ENT

ENT was located on the first floor of an old mill conversion.  It was OK as far as ENT departments go, smart, well organised, dull. I quite liked that the chairs were now about a mile away from any other chair and that the department was quiet, no daytime TV blasting out…no Bargain Hunt or Cash in the Attic or Lorraine as my Dentist seems to be partial to.

It was clear staff were working hard to keep everything ticking over during the pandemic…the same woman shuffled by every 10 minutes to wipe down the window ledge and the bin.  Every time somebody was called, she would appear with a spray bottle, wipe down their chair and then disappear.

My consultant was a middle-aged man that would remind you of your Dad, maybe I have him mapped out all wrong, but I imagined him to drive a Jag and be a member of a golf club somewhere.  He called me through (Catherine…I’m not even going to attempt your surname as I was now known) to his office. He took one look at me, asked me to lift my head and instantly told me it was my Thyroid…just like that “Oh it’s your thyroid!” The conversation then went like this…

“I’ll refer you for a scan…if they stick a needle in you then I want to see you back here, if they don’t then I don’t need to see you back here again!” I stared at him “are we going to do this now?” He looked at me in confusion “no…you’ll get an appointment through.  If we did it here and now our radiographers would be sat around all day doing nothing!” OK I said disappointed “What’s wrong with me?”

“Could be a lumpy thyroid…that’s common in women your age.” I started to get tearful, weeks of anxiety would now turn into more anxiety, more reflux, more sleepless nights, and I couldn’t face it, “I’m worried it’s bad.” I said. “Cancer?” he said raising his eyebrows “well if it is, we cure it! Don’t worry!”  The Nurse handed me a tissue…it was clear I needed to leave. I walked out quickly, drying my eyes, and avoiding eye contact with the people in the waiting room and behind reception…all the time annoyed that the reassurance I needed hadn’t been given and I was no closer to knowing what the hell was wrong with me. I went home, made a cup of tea and decided to see what all the fuss was about Bridgerton!