering a lump in his testicle, and the subsequent surgery. Jack, who’s now 26, sought support from Baggy Trousers UK following his diagnosis, and is returning the favour by hosting an online fundraising concert…

Jack said: ‘At first, I noticed a small lump on my right testicle and went to my nearest doctor to get it checked. I was assured by the doctor that it was nothing to worry about and all would be fine. The following week I then flew to Germany to start rehearsals for my next job. Two months later, I then realised that what was once a small lump had grown into the size of a large tennis ball. This was ultimately when I knew that something was not right and so, I went straight to a hospital in Germany where I was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

‘Four days after my diagnosis, I underwent surgery to remove the tumour. The staff at the hospital warned me that the tumour was an aggressive one, so they tried to get me into the theatre for surgery as soon as they could. I went in for my surgery and then had to stay in the hospital for five days. After this, I left the hospital to get back to resuming rehearsals but for the next eight weeks, had to come back to the hospital once a week for blood tests to ensure that I was keeping on the mend.

‘I am so pleased and relieved that my prognosis is now all clear and I aim to get a check-up every six months. Given that I was in Germany throughout my experience, I wasn’t aware of any UK based charities at the time. Baggy Trousers UK was one of the charities I researched when I returned home, and as soon as I got in direct contact with Jack [the founder], and we spoke about our experiences, I knew I picked the right charity. Seeing the support the charity offers is wonderful. When the idea came to me to host a show; I knew I wanted to associate it with a charity.

‘I hosted a concert on Thursday 3^rd December 2020, at a theatre in London. I used my platform in this concert to share all about my story and experience, fighting testicular cancer. Throughout the show, I sang some songs, all of which mean a lot to me and have relevance to my story.

‘This concert was also professionally filmed and streamed online for £5 per ticket to raise funds in aid of Baggy Trousers UK.

‘Throughout my recovery period post-surgery, I felt alone and didn’t know how to be feeling or what the next steps to take were. I wanted to speak about this in my concert and with hope, resonate with others who may have felt like this also. It’s such an impactful event in one’s life, experiencing cancer and especially for men who are still carved out in today’s society to just ‘get on with it’ etc.; I feel I now have a duty from experience that I can share with others and with hope, help others to not feel so alone. To show my efforts in wanting to do this, I wanted to donate the money I raised through ticket sales and give it to an amazing charity raising awareness and support for others fighting the same battle.

‘To other men, my age, older and younger, I would say – CHECK YOUR NUTS! I do it once a week. Of course, the first couple of times it may be “scary” as one may not want to have to think about what they may find down there. However, it’s so worth it and nowhere near as scary as it being too late!

‘The body has an indescribable way of telling you that something’s wrong. Even after my first appointment with the doctor who assured me everything was ‘okay’, I knew in my heart of heart’s everything wasn’t. You can never be too careful and nothing is more important than your health and happiness.’

You can find Jack on Instagram @JACKHINTON__ (that’s a double underscore) Or on Twitter: @JACKHINTON_ (single underscore)

Over the past five years we have reached over 3 million people online, delivered awareness talks to over 15,000 young adults and engaged with over 50 males directly affected by testicular cancer.

The generosity of our supporters has enabled us to make a real difference in our mission to offer emotional, financial and practical support to those directly affected by testicular cancer. Together ensuring that those affected receive the best possible support after a cancer diagnosis and throughout recovery.

As a small charity, we very much rely on supporter donations to deliver our charitable aims. The financial climate for charities like Baggy Trousers UK is particularly hard at the moment and our fundraising needs to be balanced with our focus on making an impact delivering life-saving educational talks and providing support to people directly affected by testicular cancer.

We need your help. I am writing this blog today to ask if you would be willing to offer your support in the form of a vital donation?

£25 could pay for our online support forum to run for one week, the forum gives people access to peer support online 24 hours a day.

£50 could pay for 1,000 awareness leaflets, designed to educate young adults on how to check themselves for the signs and symptoms of testicular cancer.

£100 could pay for the delivery of an awareness talk to a school or college helping young adults to learn all about testicular cancer and become confident in their own wellbeing.

Donations can be made:

Online via our website, www.baggytrousersuk.org/donate.

