Diagnosis
It all started in June when I felt a small pea size lump on the left side of my jaw. I was scheduled for a dental exam and asked my dentist if it could possibly be one of my wisdom teeth coming out. After he examined the area, he said that it is not a wisdom tooth issue. He recommended me to my general Doctor for examination. I scheduled my appointment and he definitely noted a 1-2 cm growth near my parotid gland. He immediately referred me to South Bay ENT for an examination. I was told that it was probably my parotid gland and tests were ordered. I was also told that if we caught this early, depending on images and tests, we could deal with it at Torrance Memorial MC. A FNB was done but there was not enough to determine if it was cancer. Surgery was scheduled for early December. During the tests and wait time for surgery, I felt that it was getting bigger. I contacted my Doctor and they did further tests and confirmed that it had grown to 3-4 cm. When my Doctor contacted me to confirm the growth, he told me that he would have to refer me to UCLA where they are better equipped for this type of procedure.
When I read about Dr. St. John and her Team, I became very confident of the care that I was going to get and the expertise her team would bring to the operating room and through post op.
Referral to UCLA
He said he had confirmed an appointment with DR Maie St John and seemed excited that he got me in to their system. This was all new to me, especially UCLA and Dr St John. I began to do my research on both UCLA and DR. St John and realized why he was excited to get the referral. My confidence built as I realized I was in the best Medical Facility in LA and also rated 3rd in the US for ENT. Then when I read about Dr St John and her Team, I became very confident of the care that I was going to get and the expertise her team would bring to the operating room and through post op. Grace and I met with her and her team and each meeting was very detailed and specific as to what was instore. We discussed worst case, middle case and best case scenarios. I was presented to the tumor board and Dr. St John came back to me with a plan. They were going to remove the tumor and follow up with radiation and chemo. Surgery date was set and multiple tests were completed. I felt confident that the All Star team that I was assigned would give me the best chance of beating this cancer.
Surgery
On the day of surgery, both Dr Kim and Dr St. John visited me and Grace in pre op and they discussed the procedure in detail, all the possible outcomes and answered our questions. More than anything, they made me feel at ease and that they were there for me. As Dr. St. John left to get ready, the last think I remembered as she left the room to get ready for surgery was when she looked me in the eye’s and said “we got this.’ Then it was lights out for around 7 hours while they did what they do best!
When I awoke in the recovery room with Grace and Lee, I was told that we ended with the best case scenario and that Dr. St John was confident with the margins of this very complicated procedure and that she was able to work around the nerves without cutting them. That enabled me to keep my left side of my fave intact with all movement and saved me from any stroke like facial damage. I spent 5 nights on the 8th floor at Ronald Reagan Medical Center as I recovered and was treated exceptionally well by the entire staff. This was the first time in my 74 year life that I had to stay overnight in a hospital!
