My Initial Consultation / March 8, 2017

This is where it all starts to get interesting and where I got my education in cancer, my cancer. It is March 8, 2017.  We arrive at the UF Cancer Center in downtown Orlando. By the time we get out of the car, Kim is already crying and walking to the building clutching a Kleenex in her hand.  The contradiction is as different as black and white.  I want to hear everything this doctor has to say about my cancer, my treatment and my prognosis. Kim wants to hear nothing about it and is hoping it is a big mistake.

When we get off the elevator the sweetest receptionist on the face of the earth greets us.  This woman, Andi, sees how upset Kim is and starts to comfort her.  She then reaches under her desk and pulls out a box of tissues.  She tells Kim these are her private stash and are much softer and nicer than the ones in the doctor’s office.  Kim politely takes several of these because she knows she will need them.

We finally get into the treatment room.  The doctor comes in and starts his examination of me.  His nurse also comes in to write down everything that is being said and all that is going on.  Here’s where the education starts. The doctor tells me that I have Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the soft tissue in my right lymph nodes.  He then explains that this type of cell cannot start in the lymph node, it has to start on the soft tissue of the mucus membrane and eventually metastasize, or move, to the lymph nodes.  He then goes on to explain this type of cell usually starts in the tonsils, back of the throat, voice box or sinuses.  There is a 20% chance it can start in the lungs. 

Of course, out first thought is that it is in the lungs, because lets face it, we all assume the worst.  He calms our fears a little by saying the lymph system has a specific pattern it drains from.  The lymph nodes I have infected with cancer drain from the mouth area.  The lymph nodes that drain from the lungs are much lower, and in my case are clear.

I have spent most of my life interviewing people, listening to what people say and trying to discern if they are telling me the truth or not. I have never paid as much attention to any one person as I was to this doctor in front of me.  I dissected every word and stared directly into his eyes. I didn’t want to miss anything he had to say.

Kim is a wreck at this point and asking several questions to the nurse and doctor.  He looks at her at one point and says, “Don’t have him buried yet, we will tackle this”.  That was just enough to break some of the tension and allow all of us to take a breath and relax.

The next step, we do a PET SCAN in a few days. This scan will find the tumor and cause it to light up so we know exactly where it is and what we are dealing with.  We are also going to schedule a series of biopsies of the mouth and throat to try and find the tumor that way, and hopefully determine what strain of squamous cell we are dealing with.

It is funny, we went there to get informed and find out about this cancer. We left there more confused than ever, and couldn’t ask any questions because we didn’t know enough about what we were facing to come up with any.  Now it was time to do the one thing that every medical professional dreads, it was time to go ask GOOGLE!