Hey Dr Brooks - the OP of this thread

Although I am guilty of participating in the hijacking of your thread, (although in our defense, not being able to eat is very depressing and worrying about a patient's feelings is not very cheery either so there's a tenuous connection), I did click thru to your link and read your story/book.
I almost didn't since your original post seemed more appropriate to your medical colleagues who don't have a clue about what we go through as opposed to OCF members who have lived through it.
I'm glad I did though, since your operation horror story is the worst I heard of for oral cancer: they used a laser to take out the scar tissue and miss the actual cancer tumor itself and don't even realize it until you have been in the ICU and Pathology reports their error. Surely depressing.
What may be more depressing is your report that you had to leave out not only that error but all the other mistakes your doctor made in order to get published in a journal that doctors read.
Charm