Sitting in the lobby at UF Shands/Jacksonville waiting for my CT scan. I’m hungry and tired after a long and stressful day. Seems like a good time to write a little in my journal about my experience as a 2 time cancer survivor so far.
On Monday, July 14th I was diagnosed with oral cancer by Dr. Salomon Israel. I went to Dr. Israel because I had discovered a lump under my tongue a week earlier while retrieving a blueberry seed that had become stuck there. He was concerned about it and performed a biopsy right away. I mentioned that I was a cancer survivor and asked if there was a chance it was cancer. His response, “very likely.” Fuck! I was anxious and stunned but appreciated Dr. Israel’s quick action and honesty. If I had cancer I wanted to know about it as soon as possible before it had the chance to spread.
A week later the pathology report confirmed Dr. Israel’s suspicion and he set up today’s appointment with Dr. Fernandes at the University of Florida/Shands campus in Jacksonville. Dr. Fernandes has a phenomenal reputation as a surgeon and is known for his vascular reconstruction skills.
Our meeting went very well. Dr. Fernandes was very down to earth and easy to talk to. He explained the staging process for my cancer and some of the treatment options. After a physical exam he told us he didn’t feel any lymph node involvement and that the tumor seemed to be in an early stage, possibly 1-2. A CT scan would be necessary to check the lymph nodes and he also needed to see the chest x-ray I had done a few weeks earlier as part of the follow up to my non-Hodgkins lymphoma in order to complete the staging process.
He sent me right over to the lab for some blood work while his office worked on getting insurance approval for the CT scan. The nurse there was awesome and got my vein with the first try! Having blood work after chemo is not as easy as it used to be. Dodging needles seems to be a post-chemo sport my veins!
I am a warrior!
Attas – 2, cancer – 0