Don’s Story: Fighting Head and Neck Cancer and Colon Cancer, Part One

In 2016, I was diagnosed with stage 4 head and neck squamous carcinoma and later stage 2 colon cancer.

As far as symptoms, there really weren’t any. I had a bad sinus infection about a year earlier and had swelling in the glands on the left side of my neck. My local doctor had put me on antibiotics. I had some soreness and vividly remember hugging my oldest daughter as she was leaving after a visit, and she laid her head on my right shoulder and pressed against the lump on my neck. I thought, “Ouch that hurt” but didn’t say anything and life went on. The infection cleared but the swelling did not dissipate. I was told it was nothing and that it would eventually clear, but I was told wrong.

I noticed over a period of time shortly thereafter that I was getting winded with moderate physical activity. I really didn’t think much about it as I had turned 70 and thought I was just getting older. Several days later, I was working on the lawn on our 1/4 acres when the phone rang. I answered the call, and it turned out to be my general practitioner who I had seen a few days earlier. He said,

“Don, you need to get to the hospital immediately as your hemoglobin is below 7, and if you don’t go you will have a heart attack.” 

From the sound of his voice, I knew it was a serious situation, so I grabbed my laptop and phone and jumped into my car.

While heading towards the nearest ER about 10 miles away, I called my wife (who was teaching at our local college) and told her what was going on and to meet me there. I arrived at the ER, saw the doctor shortly thereafter, and bloodwork was started. The blood work came back exactly as my general practitioner had said, and the ER doctor told us that I would be getting a transfusion of 2 pints of blood. I asked what would happen if it bleeds out again. His reply was, “Come back and we will fill you up again.”

He gave no explanation of where the blood was coming from, as there was no visible evidence of bleeding, and told me to follow up with my GP for further treatment. At that time, I asked the “boss lady” to go get us some coffee as we were going to be there awhile. The real reason I needed her out of the room was because I was concerned about the lump on the right side of my neck. I hadn’t mentioned the lump to her before, and I didn’t want to concern her, but I needed to share that info with the ER doctor. When the doctor started feeling around, he said, “Uh oh,” and I replied, “Uh oh what?” His reply was,

“You need to get this checked out.”

They infused two pints of blood, discharged me, and sent me home late that same night which was a Friday. I knew it would be impossible to obtain any medical assistance over the weekend, so I waited. I called my old radiation oncologist first thing Monday, thinking the blood loss had to be similar to the radiation proctitis I had suffered shortly after the prostate cancer treatment. I was informed that the doctor who had treated me was no longer with that practice. He moved to a major hospital 65 miles to the west of us, and I had never been there. 

I called that hospital and spoke with my doctor. He asked me how soon I could get there, and I told him in about an hour. He said, “Don, I think you really need to do so immediately.” My wife was at work, so I called her, got in my car, and drove myself to his new facility.

Upon arriving he immediately saw me and did a thorough exam, during which we discussed the lump. There was no evidence of bleeding, and he was more concerned about the lump than the blood loss. He wanted to order a biopsy. I asked him where and when, and his reply was “Here and now.”

Unbelievably, within an hour I was in an exam room having a biopsy of my neck. It was done without any pain killer, and I really did not experience any discomfort. I was told to expect the results SHORTLY. Within 30 minutes, they were back. The first thing they said was, “How did you get here?” I said I had driven myself and was alone. They then explained that my diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, stage 4. They asked if I would be alright to drive myself home to which I replied, “Yes.” I immediately understood that this was serious and life threatening. YES, I WAS SCARED.

Stay tuned for Part Two of Don’s Story! 

colon cancer colorectal cancer head and neck cancer patient stories

Last modified: December 16, 2024