I was overdue for a max fax procedure to remove broken, decaying teeth, install implants and check my inner cheek. Lockdown on 17 August had put paid to that.
At first I worried about my cheek which is always sore on and off but 2 – 3 weeks into lock down I felt a new pain. On 14 September I reached out to one of our CNS’s here in Auckland. I hadn’t had back of tongue and throat pain referring to the ear before.
My surgeon rang as a result of the nurse’s message and made an appointment in the next couple of weeks. I think both he and I expected it to be nothing serious.
29 September
Appointment with surgeon – around left tonsil area was a striking 2 cm throat ulcer that looked cancerous. My vague instincts had been right.
6 October
CT Scan at Waitakere Hospital
8 October
MDM without me (Covid) and phone call. Looked okay but they needed more info. Liver a bit out of shape.
14 October
Small exploratory procedure under anaesthetic.
15 October
Surgeon rang – tumour not too bad. Removable through neck and would need a patch or flap. It was between tonsil and voice box.
17 October
PET at Mercy Milford
21 October
PET results on GP’s Patient Portal. Liver clear but I couldn’t interpret oropharyngeal results.
23 October
MDM without me, my surgeon was away but I was emailed a surgery date. Both max fax and ORL teams would work together to do both ops at same time.
27 October
Surgery
Conclusion: I kept confusing my acquaintances with all my different procedures and by the fact that I was admitted to hospital for a surgery that wasn’t a surgery but when you look at the timeline, things have proceeded fast. Maybe lockdown meant it was easier to get scans? Anyway, I feel grateful for this speedy and efficient diagnostic process and I’m glad I approached the hospital in September, however hesitantly.
