Coping With Your Diagnosis, Learning to Accept It and Deciding When to Talk About It
- “Summer House” star Jesse Solomon, 28, mustered the courage to watch himself back on the premiere of the episode where he learns he had testicular cancer. Although he feared watching the episode would trigger his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), he says watching back the emotional moment was not as bad as he thought.
- Solomon admitted to suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety, which affected his mental health. He worried that his cancer would return (recurrence). While Solomon didn’t emphasize shame and stigma surrounding testicular cancer, some men also struggle with it.
- Testicular cancer often comes with stigma and shame for men diagnosed, preventing them from talking about it openly. Solomon openly discusses his diagnosis to raise awareness about this cancer and break the stigma surrounding it.
- Solomon was diagnosed at 24 after experiencing slight pain in his testicles. He underwent surgery, but once the cancer returned, he received additional treatment that helped him reach remission. Now, five years removed from his last treatment, his anxieties have since subsided.
- Testicular cancer begins in the cells that make sperm and tends to affect younger men. This cancer is highly treatable.
“Summer House” star Jesse Solomon, 30, was diagnosed with testicular cancer at just 24 years old. As one of the most popular reality TV show cast members, his diagnosis grabbed the attention of worried fans.
Now that the episode has aired, he says rewatching the emotional moment was “not as bad as [he] thought” it would be despite having suffered from post-traumatic stress while initially coping with his diagnosis.
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The National Cancer Institute says, “Cancer-related post-traumatic stress (PTS) may or may not lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is a specific group of symptoms that affect survivors of stressful events.”
“I was really scared because West [his co-star] and I were outside, and I was bawling for a long time. To see it just condense down into a few seconds was not so bad,” Solomon explained to US Magazine.
Testicular cancer diagnoses are rare, but it is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in young men.
Depending on the stage, the disease is considered highly treatable.
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“Summer House” airs on Bravo TV and features a group of people living in a mansion, often in a picturesque area. Solomon is one of the main characters in the show’s latest season.
Though the episode where Solomon revealed his cancer diagnosis was filmed months earlier, it aired this week for the first time.
“I would’ve held it in if I could have, but I think just there were emotions. When you bottle them up, sometimes they spill over,” Solomon said.
The reality TV star also hinted that his doctor had found something else possibly concerning but did not reveal what it was to encourage viewers to watch the show to find out.
Since going public with his testicular cancer diagnosis, he’s used his public platform to raise awareness of the disease.
Expert Resources to Help Patients With Mental Health
- Changing the Culture: Medical Professionals Shouldn’t be Ashamed to Seek Mental Health Treatment
- Mental Health and Cancer — The Fight, Flight or Freeze Response
- Mental Health and Cancer: New Survey Shows Over a Third of Patients Aren’t Getting the Support They Need
- How Can Genetic Testing Help Determine the Right Form of Mental Health Treatment?
Coping With Your Mental Health After a Diagnosis
According to Mental Health America, “56% of adults with a mental illness receive no treatment, and over 27 million individuals experiencing a mental illness are going untreated.”
While millions of people have unmet mental health needs, the need for mental health resources is even greater among cancer patients and their families.
Research published in Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences found that “35 to 40 percent of cancer patients have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder,” and the number of people experiencing mental health challenges is “higher among cancer patients with advanced stages of cancer and in palliative care settings.”
Solomon admitted his anxiety was affected by the possibility of recurrence after initially beating testicular cancer.
WATCH: Helping Cancer Patients Cope With Their Mental Health During Treatment
Dr. Asher Aladjem, a board-certified psychiatrist at NYU Langone, tells SurvivorNet, “Anxiety is a protective and normal kind of symptom.”
“Sometimes the anxiety gets to the point that things stand in the way of the scan or whatever the test is, and people avoid it and run away from it. Treating the anxiety allows for the completion of the workup or the treatment or whatever the situation may be in a much more effective way,” Dr. Aladjem said.
Dr. Alagjem encourages patients to advocate for their mental health. He reminds us that even if mental health services are not offered while undergoing physical treatment for a diagnosis, patients can still ask their care team about them.
“We are trying to advocate for patients to be able to get the services that they need with whatever support they may need – whether it’s medications or therapy or nursing staff,” Dr. Alagjem added.
Jesse’s Cancer Journey
Solomon was diagnosed with testicular cancer a few years ago when he was 24. After his diagnosis, he said he experienced post-traumatic stress (PTSD) as he coped with his newfound reality.
