After meeting with my PCP I was able to get an appointment with ENT for the very next day about the lump (lymph node) in my neck. After just a few moments the ENT said, “I don’t like this”. My ENT tells it straight. And for some that might not be what you want from a doctor, but I find it to be efficient and a little hilarious. My two favorite qualities in a person.
He recommended that I get a biopsy of the lymph node that day. So I walked into the next room and he proceeded to stick several needles in my neck guided by ultrasound and dig out some bits to be sent for testing. I am so grateful that my partner, Josephine, was there with me, holding my hand. I’ve got a great tolerance for pain, but needles in your neck… yeah.
I went home, put ice on it, and later that evening, performed at a theater for a few hundred people. It’s amazing what adrenaline can do to get you through a performance.
A few days later (very long days waiting for the ominous phone call) biopsy results came in and they were a little confusing.
Firstly, looked like cancer. But not entirely conclusive. The type was unknown. The symptoms had us believe it was lymphoma, but the biopsy said it was suspicious of carcinoma. I had no idea what those words meant, but neither sounded good. So many new terms I’ve been learning. Because the biopsy wasn’t clear, I still didn’t definitely know I had cancer.
Next step: PET scan
