Happy Easter! 

...It's the Wednesday before Easter.

So I met Alison at home and we got our heads around this as much as we could.

We went to see the GP, who advised me of the concerns confirmed by the ultrasound report and blood test results.  She booked me in for an...ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy at the Bensons Radiology I had driven past in the bus that morning.  This was to take place the next day - Thursday.

We decided not to tell the kids until we knew some more information - a pretty simple decision.  To aid our cover up - I still had my stitches and a slight knee issue, to use as a cover for the day off.

There's sort of a class system in the radiologist waiting room.  This had only become apparent to me once I'd reached a certain level.  I'd only ever been in for sport or general injury events.  The lowest level of punter in the waiting room.  Now that I had reached the next level, I sort of resented the place.  I couldn't help feel the presence and energy from those in a much more serious place than me.  I was of course so grateful that I was here so soon after the GP appointment and that this place had the ability to give me some cherished clarity.

The procedure was fascinating.  The doctor inserted a needle into my neck tumour, guided by the  radiographer and his UltraSound technology.  Once he was happy he was inside the tumour, he jiggled it around for 4-5 seconds and pulled it out.  This was repeated a total of three times. I was fascinated by the simplicity of the cell collection process - a jiggle!

The procedure caused a fair bit of anxiety, but was not as painful a I had expected.  I was feeling for Alison, sitting in the corner, watching this procedure - which looked very painful - repeated three times.  I can honestly say that that procedure would have been harder for Alison than for me.  It really drove home a notion that had been brewing for a while.  This illness draws in a number of victims - I may be at the centre of it, but the people close to me, were going to be victims of this as well.  We were all going to need to support each other - it is a cliche, but valid just the same.

Unfortunately we were not going to get any answers for another four days.  It was Easter, and although we did not know it, there was no pathologists working on my biopsy over the break. This was a tough period.  We were quite sure it was cancer, but very little information about what type or where from here.  I was at work most of the weekend, but Alison had all that time to try and keep her head together - Happy Easter!