Four weeks ago, I was discharged from the Cancer Care Unit. "Never", said Nurse, showing me out, "darken my door again! Or at least not for this reason." Then the confirmation letter came. I should have been ecstatic. I wasn't. The last four weeks have been unbelievably stressful, thanks to my local GP surgery! The day before my visit to the Cancer Care Unit, I went to consult my GP surgery about a recurrent blister in my mouth. The response? "You must see you dentist immediately." Why? "We cannot rule out the possibility of oral cancer." So, I went directly to see my dentist. She was fabulous - managed to fit me into her busy schedule within a couple of hours, looked and reassured me; "It's a mucocele. Benign. Nothing to worry about." Nevertheless, she referred me to the consultant in oral surgery at the local hospital to see if anything could/should be done.
Ten days ago, the appointment letter arrived. I don't know how my dentist did it, as there's a huge waiting list, but she managed to get me seen just four weeks and one day after I first saw her. Today was the day. Even though my dentist had reassured me and I knew it was nothing to be worried about, the GP's reaction had spooked me and I have been worried; not that it might be cancer. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt! Rather, my concern was that I might have to make a decision about what to do.
The outcome of the consultation? Mucocele. Benign. Nothing to be done since it isn't constant. The consultant was very supportive and made me feel as though I wasn't wasting his time, which is more than can be said for many medical/dental consultants! I am now completely reassured that I really am a cancer-free zone (for now, at least). So, finally, I'm going to stop worrying and move forward...
And the lesson from all this? I'll be going to my dentist from now on with anything worrisome and oral. Sadly, my latest GP experience didn't increase my confidence!
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