I hope I'm doing this right!
Last October 13th I had a full hysterectomy to remove a cancer. Everything went well and I finally went back to work in January looking forward to improving my sickness record by leaps and bounds after a couple of years of continued ill health. (Lots of gastric problems and anaemia - a battery of blood tests, gastroscopies, flexible sigmoidoscopies, pills and a referral to the occupational health department).
However ...
In November 2008 I noticed that one side of my neck was rather swollen. I went to my GP who said it was mumps. A few weeks later, the swab results came back negative for mumps and GP said it would probably subside on its own. Several months later it still hadn't subsided so I was referred to an ENT consultant who said he suspected a blocked duct but suggested a CT scan to be on the safe side.
Around this time (mid 2009) there was a lot happening - I was hospitalised for a blood transfusion due to severe anaemia and at the same time was investigated for a suspected TIA (mini stroke) with the attendant run of tests including MRI, echo-cardiogram, CT scan etc.
So I missed the appointment for the scan.
Then came the diagnosis of Cancer in my womb, and I moved home a week before being admitted for the hysterectomy. For a variety of reasons, letters did not get forwarded from my previous address for a while, so further scan appointments in the ENT clinic got overlooked.
Finally, in February 2010, I went for the scan and at the follow up appointment was told that the lump in my neck had changed texture and was probably cancerous.
Things moved quickly then! The following week I was admitted for a panendectomy and tonsillectomy on the left side. Following that there was a chest X-ray, ECG, and further CT scans on my head and chest.
At the follow up appointment in mid March, I was told that I had a cancer of the head and neck but that it was an Unknown Primary, as all the biopsies taken so far had shown clean results. I had to have the nasal biopsy taken at this point under local anaesthetic, as there had been problems with my breathing during the biopsy operation. The results from this and an MRI wiould be followed by a meeting of the Multi Disciplinary Team. I was introduced to my specialist nurse and my daughter and I were both given a booklet about head and neck cancers to read before he came to my home to discuss the prognosis with us the following day. The likely course, he told us then, was a 7 week course of radiotherapy with 3 weeks of chemotherapy. He referred me to a local Hospice where they have a day care programme, and warned that I would probably be off work for several months.
I had the MRI last Wednesday and saw my dentist on Thursday as the nurse had said it was vital to have a clean bill of oral health before I started the cancer treatment.
Then today I was told that the MDT meeting had reviewed all my results last Friday morning and decided I am to have an operation to remove the cyst in my neck and clear up any questions they might have about whether or not it is serious!
So, it might be a benign Branchial Cyst presenting late (they usually show up between 15 and 25 years old apparently), or there could be cancer in the wall of the cyst itself. I am having the operation on May 13th and will then have to wait for the histology results.
At this point in time, I am just feeling very confused. Do I have cancer? The ENT consultant said statistically, because of my age, I should have cancer - but it's probably a 50-50 chance.
Is anybody there?
........ I will let you know!