A regular donation through our monthly giving option via our website.

By cheque, please make cheques payable to Baggy Trousers UK and post to Richmond House, Hill Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, OL7 0PZ.

Any support you can offer will allow us to continue our life-saving work with young men.

Thank you in advance,

Yours sincerely,

Jack Broadley

Founder & CEO of Baggy Trousers UK

On the 5th October, Sophie Bull, Hannah Albans and Sophie’s mother Jill will be taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge in aid of testicular cancer charity Baggy Trousers UK. The challenge consists of taking on the peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough totalling a massive 24 miles and 1585m (5200ft) of ascent in just under 12 hours.

In preparation for the challenge Sophie and Hannah bought new hiking gear, they made sure they met up when they were able to, to bed their boots in. Sophie and Hannah travelled up to Derbyshire to clamber up Mam Tor, down to the Chiltern Hills and walked as many local routes as possible ranging from 8 to 20 miles in length to get them ready for the challenge. In between these walks, they also attended the gym and different classes to help improve their stamina and general fitness.

Sophie, Hannah and Jill are taking on this challenge and raising vital funds in aid of Baggy Trousers UK after Sophie’s husband was diagnosed with testicular cancer in November 2018. Sophie became obsessed with researching the disease and always found herself looking on Instagram for success stories and UK testicular charities to follow to help with her research. This is how Sophie first came across Baggy Trousers UK.

Sophie’s husband Greg was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Luckily, it was caught early enough and after an operation and a small dose of chemotherapy he is, hopefully, now cancer free! Baggy Trousers UK made contact with Sophie after seeing a post of hers on Instagram where they were kind enough to offer their support to Greg. This meant a lot to Sophie at the time, therefore when it came to choosing a charity for their challenge Sophie thought of Baggy Trousers UK straight away. Sophie said “I wanted to raise money for a smaller, less known charity so I’m so pleased we were able exceed our target of £1000”.

“Guys… Get to know your testicles. Give them a check regularly and go to the doctors if something doesn’t feel right. It took my husband a while to pluck up the courage to go but there is no need to be scared! Nearly a year on from diagnosis, Greg is healthy and all blood tests are clear” said Sophie.

Sophie, Hannah and Jill would like to take this opportunity to thank all of their lovely family and friends who have made such kind donations to help them reach their target, and who have supported them through this tough year. Sophie personally wants to thank Hannah, who was a huge support for herself and Greg through his diagnosis and treatment and for wanting to complete this challenge with her. “I am so lucky to have her as a best friend! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!” said Sophie.

You can sponsor Sophie, Hannah and Jill via their online fundraising page: www.justgiving.com/sophandhan

Baggy Trousers UK is a survivor-led male cancer charity based in Greater Manchester, their aim is to educate people on the signs and symptoms of testicular cancer and actively promote the benefits of early detection. Baggy Trousers UK works hard to reduce embarrassment and save lives through our engaging awareness campaigns.

Baggy Trousers UK offers peer-to-peer support through a range of different activities that are organised monthly and quarterly. The activities are aimed to bring people together that have faced a diagnosis who share the same or similar thoughts and experiences. Baggy Trousers UK aims to provide emotional, financial and practical support to those directly affected by testicular cancer.

Baggy Trousers UK can be reached via telephone on 0800 772 3910 and email info@baggytrousersuk.org.

Founder Jack Broadley and Treasurer Jessica Rae attended Music for Merrick on Sunday 30th July 2017, a fundraising event in aid of BaggyTrousersUK.

Organiser Joely Mitchell said “I chose to raise money in aid of BaggyTrousersUK as my brother in law, Jamie, is currently fighting Testicular Cancer.

He is 12 months in and still has a long road ahead, but we are all very optimistic.  When we found out that Jamie had cancer, it obviously took us as a family, by total surprise. We were all so shocked and upset, but we’ve all pulled together to be there to support Jamie, Cara and their 3 children in whatever way we can.

I did a google search online to see if there were any charities out there that could provide extra support to Jamie, even just someone who’s fought or fighting it to be able to talk to Jamie, I felt it would be a massive help. It was then that I came across Jack Broadley and the charity he set up BaggyTrousersUK.

