So today marks the day 1 year ago that I had surgery to remove both tonsils & part of my tongue. I had had a PET CT scan 2 weeks prior, & as no one had contacted me about the results I naively thought that the issue of a small lump in my neck was nothing more worrying than an enlarged right tonsil & that surgery would resolve the problem.
I cannot describe how devastating it was then, as walking down the corridor into theatre, the surgeon proceeded to casually tell me about the cancer in my tonsil & lymph node & that they would also be removing part of my tongue. As he talked about chemo & radio & a PEG etc I felt such hopelessness & despair.
What a way to be made to feel in such an already stressful situation. Such a total lack of care & communication.
1 year on it still makes me very angry, hope no one else gets their diagnosis in such a way.
That’s just appalling Blod! Congratulations on your 1st year milestone though. I have to say that my team were incredibly sensitive and encouraging throughout. In fact I think that my surgeon should be sainted! Here’s to many more milestones to come 
Congratulations on your milestone Sian. It’s one to celebrate if the surgeon was the one that ordered your PET scan then that’s inexcusable. If it wasn’t then it’s not his fault. Somebody should have had you in for an appointment to discuss the scan results.
My surgeons secretary phoned me to arrange an appointment after my biopsy. She asked me whether I would like to come in or have a phone appointment. I told her it might be best to come in and she agreed as oncology would be there.
It happens all too frequently and the only way we can do anything about it as patients is to be armed with the right questions and be prepared to pin our team members down for an understandable answer.
In her defence she might well have know that I presented myself at my initial consult with my own diagnosis already but you know what it’s like. You might KNOW you have cancer but there’s always hope that you don’t.
Dani
Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019
