Awaiting referral... scared and don't know what to do with myself

Hi, I think you should share this with your family. My husband had exactly the same thing. He had a sore throat for about 4 weeks just before Christmas it wasn’t until he found a lump in his neck that he went to the doctors. Fast forward and everything happened pretty quickly after that. You usually get an appointment in 2 to 3 weeks. You will have a camera test and possibly a biopsy if they think it’s cancerous. An mri and a ct scan will follow after that, and later a pet scan. It sounds daunting and scary and I don’t deny it is. But if it is cancer they will be on it and will look after you amazingly well. One piece of advice would be take someone with you and write down in advance any questions you might have because it’s a lot to take in when you are there. Hope all goes well.

Good luck 

Sue

Thank you for your reply Sue, I really appreciate your honesty and advice. I hope your husband is doing well <3 

Thankyou he has hpv right side tonsil cancer with affected lymph nodes. He is having daily radiotherapy for six weeks and chemo once a week for five weeks. He has just finished week two and is doing well. The treatment is hard but the cancer has a high cure rate.positivity ie the key.

That's rough, but you're right, a positive attitude is often the best medicine. Wishing you both all the best <3

Hi. Pop over to join us in the Head and Neck cancer Group 

There are lots of friendly helpful people there who have gone through what you are. 90% of referrals are not cancer so try to hold onto that.

As for telling family I shared this only with my husband till my treatment plan was in place. I have friends who I know wouldn't leave me alone and others who would run away. Also I wasn't in a fit state to have to cope with my family's grief....it was enough coping with mine.

But then it's a very personal thing and my children and steps are grown up and living away from home. If you are the sharing type then letting everybody know can help, I guess

Good luck with the referral. Your GP is on the ball which is a good thing