Hi Susan,

I have an appointment with the doctor to discuss the surgery next Monday! It's frustrating because his secretaries wont let me speak to him; I have to make an actual appointment to have a conversation with him and it slows down the process.

I really wanted to get multiple opinions, but this lump appeared at the least convenient time. The bureaucracy of healthcare makes things incredibly slow and I have another operation lined up after I get this lump removed.

See.... I broke my nose 8 years ago, had an unsuccessful operation to fix it 4 years ago, and scheduled another (and hopefully final) nose operation that is taking place in December with a top surgeon near my hometown. I've had this booked for nearly a year and would hate to cancel. I'm away for college and the operation is taking place around Christmas when I go home, so I'm on a tight schedule.

On one hand, I'd love to breathe again. On the other, if this is cancer in my hard palate, there is a chance that it is also in my sinus cavity. I need this lump tested as soon as possible - if a needle biopsy isn't possible for some weird reason, then I guess I have no choice but to have it cut out, considering my time constraints.