The Chosen One

I woke up early this morning, not able to sleep as my appointment is 9:30am, as always, I’ve this anxiety of missing the appointment. I can’t get back to sleep so might as well start my day early. My sister wanted to drive me there, so good not to be squeezing on the train in the peak hours. I think they should have a special train just for cancer patients, just by judging the number of people I saw waiting at the reception.

I approached the receptionist from the Radiotherapy Centre in NUH and perhaps I don’t look gloomy or depressing enough as a cancer patient, not yet I guess, hence when she asked if I’m the patient, I replied, yes, I’m the “chosen one”, she cracks up and start preparing the registration for my cancer treatment.

It’s not just my sister whom is there, but my good friend & Insurance Agent, Cherie, and one of my sister close friend whom is a Nutritionist were there as my entourage. Dr Ivan Tham, the doctor that overseeing my condition and treatment which also has the same name as my cousin, Ivan Eng, promise me that those with the name Ivan are usually responsible and capable, looks like he like to blow his own “trumpet” :)

However, contrary to my cousin belief, he is somehow capable, professional but stern and a little icy; maybe doctor have to take it serious when it comes to explaining cancer to patient. After his diagnosis or analysis on my CT scan and clarification on how the radiotherapy and chemo will work, he finally manage to melt by my jokes not to mention the amount of gorgeous female presence with me during the clarification might have intimidated him in the first place.

He immediately refer me to the dental clinic, that’s where trouble comes, judging from my dental X ray, apparently my teeth are having orgy, at least the right side of my mouth are, the teeth are overlapping with each other like a doggy style position. See the X ray. Three tooth on my right including the one decay tooth with my 2 teeth including a wisdom tooth on top from my left have to be removed. A total of 5 teeth have to extracted at one go. Honestly, hearing 5 teeth have to be extracted all at once scares me more than the tumors.

Dental X Ray

However, this diagnosis wasn't an easy one as 4 dentists couldn't agree in the same room. They have to refer to a senior and more experience dentist in another hospital and this takes 4 days before I get to know the outcome, a day surgery with GA will be performed next Wednesday  I opt to be warded, as mouth that bloody won’t be able to travel home with style so easily...

Side Notes:

Why dental is involved? When radiotherapy is exposed to the neck the small blood vessels of the bone get damaged. This means that there is no issue until you have to extract a tooth after a person has had radiotherapy. The bone often fails to heal after any extraction (a condition called osteoradionecrosis) and is susceptible to infection. So what the dentist has decided is that any teeth of questionable prognosis that may cause trouble in the future must go now before the radiotherapy, which is a reasonable and standard approach.