Q&A Time again. I mentioned the other day that the story of finding out that I have cancer would continue and that it answers a few of your questions, so this is where that story continues. If you want to read the previous bit you can do so here.

Here is todays question:

Andre, Kingsley, Gremlin and Russel all asked:

What was the first thought that went through your head when you first found out that you had cancer?

Like I said earlier, I was at an appointment at the Dermatologist and she was finding out the results of my needle biopsy. Now they took the needle biopsy to find out if the lumps in my neck were cancerous. So even though I was seeing the Dermatologist, she could find out if the results were posted on the medical system. She asked me, twice I think, if the results were available, if I wanted her to tell me. Seen as cancer is obviously not her area of expertise. I said sure, I didn’t mind at all. Of she went to find the results and in the mean time I waited in a hallway with only a few chairs and a nice window, listening to some Bach. 🙂 After five or ten minutes she came back and asked again if I was sure that it’s okay for her to tell me the results. I knew then already that it must have been a positive cancer result.

Now keep in mind that I have had a lump on the side of my neck for some time now, and to be honest, I haven’t put the thought of it being cancerous totally out of my mind. So I was kind of expecting that that could be a possible outcome, and by the actions of the Dermatologist, it seemed to be the path I was down.

So we went back to her office and a nurse came along as well. By this time I was reasonably sure of what they were going to tell me, and I was actually more concerned about how they are going to deal with telling me. They both seemed quite nervous about it. It seemed quite clear that neither the nurse nor the Dermatologist was used to telling people that they have cancer.

So technically I knew before anyone actually told me, and I spent my time and first thoughts trying to make sure the nurse and Dermatologist was okay.

Probably not what most of you were expecting but that is how it happened. 🙂 Like I said before, I was expecting that cancer could be one of the out comes of all the tests I had been through. So I was not surprised to find out. I pretty much went straight to: “OK so what’s the next step.” I find it very unproductive to worry about what you can’t change, so I try and focus on what I CAN change. 🙂

Well that’s another question answered, hope you enjoyed the read.

Stay Awesome.

Positively, T Neil van Rooyen.