'My GP mistook my testicular cancer for an STI'

A student forced to miss out on university due to testicular cancer has said his GP initially mistook the disease for a sexually transmitted infection.

Oli Penno, 19, from Cornwall, said he started experiencing swelling and pain in one of his testicles in October 2023, but his GP initially thought it was an infection.

With the "constant pain" persisting, however, he returned to his GP a further two times, before an impromptu trip to A&E in January 2024 led to an official testicular cancer diagnosis.

Having to undergo surgery and chemotherapy, Oli felt "bitter" about missing out on university and worried about the future, but he now feels grateful that his treatment has given him "so much more time".

He expressed frustration at the initial misdiagnosis but acknowledged that people make mistakes, and now, with his newfound "confidence", he wants to help other young people going through cancer diagnoses.

Oli told PA: "Cancer will change you on the inside and the outside, you’ll become a much better person for it… nothing will make you stronger. That’s what really got me through it, just thinking, ‘If I can do this, I can do anything afterwards’.

"If you think something isn’t right, challenge what the doctor says because they do make mistakes. Everyone’s human."

In October 2023, Oli experienced swelling and pain in his right testicle and visited his GP, who said it was an infection and prescribed antibiotics. When the swelling did not subside, he said he returned a further two times and was told he should get tested for a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and urinary tract infection (UTI).

However, in early January 2024, Oli woke up in agony and called NHS 111, prompting an urgent visit to A&E in Bath, where doctors completed a physical exam, an ultrasound, blood tests and a CT scan. He then received the devastating news that he had testicular cancer and it had spread to his abdomen and he had lesions on his lungs.

"I was extremely worried because I’d known I’d had symptoms for ages, so I thought, how bad could it have gotten over those three, almost four, months waiting?" Oli said.

At the time, Oli was in the first year of his sociology and politics degree at Bath Spa University and he said "everything changed".

He was told he needed to undergo an orchidectomy, a surgical procedure to remove his right testicle, followed by chemotherapy, and Oli feared the "unknowns" ahead.

"I was worried about, will I get back into university afterwards? Will my friendships stay the same? How will people treat me during it?" he said.

"It was fast-spreading and I thought I could spend the last couple weeks of my life having chemo and then doctors could tell me that they couldn’t do anything to save me."

Surgery to remove his testicle took place on January 16, 2024 and Oli said it all went well and he now has a "cool scar".

However, being told there could be potential side effects of infertility and lowered testosterone production, Oli feared he might need further treatment, such as testosterone replacement therapy, later on.

He said: "These side effects can have a big impact on your life, especially as I’m a young man still growing up and developing. I was worried about whether my mates would think of me differently because of the surgery – which, luckily, they didn’t."

After surgery, Oli started the first of three rounds of chemotherapy in Bristol and he had difficult conversations with his friends and family about the future.

He described his diagnosis as a "rollercoaster", but one particular conversation stands out as being the most emotional.

"I was really open about it with my close friends from home and said: ‘I think there’s a chance this could be it for me’," Oli said.

"It was a terrible conversation to be having at 18… we’d gone from planning a big trip abroad for when we’d finished uni, to thinking I might not make it through the year."

Oli said his friends, family, girlfriend, Teenage Cancer Trust nurse Liz and the entire team at Ward D603 at the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre were incredibly supportive, helping him through the "high days and low days".

After finishing treatment in April, Oli thought he could "finally start getting back into things", but he was admitted to hospital three more times with infections, including sepsis, causing him to lose 10kg in a week.

He said this was "scary" and it was difficult seeing his friends continue with university life.

"I felt like I was missing out… but at the same time, that was almost uplifting because I thought that’s what I will be able to do once I’m better, so it kept me going," he said.

After being declared cancer-free, Oli decided to fundraise to help other young people with cancer, raising more than £4,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust with 3,000 push-ups in a month.

He required a second surgery in December to remove any potentially cancerous lymph nodes, leaving him with six more scars along the bottom of his abdomen, but he said these now remind him of his "growth".

Oli has had two parties to celebrate making it through treatment and is having regular check-ups and tests to ensure "everything is all clear".

He is now on a mission to raise awareness to help others with cancer and wants to encourage people to get checked if they notice any unusual symptoms.

"I never thought I’d be in a position where something’s happened to me but I’ve been able to turn that into a way I can help people," he said. Hopefully, even if it’s just one person, sharing my story will affect their life for the good."

Oli is backing Teenage Cancer Trust’s Only Young Once campaign, which is raising awareness of the impacts of cancer and the support needed to help teenagers cope and rebuild their lives afterwards.

To find out more, visit: teenagecancertrust.org/youngonce.

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