When body shame can prove fatal

I used to be an avid cyclist and when I read that Lance Armstrong had testicular cancer and I read unverified reports associating testicular cancer with excessive cycling, I naturally got rather worried. There are videos on YouTube explaining how we can check for testicular cancer and every man is advised to do it. I tried examining myself but it was very hard for me to tell if there was any abnormality. I did notice, however that my left testicle was slightly different from my right. And because I post a lot of nude selfies online, a friend told me that my left testicle looked 'tighter' than my right. I decided to find out once and for all if I had testicular cancer and booked to see a urologist - that's the expert on such a thing. 

Yesterday, I had an appointment with my urologist at the hospital. The urologist examined me and then used an ultra-sound machine to scan me. He told me that there was absolutely nothing wrong with either testicle. The testicles were 'very smooth' and 'not hard' (his words). Apparently if they are hard and not smooth, you may be looking at testicular cancer. He also showed me on the ultra-sound screen that blood flow to and out of my testicles was normal and perfectly healthy. 

I was told that it's normal to have one testicle lower than the other. Nature makes us that way so that when you put your thighs together you don't crush the testicles. There are many variations in our organs and we sometimes wrongly expect perfect symmetry when nature wisely intends for them to be asymmetrical. But unless we see a professional medical practitioner with expertise in this area, it's very hard for us to be sure if there is something wrong with our bodies. I was also told that there are many men who are ashamed to see a doctor even if they suspect there is some abnormality in their testicles. This is particularly common in my society where people are generally very conservative. There are many patients who wait until the cancer has spread elsewhere before they get themselves treated and by then, the prognosis is usually bleak. 

I can understand how most people feel. Even though I am a rather open naturist and I am by no means ashamed of my nudity, having the testicles examined is quite a different thing altogether and even for me, it requires a bit of mental preparation. If that is how I feel, what about those who aren't even naturists? 

So, whatever your feelings may be, just go and get yourself tested. Ultra-sound imaging is totally non-invasive. 

Feeding my fish and knowing that my body parts are perfectly healthy and normal and I have one cancer fewer.