Here's a copy of the 'report' I just sent to my PCP. She not only appreciates the update, but the clinic has just gone super-digital, so she can pop me email into my record with a few touches on the digital clipboard.

P.S. Dr Haakenslash mentioned that the ear pain I am experiencing is actually 'referred' pain from my throat.

Dr Koval,

Just got back from seeing Dr Haakenslash in his lair at UWMC about the hole in my neck. He and his chief cutthroat did some poking and prodding on the outside and they could see where it came out on the inside (In the pharynx I presume; I am amazed at how deeply into the throat Dr H can see with a heated dental mirror, esp with all the blockage back there and the trismus up front). Of course, that generated some blood in my throat (with a nice clot of blood that I believe was from the wound channel, which in turn leaked into my trachea and was coming out of my trach tube, confirming to me that I shouldn't try to swallow food or drink).

He confirmed that it is only an infection, not beginnings of a tumor, mostly based on it responding to the antibiotics rather than growing larger as a tumor would. The CT showed edema, but the tumor board had had a slight reservation about a possible tumor.

The plan for now is to continue with antibiotics (Had two rounds of keflex and am on second round of augmentin; they gave me a script to continue the augmentin) and a followup with Carol or Dr H every two weeks.

In the event that problems continue, we would jump to surgery to clean it out and graft in some muscle to fill it up.

Pete