A woman was forced to cut 6 cm off her tongue – after a 'harmless mouth ulcer' turned out to be cancer.
Helen Keough noted that a new ulcer had appeared under her tongue last year.
The 44-year-old project manager believed that the painful pain was caused by being 'pressure and run', but started to feel worried when the ulcer did not clean up after a few months.
After a visit to her doctor and dentist, Helen was referred to the hospital for further testing of De Zweer – but claims that she did not receive her results for four weeks.
After he was told to get to the hospital, Helen was diagnosed with two tongue cancer – and in fact told the annoying painful in her mouth a tumor.
Helen, from Chelmsford, Essex, underwent an operation to have 6 cm removed from her tongue, followed by a difficult recovery in which she had to learn to talk and eat again.
Helen now lives with a new, reconstructed tongue, but may need a radiation treatment in the future because of the chance that her cancer will return.
The 44-year-old project manager believed that the painful painful pain was caused by being 'pressure and run', but began to feel worried when the ulcer did not clean up after a few months
Helen Keough noted that a new ulcer had appeared under her tongue last year
Helen, from Chelmsford, Essex, underwent an operation to have 6 cm removed from her tongue, followed by a difficult recovery in which she had to learn to talk and eat again
Helen believes that within a year she would have been 'dead' if she had not forced health workers for answers in the months that led to her diagnosis.
Helen said: 'In the late summer I saw that a new ulcer appeared on my tongue. It was just an ulcer.
“It just felt like a swear pain. I went to the pharmacy. It continued a bit and came back.
“I thought I was just so busy and ran down. Because I am so busy, only in September I went to my doctor and they told me to go to my dentist.
'I went to my dentist and she served my teeth because she thought they were annoying my tongue and sent me away. But four weeks later it got so much worse.
'It was about to wake me up at night and it hurt to eat. It was just so painful.
“I was losing weight at that time and was very tired.”
Helen was referred to the hospital where she underwent a biopsy to determine the cause of the mouth pain.
She was admitted to hospital for 12 days after undergoing a tracheotomy and skin transplant operation to make a new flap for her tongue.
Helen was referred to the hospital where she underwent a biopsy to determine the cause of the articulate pain
Helen was looking for a second opinion in a private hospital where she was told that her cancer was stage and her lymph nodes should be removed
However, Helen claims that it took four weeks before it was told that the ulcer was in fact tongue cancer.
Helen said: 'I contacted the hospital in every possible way and got the feeling that I was not patient.
'By the time I got my results and was told that it was cancer, it was four weeks ago.
“I didn't fall apart or something, it was very much” what are we going to do now? “I didn't really understand how aggressive it could be.
“I was shocked that an ulcer turned out to be a tumor. It just wasn't on my radar. '
Helen was looking for a second opinion in a private hospital where she was told that her cancer was stage and her lymph nodes should be removed.
Here she was admitted to hospital for 12 days after undergoing a tracheotomy and skin transplant operation to make a new flap for her tongue.
Helen believes that she was 'disappointed with every turn' during her fight for a diagnosis – and for others to always argue for herself.
Helen believes that she was 'disappointed with every turn' during her fight for a diagnosis – and for others to always argue for herself
Helen said: 'The operation was extremely difficult to get through. Because tests show that this cancer has a very good chance of coming back, they want to give me radiation in case something has been left behind '
Helen said: 'The operation was extremely difficult to get through. Because tests show that this cancer has a very high chance of coming back, they want to give me radiation in case something remains.
'Radiation for main and neck cancer is life-changing, even more than an operation. If the doctor, dentist or hospital had done their work, I could have treated this immediately and not at the stage of face radiation.
'I think I didn't have a second opinion with private health care, I think I would have been dead within a year or two.
'Now I tell everyone when you see something in your mouth that will not disappear naturally in a few weeks to go to your doctor.
“I was abandoned at every turn. You have to argue for yourself. The professionals are not always right. Because of the delays, I am now even more life -changing treatment for me and a worse prognosis. '
