Surgery

I had my third surgery of my life last Friday. Unlike the previous two, it was a minor one.

About a month ago, a little lump started to grow in the inside of my lower lip. I thought it was caused by "hot air" (for those who don't know Cantonese, take it as some body defense mechanisms) so I didn't pay too much attention to it. Turns out it never went away and it actually got bigger and bigger. It started to worry me a bit (especially after knowing that my aunt just got cancer and my food is usually super hot and I eat super fast too) so I went for a physical checkup last Tuesday to see what was going on.

Turns out that it's a benign growth. It's most likely caused by some mucus buildups, which happened when the salivary gland was ruptured due to trauma (I eat fast and always bite myself). I think the medical term is called Mucocele. Anyhow, so I was referred to a specialist on Wednesday and then a minor surgery was done on Friday.

The surgery was very fast; it only took about 15 minutes. It was pretty nerve racking though since I was conscious the whole time. Basically, the doctor numbed my lip and then operated on it. I could totally hear the sound when he cut my skin open; I could smell the burnt when he used laser to cut up the lump; I could feel the stitch when he sealed the wound. I consider myself I relatively calm person and, man, during the operation, I know I was nervous and tried hard to calm myself down.

After the surgery, the doctor sent the lump to a lab for a biopsy (just in case). Other than some swelling and bruises, I am good (I actually went to work right after the operation). The only issue I have now is eating. I have to eat SUPER SLOW! I need at least 30-40 mins to finish a meal that usually took me 5-10 mins. That's very frustrating but I guess it's for the better.