Post-traumatic stress disorder develops when “a person has experienced or witnessed a scary, shocking, terrifying, or dangerous event,” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SAMHSA says. Symptoms of PTSD appear in the form of flashbacks, trouble sleeping or feeling isolated. A mental health professional can aid in managing these symptoms.
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Solomon’s cancer journey began after he started feeling a “twinge of pain” in his testicles.
“The doctor called me immediately and said, ‘You got to come back.’ He was like, ‘Hey, so listen, you have cancer. We don’t know for sure if you have cancer, but you’re going to have to get your testicle removed, and then we’ll know for sure,” Solomon said.
Solomon underwent surgery, which he described as “super painful,” but the procedure was successful. Afterward, he learned he didn’t need chemotherapy and that he would need to undergo regular scans a few times a year.
His recurring scans were often uneventful until one scan revealed a concerning trend.
“My blood markers came back elevated. [Solomon’s doctor] was like, ‘Yeah, you’re probably going to need either another surgery or radiation or chemo or a combination,” Solomon explained.
His cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. He was told at the time that by undergoing a combination therapy for treatment, his chances of survival were “pretty high.”
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“During chemo, I was fully bald. By the end of it, I was losing my eyebrows,” Solomon said and added he initially felt self-conscious without hair but grew to accept it.
During chemo, Solomon said he often felt sick. The fly and pneumonia further complicated his treatment. However, there was light at the end of the tunnel because the treatment was working.
Now that he’s nearly five years into remission, Solomon says he’s built his confidence to combat the anxiety of recurrence.
“The fact that it did come back, you have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) of it coming back again. Leading up to my five-year mark [last August], I was definitely getting uneasy about it, which you’ll see in the [Summer House],” Solomon explained.
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He now focuses much of his time and energy on cancer prevention and raising awareness for testicular cancer.
“A big reason why I wanted to do the show is to spread that awareness and the message that if you are going through something similar — you’re a kid with cancer — there’s light at the end of the tunnel. You’re going to get through this, and you’re going to be able to go to a party in the Hamptons with your friends someday,” Solomon said.
Coping With Testicular Cancer, Managing Potential Stigma
Detecting testicular cancer is not always easy to pinpoint due to its subtle symptoms.
Some people may even confuse the early symptoms, such as a small mass in their testicles, with an injury. But when these signs are dismissed, the cancer can grow and become worse.
Dr. Edwin Posadas, the medical director of the Urologic Oncology Program at Cedars-Sinai Cancer, previously told SurvivorNet that some men may even notice blood in their ejaculate as a result of testicular cancer. “This symptom is less common but always bad,” he said.
“It’s not uncommon to see men come in with masses on their scrotum and have inflammation of the scrotal wall; they develop pain as a result. A lump is the most common symptom of testicular cancer,” Dr. Posadas adds.
Men should regularly conduct self-exams of their testicles for anything unusual.
Testicular Cancer symptoms can include:
- Breast growth or soreness
- Early puberty in boys
- Low back pain (a potential symptom of advanced testicular cancer)
- Shortness of breath, chest pain, or a cough (a possible symptom of advanced testicular cancer)
- Belly pain (a possible symptom of advanced testicular cancer)
- Headaches or confusion (a possible symptom of advanced testicular cancer)
Stigma Surrounding Testicular Cancer
“Shame is an important topic when it comes to cancer,” Tripp Hornick told SurvivorNet in an interview.
Hornick is a testicular cancer survivor who was diagnosed with the cancer when he was in college at age 21. Acknowledging the anxiety surrounding a cancer diagnosis, especially as a young person, he stresses avoiding victimizing yourself.
WATCH: Dealing with the stigma surrounding testicular cancer.
“There’s nothing good and nothing positive about sending a message as a victim and a culture of victimhood. The way to turn the shame upside down, if you have it, is to show how strong you are,” Hornick said.
He suggested that cancer patients who focus on what makes them feel encouraged and strong go on to live successful and happy lives.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you are facing testicular cancer and want to understand your diagnosis better, consider the following questions for your doctor.
- Has my testicular cancer spread beyond the testicle?
- What stage is my cancer in?
- What other tests should I expect as I continue learning more about the disease?
- What are my treatment options?
- What side effects should I expect with the recommended treatment?
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
