Today we went to downtown Toronto to meet the oral specialist. After filling up a lot of hospital forms and got my hospital card, the nurse told us a resident would meet with us. I immediately asked "Resident? I'm here to see Dr. C2!" After all this time I did not come to this appointment to see a resident. I need to see a specialist. Duh! So the nurse told Dr. C2 I wanted to talk to him.
Anyway, Resident lady still came, she asked all the necessary questions and my medical history. She checked everything from my neck up and the palate. Resident lady couldn't see the tumor until I showed her. She said it was so small. Well after that, Dr. C2 finally came. He pretty much said the same things as Dr. A told us, nothing really new, except maybe he gave us more details about the surgery and recovery period. Dr. C2 did confirm the tumor is non-invasive and surgery is the treatment. I asked if there is a chance of recurrence after it is removed. He said no. That is one bit of good news.
Dr. C2 also confirmed that the tumor is very rare and that it is best that the surgery/treatment be made at their hospital in downtown Toronto. They have dealt with a couple of cases in the past and are familiar with it. Would you believe my case is quite rare that another resident knocked on the door and asked if he can see it. I even managed to make a joke, "Want to see it? It's rare!". Resident dude agreed, he told us that he's seen only two cases since he started, roughly five years, both of those cases were in the States, not Canada. Geez, that's "reassuring"... not.
Dr. C2 wanted me to have a CT scan and MRI. The surgery will depend on the CT scan results. Luckily they were able to squeeze me in this afternoon at 4:00 pm for a CT scan. So we waited, had a late lunch, and went back to the hospital.
Prior to the CT scan, we met Dr. C3, he was the radiologist that specializes in the head/neck area and is familiar with the case I have. Dr. C3 explained to us that the CT scan will only be on my head/neck area and it will show the extent of the tumor, if it has affected my bones. It will determine what type of surgery Dr. C2 will perform. Dr. C3 said that he will also do an MRI (at a later date), to see if the lymph nodes, tissues and other areas have been affected. He told us that there is no need for me to worry why I need an MRI on top of the CT scan. Dr. C3 said it will help him study my case thoroughly.
I was called in for the CT scan. An x-ray or radiation dye had to be injected to help the scan. Nurse 1 tried at least three times to find a vein from my left arm, no luck. They were painful. Memories when I was hospitalized when I had chemo flashed through my mind. Nurse 2 came and tried a couple of times. She said my veins were so hard it felt like tendons and that made it hard to fine a suitable vein where the needle was inserted. Painful but bearable.
Then the scanning started. I could not move and was not allowed to swallow then the dye was released through my system. I was totally fine until the dye entered my body. It hurt and it brought back memories when I had chemo. I could not control my tears, at the same time tried not to move. It was deja vu. Same $h!t I had before. It was just too much to handle. It was done after 10 minutes or so. Nurse 2 asked if I cried because she saw the tears down my neck. I told her that it just brought back memories from the past, memories that are still fresh in my mind.
Next Thursday we'll meet with Dr. C2 to discuss the surgery. There is a two to nine months wait for the surgery. Yes that's how long it will take to do it here, blame our healthcare system. He assured me the tumor will not get any bigger because it is non invasive. We're also waiting for their call about the MRI. More waiting time but I'm hoping for the best.
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