Do I Have Cancer?

If you have come to this page looking for a cure for cancer then I am sorry for wasting your time, I am not a miracle worker and I do not offer alternative remedies. This is a personal journey that I am on and hopefully it will have a happy outcome.

My journey began in April 2014 or to be exact and to the point at 11:40 pm on Tuesday April 15th 2014.

It was a normal night and my Children were in bed sleeping ready for school on the Wednesday, my wife Alison and myself were sitting watching a story about a lunar eclipse on Sky News when I decided that my face had been itchy long enough and went into the bathroom to have a shave.

During my shave I noticed in the mirror that the blade of my razor disappeared from my view as I was shaving the left hand side of my neck, just below my ear. It was at that point that I realized that there was a lump on my neck. I had shaved two days before and hadn't noticed anything unusual then so this was new.

I didn't panic simply because I have been prone to ear infections for most of my life and so I just put it down to another ear infection

The next morning I made an appointment with at my local doctors surgery and not really thinking about it got on with my day, my appointment was for Thursday at 2:40 pm.

I arrived at the surgery with my wife and my youngest son Jason and waited to be called in to the doctors office, and when I got the call I realized it was a doctor that I had never seen before I won't name her, firstly because I think that she would prefer me not too and secondly because she was a locum, I have forgotten her name.

Anyway I followed her in to the office and explained that I thought I had an ear infection, she checked my ears and told me that she couldn't see any sign of infection but gave me antibiotics just in case there was an infection there that she could not see.

The she felt the lump and said to me "This is very important, I need you to come back next week if the lump is still there,"

I said that I would do that and then, I don't really know if doctors are supposed to say this, she said " You do know about cancer!" I can't explain what went through my head at that moment all I can say is that when I got home I was going to have to change my underwear.

Then the doctor told me that even if the lump was gone I should still make the appointment for a week later.

I followed her out of the office back into the waiting room where my wife and son were and for some strange reason when my wife looked at me as if to ask what. all I could say was Dum Dum Dum Dum in the tune of Beethoven's 5th overture.

A week later Wednesday 24th April 2014 at 9:am I was back in the doctor's office where again she had a good feel of the lump that was still there on my neck, then she turned into a Vampire.

I don't really mind needles so much but when they put a needle in and it has a screw tap on it I begin to worry a little, six syringes full to the top of my blood was taken out of my arm I felt like a born again blood bank!

The doctor said that she would send my blood for analysis and that it would be marked urgent and that I would hear from the hospital in a few days with an appointment to see an ear nose and throat specialist.

I received 2 letters from the hospital a week later the first letter told me to go back to my doctor's surgery and have a nurse take more samples of my blood on Monday May 12th and the second was to tell me that I had an appointment at the Hospital on May 13th.

My first visit to Hospital was like hello, feel the lump doctor your bloods are High good bye, I will book you in for an ultrasound scan and then you can come back and see me. it was all over in ten minutes.

Over a month later on 24th June I was at the hospital again for my scan and again I was in and out in under twenty minutes.

Now the long wait over 2 months this time, after repeated calls to my doctor asking for the results of my scan and them telling me that they don't have any news for me. I finally went back to the Hospital to see the ear nose and throat guy again.

"We found two areas of Concern," he told me, " One right beside your ear and one on your neck," he went on to tell me that at the moment there was nothing to worry about as these could be Cysts. but he then took out a needle and took a sample or a needle Biopsy as it is commonly known.

On Wednesday 10th of September 2014 I went back to the Hospital for the results of the biopsy, All ready to brace myself for bad news but also ready to breath again in the event of good news.

This whole appointment was a complete and utter waste of time, the doctor would have been better to call me and tell me the result.

We can't give you any results today because we missed the area with the biopsy and we need you to come back and have another biopsy, this time it will be taken with ultra sound so that we can get the exact location.

So here I am over seven months after finding Lucy lump on my neck and I am still no farther forward than when I first went to the doctors office in April.

Since that first visit the word cancer has never been said again to me either at the doctors office or at the Hospital, "Two areas of Concern," are the closest thing to a diagnosis that I have had.

I am still awaiting a letter from the Hospital about my second biopsy under ultrasound and I hope that it comes soon.

Over the last few months I have been on a roller coaster ride in my mind, I have gone through the whole range of emotions and my family have been with me all of the way, like me they just want to know the answer one way or the other and the wait is just adding to the stress.

With two areas of concern Lucy and Louie Lump are growing on me and the original lump has almost doubled in size.

Do I have Cancer? I don't know but I will keep you updated as soon as I actually find anything out.

Update Wednesday September 24th 2014

I was sitting at home yesterday when the telephone rang, It was the Hospital asking why I had not attended my appointment at 2:30 pm, I was shocked! I had not received a letter from them asking me to attend and I haven't received a telephone confirmation as I usually do a week before any appointments.

They have rearranged a time for me to attend for an Ultra sound Guided Biopsy on Thursday October 2nd.

Nearly forgot to add, Got a letter from the Hospital today asking me to attend yesterday, strange thing is there is no post date marked on it.

I will keep you posted on how it goes.