After reading his story, I felt that I absolutely had to do something more to support Jamie, but at the same time raise money for BaggyTrousersUK to enable them to keep spreading awareness about how to check yourself for testicular abnormalities that may otherwise go undetected until it’s too late, so I came up with the idea of ‘Music for Merrick’.

After speaking to Jack for some time on the phone and discussing my plans, it was full steam ahead to piece the event together and I am pleased to say that with 6 weeks of tireless planning, we did it!

We had over 400 people through the gates of Hemel Hempstead Football Club and had live music from a local band called UnderView and DJ Dan Cassidy, various food vendors, stall holders and inflatables for the children to play on.

The atmosphere was incredible and despite a 20 minute down-pour, the sun then came out and stayed with us for the rest of the day.

As a result of the event, I, along with my friends, Gemma Reynolds, Ben Whittle, Charlotte Hosier and James Hood, to name a few, managed to raise £817.83 which I am incredibly happy with.

I would now like to make this an annual event as a lot of people that came, asked if we were going to do it again. I feel that with 12 months of planning, instead of 6 weeks, next year’s event will be even bigger and better!!”

Jack said, “I’m so glad that Jamie was able to join us on the day and see how much support he has behind him, Jamie had just finished a round of chemotherapy treatment that morning, he was in high spirits all day! We’re very grateful for the support and funds raised on the day. I would like to personally thank Joely for doing such a great job in organising a fantastic event in such a short amount of time.”

If you would like to organise your own fundraising event in aid of BaggyTrousersUK visit our Fundraise section.

I was your average 21-year-old, girlfriend, healthy lifestyle involved in stock car racing every weekend and doing what an average 21-year-old would do.

I noticed a lump on my left testicle but chose to ignore it for a few days as I thought it was nothing and would just pass. A few days later my girlfriend noticed something also at this point she insisted that I must go to the doctor. Without the persistence of her I’m unsure I would have gone.

I booked a doctor’s appointment online as I was nervous and didn’t want to tell the receptionist I had a lump on my testicle, I went to the doctors on the Friday (June) only to find out I had booked the doctor’s appointment for the September, although the receptionist had seen what I had put on the form and got me an appointment straight away.

I saw the doctor and expressed my concern in which he explained it would probably be just a cyst but would check anyway. The doctor went on to do an examination and was concerned so decided to refer me to Tameside hospital where I saw an oncologist the following Thursday.

The oncologist examined me and assured me “good news it’s not cancer” in which I had a gut feeling that I didn’t believe him. I told the oncologist I didn’t believe him and would like a second opinion then at my request the oncologist arranged an ultrasound on Sunday.

That night I came away with different thoughts and sat down with my mum and told her “I think it is cancer”, I didn’t know at this point but my gut was telling me that it was. We had a chat and I told her I was going to kick its ass and that’s the way I wanted to deal with it.

I attended the ultra sound with my mum, whilst she waited in the waiting room I went in and I asked the technician all sorts of questions and what he was looking at so I could try and understand it too, once he completed the scan he then talked through what he found and explained to my mum (who is a nurse) in medical terms.

After this my mum went away and spoke to some people she knew in the medical world and I got an appointment at The Christie the following Wednesday. I went on to do more scans and tests, they sat me in the room, with my mum and dad and this was the point they told me I have cancer. They wanted to operate on me as soon as possible although they said the next day was probably too soon so they will be doing it on Thursday 9th July 2015.

On the day of the 9th I was tense and nervous but excited as I felt this journey would end in the way in which I would no longer have cancer but open a new door as I could use my experience to meet new people and new experiences, once I came around after the anaesthetic I was very sleepy but determined to go home as soon as possible (I now realise I should have stayed in overnight) but wanted to prove to myself and everyone else I hadn’t been beaten!

It was at this point that I received overwhelming support from the racing community through Facebook and letters through the post. Although I was very determined to get back to ‘normal’ and get back into racing, I soon realised that maybe I couldn’t go back as soon as I’d thought. This was the biggest struggle for me as I couldn’t do things straight away and as well as I could before cancer, especially not being able to race.

I was riding a wave for a few months but eventually that wave crashed and with a huge help from family and people at the Christie I managed to pick my feet up and turn my experience back into something positive which I wanted to do from the very day of starting this rollercoaster.

