Another trip to ENT

The results were in. My usual consultant was away and I met another guy who this time really helped with the empathy. I also met Natalie, the lovely Neck Cancer Nurse, which made me think it wasn’t good news. It wasn’t...Leeds hadn’t been able to get a result either! Thyroid cells are a pain and they are manipulative, even the top consultants were baffled. Trust me to have an awkward thyroid nodule. I was fed up by now and the only option was surgery. When you’re faced with surgery it’s best to be prepared and have your questions ready, although I didn’t know if I would be or not I had anticipated this happening. I wanted to know:

• What the procedure would entail

• How long would it take, would I be staying in hospital afterwards 

• How fast was recovery

• Would I have a general anaesthetic 

• Who would perform the surgery and how many of them had they performed

• When would I have my surgery 

• How long would I need off work

• How big would my scar be 

• Did I need to isolate before surgery

• Could I do a zip line afterwards

• What if it was cancer

• Would they take all of the thyroid

• Would I be on medication for the rest of my life

• Would I be able to drive

It’s a big list, but a lot I felt I needed to know. I felt a bit daft asking if I could do a zip line but actually we had already postponed it once and I was still determined to do it. They were pretty sure I’d be good for zip lining! Don’t be afraid to ask all your questions, do not leave without getting the answers you need and when you leave make sure you have details of somebody you can contact if you have any more questions. I felt better equipped when I left to face what was coming. The consultant reassured me that he’d carried out hundreds of these procedures, they took place every Tuesday and I could go home the same day. He told me it’s a very simple procedure that takes less than an hour and a half to complete. He reassured me that he would look after me.

Having the cancer nurse there can be scary but it’s good just to have those what if questions answered. She was massively reassuring and all I would say is take it one step at a time. Whilst I worried about the surgery I also started to plan the recovery period. I shopped for some nice clothes to hide my thyroid scar, some treats to take to hospital and books I could read whilst I was off work. I saved my magazines up and looked at all the things I wanted to watch on Netflix. Perhaps this time would be an opportunity to slow down and recharge and catch up on the simple things I hadn’t been able to do for years. Reading was a big one!