I found a lump in my neck and went to my GP. They bounced me to St Georges ENT (Ear Neck & Throat) clinic as an urgent case to see what was up.
Following various ultrasounds and an FNA (Fine Needle Aspiration) it was decided this was a benign lump - all was well we smiled and relaxed. It could be whipped out in about four months or so on the NHS. I luckily had private medical insurance and did not want to wait as the lump was uncomfortable so I jumped into private healthcare and had the lump out in a week. Surgery went well, they removed the lump and the sub-mandibular gland it was attached to.
Unfortunately the biopsy came back as positive for a malignant tumour by the name of Adenoid Cystic Cancer and odds rated at 95% chance of surviving the next 5 years and a 40% chance of being around in 15 years.
So, two kids, one starting schoool next week, a loving happy family and a cancer that is likely to kill me sometime. Sounds like a movie script. Next step is to enter the world of radiotherapy treatment which starts on September 14th.
I am going to keep this up and see where it takes us.