It was in December 2014 that I realised I was getting a mouth ulcer quite often. It would appear in the same spot – at the back of the left side of my tongue – then subside for a few weeks before reappearing.
In April the following year, when I was on holiday with my husband and eldest child, who was then three years old, I noticed that the ulcer was growing bigger. It was bleeding too – and that was when I felt something was amiss.
After we returned to Singapore, I came down with a fever, and felt uneasy about it. I went to a general practitioner who gave me an ulcer cream to apply, but it didn’t subside, even after three days.
I then went to a dentist, who looked at the ulcer and said something wasn’t quite right. He suggested I see an oral specialist.
I managed to find one but the earliest appointment was in August, which was three months away. I was panicking slightly by then, and went to see another dentist instead.
FINDING OUT IT WAS CANCER
The moment the dentist saw the ulcer, her face changed and I knew that something was definitely wrong. She said she suspected it was cancer, and that she’d need to do a biopsy to be sure.
I remember asking my doctors repeatedly if my pregnancy would be affected since I would need to undergo general anaesthesia during the four-hour surgery. My gynaecologist reassured me that it was safe to go for the operation.
My medical team had planned to do CT and MRI scans to prepare for the surgery but because I was pregnant, they could only do a neck ultrasound. I was sent home after that as the team wanted to discuss the results with my doctor.
The evening before the surgery, I checked into the hospital as planned. One of the doctors assisting my surgeon visited me and said that the ultrasound showed that the cancer had spread. Instead of merely removing the cancerous spot, they would now need to remove a portion of my tongue and also cut my neck to remove the lymph nodes there.
The dentist set up an appointment with an oncologist for me. I did the biopsy, and one week later, the results confirmed it. I had cancer.
I met with the oncologist a few days later, and he suspected it was stage two tongue cancer. He told me that it wasn’t so bad, and I’d be able to survive with surgery (which would remove the small cancerous portion on the left side of my tongue).
He assured me that everything would be fine, and that there wasn’t a need to go for chemotherapy or radiation therapy. The surgery was scheduled for a few weeks after.
GETTING CANCER SURGERY WHILE PREGNANT
A few days after the consultation, I found out that I was pregnant with my second child.
Everything was happening so fast. I was so shocked and unsure. I asked my doctor if I had done something wrong with regards to my lifestyle. I asked my mum if I had committed a “big” sin. Both my husband and my mum said no, it was just something that we had to face.
I had been feeling angry about my cancer diagnosis but now I just felt so sad. I felt resigned to the situation and I didn't know what to do. My mind was a blank.
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