Ma .... in 2012 (On her 50th Wedding Anniversary)
In 2008, a stone was surgically removed from her Sub mandibular gland(read salivary gland) along with a sub-mandibular gland.
She started complaining of pain in her throat and that followed a series of tests, leading to no specific findings.
2012 April, a ct scan revealed a tumor under her tongue. Specialists at Vision Care advised an FNAC (CT guided FNAC) that said they could not find any malignant cells in the tumor. She was thereafter given anibiotics to control inflamations.
In Dec 2014, she complained of pain again when doctors in Bangalore did a whole range of blood tests, MRI of the brain and vertebrae, USG of the neck and found nothing of consequence, stating there was age related restriction of blood supply to the brain.
Mid April, 2015, a swelling started appearing on her neck. What was a small swelling became the size of a golf ball and soon grew further. I brought her down to Kolkata where I work and live. A series of visits to Woodlands Hospital and Tata Medical Center including a host of tests and scans.....turns out that she has, what I feared the most, a malignant tumor that is growing rapidly and has invaded various parts.
She is old, post 70 years of age and frail, having lost a lot of weight in the last few months.
The consultants at the Tata Medical Center tells me that surgical removal of the tumor is more or a less ruled as it supposed to of high morbidity and in her case, the surgery may involve her jaws and tongue. The next best option is radio therapy(RT in their lingo) as Chemo therapy would not work on sub-mandibular tumors apart from their reservations on usage of chemo on her owing to advanced age. Needless to say that I am going through a harrowing time as the specialists in Tata Medical Center tells me she needs immediate RT whereas they do not have any dates before the next two months.
That leaves my mum and me in a spot. I need to find a place, not involving too much travel time as mum is frail and cannot take too much physical strain. The fight is on and I am trying to commence treatment at the earliest. I now have to wait for the final biopsy results and a final consultation before treatment can start. Tomorrow will be that day, hopefully.
I need---
- a good place where she can be administered RT at the earliest;
- Tata Medical Center has long waiting
- Apollo Gleneagles is a good option, very professional
- Westbank Hosptal is another good option
- a pain management consultant/support
- Dr. Somnath Bagchi
- a group that supports/counsels/helps in such cases
I shall never give up hoping to bring good living and a good life for Ma. She is the BEST
