Game Plan

Just got off the phone with my ENT.  Wasn't expecting a call til tomorrow.  Nice to see he's taking this as seriously as I am.

He reaffirmed the diagnosis from Monday and outlined a game plan.  I first need to get a full body Pet CT to try to identify the site of origin.  If that doesn't come up with anything then there's a tag on my tonsil that he suspects.  So we'll have to wait and see what the Pet CT turns up.

Once the scan results come back he want's to do surgery ASAP to remove the tumor and perform a neck dissection to take out the lymph nodes on the right side of my neck.  He said if it's the tonsil and a neck dissection it will take about 4 hours of surgery and a 2-3 day hospital recovery.

I asked him how many of these he's done and he says he does one about every other month.  He also said that if I don't feel comfortable with him performing the surgery he's more then willing to hand me off to Loma Linda's Head and Neck team.  I think I might talk to them just to get a second opinion and to feel them out.

On one hand I like that he want's to get on top of this.  On the other hand it's all happening so quickly.  It may be much because it's so fresh, but maybe after a few days I'll be more eager.  I don't know.  Just trying to keep calm and be positive.