Cancer patient with taste for curry
"I am looking forward to a nice chicken curry,” says John Bugler who has been living on a diet of soup and pureed food for several months as he recovers from tongue cancer.
A mammoth 13-hour operation saw surgeons remove the cancerous tumour and replace it with skin from his forearm while a vein was transplanted from his leg providing blood to the new tissue.
John, 73, initially found himself unexplainably chewing on his tongue and, after the removal of two teeth, went to see his GP. A referral to Northwick Park’s Max Fax department revealed a cancerous growth.
A phlegmatic John said: “I guessed it wasn’t good news when the first doctor had a look in my mouth, rushed out to get a second opinion after which a third doctor came in.
“It’s not the sort of news anyone wants to hear but I’ve always been a pragmatic person and that has helped. It is a slow recovery but I can get out with the dog now which helps.”
The worry of a major procedure is shared by loved ones but rarely recognised.
“It was tough not being able to see John because of visiting restrictions,” said his wife Teresa who got some reassurance when she saw her husband wearily raise a hand through the observation window the following day.
It allayed a heart-stopping moment a day earlier when she had received a call asking her to collect her husband’s belongings without being told a complication meant he had to go back into theatre.
“I thought the worst until someone rang 20 minutes later clarifying that he was OK. He’s back home now and on the mend.”