Tuesday 5th March 2013. Up at 5.30am, no breakfast allowed, leave house 6.30am, get to hospital 7.30am. They tell my husband to ring at 1pm to arrange my collection. I am sent to the waiting lounge on the day ward. There are about 30 other people waiting. I get out my book and start reading. 9.30am I finish my book. I look around and realise I am the only person left sitting there, everyone else seems to be in their gowns ready for surgery, some have already been to theatre and come back again! I find a nurse and politely enquire if I have been forgotten about! She says no, I am last on the theatre list and they can't get me ready as my consent form isn't done and my Consultant wants to see me first.
The Consultant arrives soon afterwards and we have a little chat. He wants to be sure I understand what is happening and asks me to tell him in my own words. I tell him that I understand that I probably have cancer, that I have a suspected secondary tumour in my neck and that today I am having an exploratory thing under general anaesthetic to look for signs of cancer in my mouth and throat, which would be the primary site. Exactly he says. He goes on to explain that he will be taking tiny samples of cells to biopsy. This will include from the voicebox, the tongue and the roof of the mouth. I will therefore have a sore mouth for a few days. My voice will be croaky and I am to rest it. There may be swelling and bruising. Fine I say, no problem.
I then get the unexpected news that they would like my consent to also remove my tonsils at the same time. It means that it will be a longer operation, I can't go home tonight, and I will be off work 2-3 weeks. Apparently there is such a thing as tonsil cancer, and there is a small chance that I have this. If they take a biopsy from the tonsils and there is a problem, then there would have to be another operation later. So best to do it now. Fine I say, and I ring my husband to tell him I'm not coming home today. Read another book while I wait for the operation.
Operation goes fine but I wake up with very sore mouth and face. Go back to day ward where I am to wait on a trolley till a bed can be found later on tonight. Fortunately I had taken their advice and packed an overnight bag which went off somewhere to be stored. When they bring me my bag the first thing I do is get out my mirror. It is not a pretty sight. One black eye, one very puffy lip, one black and very swollen tongue. I look and feel like I have been beaten up. Get the phone out to text my husband. Unable to ring him as I can only manage to whisper. Realise there is hardly any credit left on the phone and the battery is nearly dead. I had really not expected to have to stay in. I thought I had packed everything you could want but I hadn't remembered a phone charger!
Eventually get a bed on a ward. I am told to eat and drink but it is such a struggle, so painful. I do try but I don't manage too much. Nurse warns me that if I don't eat breakfast tomorrow that I won't be going home. She stands over me while I drink a jug of water and eat a chocolate biscuit.
I'm now getting very bored and fed up. I've read both my books, I can't use my phone much, and even if I could talk there is nobody to talk to as the other patients are all coming round from ops. I decide to try to get some sleep but that doesn't work either, there is a lot of noise on the ward. I am on hourly monitorings which go on through the night, and if I do doze off I'm usually woken by someone taking my blood temperature.
The morning finally comes. I am very tired and I can't wait to get home. I eat 2 slices of toast but it is agony and it takes me nearly half an hour. A Doctor comes round at about 8am and says I can go. I'm already dressed and packed in hopeful anticipation. I then find out I have to wait for my drugs to come up from the pharmacy. I am having a strong painkiller to take before I eat and something to reduce the swelling. I try to get the nurse to remove my cannula but she says it can't come out till I am ready to go. The drugs finally arrive but now I can't find the nurse. Eventually the cannula is removed and I am back to the waiting area to wait for my husband. I am so pleased to see him, the traffic home isn't too bad. We're back home in time for lunch, then I have a nice soak in the bath and I'm off to bed.
