I agree with you Karen, that in general the doctors didn't do a very good job with taking care of you at first.

The paradox is that doctors frequently have to make judgement about symptoms all the time. Because you and I didn't fit the "normal" cancer profile, our symptoms were considered part of more common ailments. What I meant is that sore throats are very common and most of the time are NOT cancer. It would be wrong for a doctor to pursue cancer when every patient presents a sore throat. Sore throats are just too common for that to be practical. In my case even the lump didn't cause enough concern as it should have.

I think that the value in our discussion here is so that people can learn to work with their doctors if they keep having symptoms. I just don't want everyone with a sore throat to worry that they have cancer.