ENT & Biopsy

Nasopharynx Tissue

The next steps was to see ENT and get a biopsy of my nasopharynx which showed increased activity on the PET scan in January.  I was able to get into a local ENT and this may have been the weirdest doctor appointment I have ever had.  At this appointment, they set me in a chair and the nurse immediately sprayed anesthetic into my nose after explaining they were going to use a small scope to go to the back of my nose.  Then the ENT came in, looked and decided my nasal pathways weren't open enough so he sprayed the area again.  The third time he came in, they still weren't open enough so he used anesthetic soaked gauze and placed it into my nose to sit for about 10 min.  Finally, when he came back used the scope to visualize the back of my nasopharynx and said "it just looks like bad allergies with enlarged adenoids.  You're good to go."

I literally had to STOP him from leaving the room and explain why I was there (because they had never asked!).  Since they think I have autoimmune retinopathy which is often cancer associated retinopathy, I needed to have a biopsy per UCLA retinology.  After explaining what was happening, he was like oh, I guess we should do a biopsy (shaking my head).  Nonetheless, the biopsy gets scheduled for the end of February in an outpatient surgery center.

The day of the biopsy was relatively uneventful.  They prepped me for surgery, gave me anesthesia and next thing I knew I was awake.  After a few post-op instructions (don't blow your nose for 2 weeks and other minor things), I was on my way home to sleep the rest of the day!

The next week, I received a call that all the initial pathology was normal and the final stains would be available at my appointment.  During my final appointment with the ENT, I was cleared of any nasopharynx cancer!  What a relief this news was.  Now to wait another 2 weeks until my appointments at UCLA!

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