It started out as a bump on my jaw. Having been involved in various sports for many years, finding a bump now and again wasn€™t shocking. It would go away I said. After a month, it remained. After six, it had grown. After a year the doctor said I was fine, come back if it keeps growing. The bump, which was now a lump, had grown and I found myself in the awkward position of having to face facts: the lump was a tumor.

Monica had named it Fluffy after sometime, as it was noticeable if you happened to catch me in profile. There is sat on my left side like a golf ball on my middle jaw line. It was to the back however, and looking at me straight on you may not have seen it. Trust me, it€™s been there for a while.

The tumor wasn€™t painful, only a mere annoyance. Monica, along with my folks, urged me to get additional opinions on the matter. The three visits to two doctors had produced various answers, from calcium growth along the jaw line, to fat deposit run amuck. In the beginning these answers sufficed for myself, as it was small. But worry filled my mind and with it€™s continued growth, it was time to seek a specialist.

That specialist happened to by Doctor Yates. He was tall and thin with a booming sort of voice that was soothing to hear. He wore a reflecting head mirror that I had only seen in the movies, but later had come to realize was something of the norm in the ear, nose, and throat medical specialty. He worked mostly with children and it showed in his sunny bedside manner. Within minutes of my examination the verdict was in: I had a fairly large tumor in the parotid gland. The question remained what kind of tumor it was.

Shortly thereafter, he preformed a biopsy. It was not as fun as some might think, a slightly painful experience with the added drama of hearing the actual device do it€™s work. A biopsy based on a five samples from various parts of the tumor revealed that it was benign, a relief to me and pretty much everyone else. Given that, I thought that I was in the clear, but the doctor was quick to point out that it could become dangerous, and that surgery was needed to have it removed.

A date was set, the procedure explained. I would be having a superficial parotidectomy through retrograde facial nerve dissection, roughly two procedures for the price of, well, two, because no one in the medical world is going to give you a discount. For those very interested, I point you to an article on the subject which is not for the weak of heart as the picture are graphic to say the least.

Needless to say March 17th was an interesting day. Arriving to the hospital at 7am, I was greeted by an endless line of different nurses, of whom I don€™t remember most of their names, though I had counted eight of them at one point. Being wheeled into the operating room was unlike anything I€™ve ever experienced; a barrage of equipment, lights and personal filled the room. With my arms stretched out on the operating table, I could have sworn I heard the Beach Boys playing in the background as the oxygen mask was placed over my face and I faded to black.

Fast forward two and a half hours later and my surgery was complete. I woke up in a dazed state, hearing people talking but not able to make out the words. After some time I was wheeled to my room where I was met by Monica and my Mom. I felt surprisingly good, but that was more than likely from the pain medication. I looked like a mummy, my head completely wrapped in gauze. Upon the changing of this wrap, the surgery was revealed: stitches and staples closed the wound that started from the top of my ear and went to just about below my chin.

I had fully expected to stay the night as the doctor had said it may be required based on my performance in surgery. Having no knowledge of how I did or if I was worse off now then when I started, but was released later that evening. By the time I had arrived home, it had been 12 hours from start to finish. I was tired, drugged, and looking not my best, but I was tumor free.

I am recovering slowly. I have limited feeling in about half of the left side of my face. I€™m up and around, and as of yesterday was told further testing of the tumor proved that it was indeed benign. Many thanks to Monica and my Mom for sticking it out at the hospital, and to all my family and friends who have been supportive.

If this is the first you€™ve heard of the surgery, please don€™t feel bad; I did not advertise that I was having surgery in the first place, and only know that I know I€™m alive and recovering am I really talking about the situation.

I dodged a bullet to say the least. The tumor is gone, Fluffy is on permanent vacation, and I€™m on the road to recovery.