I set about getting in touch with various cancer charities and became a CRUK ambassador, in which I have had some amazing experiences and met some people of all ages that have gone through similar experiences.

When I had my first operation I was asked if I would like a prosthetic, but unfortunately they didn’t have time to get one for me. So, I was told once my scar tissue had recovered enough I could have one put in. This happened 12 months after my first operation. I felt for me this would be a closure of my treatment.

As I sit here writing this 16 month after being told I had cancer I am finally preparing myself for getting back into my stock-car and preparing for next year’s full season. Its only now I realize at how important racing is to me and my life. Racing was one of my biggest drive to get back to full health and not just to bow out without one last shot.

Although I’ve had a bit of a rollercoaster ride, Cancer has opened new doors and a chance to meet new people and given me a purpose to which I feel is to promote the education and awareness of a cancer that I have had but before I had never known anything about.

It’s now I would like to thank the people who have helped me and are still helping me though this small hurdle and would like to thank Jack at BaggyTrousersUK for encouraging me to write this.

If I didn’t have the support from my girlfriend, my family and racing I wouldn’t have got checked so soon.

My story could have ended differently, but thanks to quick acting I managed to kick cancer in the ass.

Yep! – We did it, we was granted £856.00 by Bardsley Construction via Forever Manchester!

So what do we plan to do with it?

We will be running a targeted social media campaign at males aged between 15 and 35 in Tameside and surrounding areas.

The population of Tameside is approximately 219,000+, with 49% of this number being males, we have a great audience to target and get the all-important message of check your testicles and how to perform a self-examination if they’re unsure of how to do this by using our website.

Our ultimate aim and goal with this funding is to increase awareness about testicular cancer predominantly in the Tameside area, we have found that if one person shares what we are posting then this can go to different areas and a much larger reach and engagement will be achieved.

We also attend awareness sessions and events where we set up an awareness stand with pop up banners, information leaflets, prosthetic testicles with tumors on and currently we have plain table cloths, we’re going to purchase two table cloths with the charity logo printed and the important message “Have the GUTS to check your NUTS” on there.

Here is a bit more information about the social media campaign we’re launching soon:

We plan to run a consistent social media campaign over the next seven months which will see us spending on average £100 per month in social media advertisements, from this we expect to achieve a total reach/engagement of over 15,000+ males. The approach we’re taking with the campaign is aimed to get the message out of how important it is to detect testicular cancer early in a humorous manner so that it reduces the embarrassment for males not wanting to go to the doctors or check themselves.

We’d like to thank Bardsley Construction and Forever Manchester for granting the money and helping BaggyTrousersUK move forward with the awareness.

In this post I’m going to be talking about why and how I set up the charity BaggyTrousersUK.

I was diagnosed with stage two testicular cancer that spread to nearby lymph nodes in my abdominal area, the treatment to cure this lasted over 4-6 months.

I had no idea what I was checking for, when I attended a doctor’s appointment for a viral infection the doctor asked if there was anything else worrying me, it was at that point I let the professional take over and check for me to be sure and put my mind at rest.

Within a matter of days I was sent for blood tests and an ultrasound scan – it happened so fast before I knew it I was diagnosed with cancer aged 21.

Luckily they managed to find the cancer before it spread further onto other parts of my body such as lungs and brain. After finishing the treatment, a question wouldn’t leave my mind until I did something about it – how many other young men like myself are out there worried, not wanting to go to the doctors and unsure what they’re checking for.

I decided to do some research into the statistics and the other charities out there raising awareness of the condition and noticed there wasn’t any awareness going on in Greater Manchester.

With the support from other charities I decided to set up BaggyTrousersUK with the vision and aim to increase awareness around a condition that almost took my life and reduce late diagnosis by promoting regular self checking.

In the past twelve months I’ve met some amazing people with the same vision and aims as me, there was a lot of doubt at the beginning whether I was going to do this, it wasn’t a case of proving people wrong just merely getting on with it and finding that inner passion to raise awareness.

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” – Paulo Coelho

If detected early, the chances of survival are second to none, there’s also reduced side effects and less-intense treatment, this also reduces the risk of long-term side effects too.