Last Wednesday, 7 March, I had an appointment with the surgeon who carried out my neck dissection and bilateral tonsillectomy etc last August.
After a thorough examination and fibre-optic endoscopy up my nose (!), he sat back, paused and delivered the following words which are now etched in my memory...
"You are no longer a patient. You have fought and beaten cancer." Needless to say, I felt pretty emotional hearing that, but I am also realistic enough to know that the "cure" word only comes about after 5 years of being cancer-free. However, I also look at it logically and think that it's a pretty fair comment because (i) there were no distant metastases; and (ii) he had excised any further potentially at risk lymph nodes (beyond those in the secondary already removed).
I will be monitored regularly (first MRI is on 22 March, so let's not jump the gun!), but, yes, as a statement of current fact...I am cancer-free.
Life goes on!
In rugby terms: "It's a try under the posts!"
