Submandibular gland Surgery

Hi

I've had a lump on my neck for over 2 years now. After putting it off for ages I went to see my GP and had my bloods done, which came back clear.

He refered me for an ultrasound, which I thought nothing about it, and I was actually shocked to then receive a letter for a guided needle test of the neck.

I was really scared about it and put it off for months but finally mastered up all my courage and had it done. I did find it quite painful but bearable.

During that appointment the doctor told me it looks like a pleomoephic adenoma on my submandibular gland and will most likely require surgery.

I've been referred to ENT and had my appointment last Friday. I was so hoping to receive the result of my FNA but unfortunately the test didn't offer any clear result. I felt very disappointed as the 3 weeks waiting time already felt really hard.

The consultant also said surgery would be best and they will remove the whole submandibular gland and any lymph nodes if affected. Then only after surgery they can confirm a diagnosis. I asked about the size of the tumor, I can't remember the exact measurements but after asking wether it's considered big or small he said it's fairly big. I can actually feel it sometimes pressing on my throat and tongue when lying on my side.

I have requested the results of the ultrasound and FNA, I'm just curious to read it myself.

I'm now on the waiting list for surgery, which will probably happen in the next 3-4 months. It honestly feels like an eternity and I really struggle with not letting it control my day to day life. I know I haven't been diagnosed with cancer but  this time of uncertainty just feels awful.

I'm also quite scared about permanent nerve damage through surgery. Is it a common procedure, will only experienced doctors perform? How is recovery after surgery?

I just have so many questions in my head and googling really doesn't help... I really hope to hear from people who went through something similar.

 Thank you for reading all of this.