Good news to report post surgery on Sat 25th Feb under the care of
Dr Ho Kee Hai. The procedure took 4 hours at the
Mt Elizabeth Hospital, under general anesthetic, with Erika patiently waiting for me. As Dr Ho had extracted a wisdom tooth on the Monday, there appeared to be less work to do in the theatre. Certainly I was surprised by the lack of swelling post operation. One week after arriving in Singapore I was flying out having completed the procedure to remove the ameloblastoma.
Dr Ho has removed the tumor. Apparently it was expansive and also within an almost self contained lining. This meant that the extraction was clean and the chances of the tumor remaining in the bone are minimal. Instead he has packed the area with Avolgyl dressing,
antiseptic medicant which releases a medicated taste. The wound is left unsealed so that the bone can expand and force the tissue out of the cavity. I was given a syringe with which to wash the cavity, and after dinner several pieces of tissue came out into my mouth. I am sure that I will get used to this. There is some discomfort as one would imagine, but I am still counting my blessings that this treatment has left my mandible intact. The healing process will take about 24 months, with a monthly visit to Dr Ho for the next 3 months. The overall process would have been worth planning for financially. I realized any insurance company would have considered this a pre-existing condition, but only because we elected 4 years ago let the expensive premiums lapse. Either way, unless I had managed to get back to the UK there were going to be bills to pay. On arrival at Mount Elizabeth the cheery cashier took my credit card and pre -billed S$10,500 (GBP5,250) for the operation and one night stay. The final bill was closer to S$15,000 and I am awaiting the calculation to determine how much will be covered by my Singapore
Medisave, Singapore's national insurance. This came on top of the flights and S$2,953 bill from Dr Ho's clinic on the 20th for the wisdom tooth removal and biopsy. This ameloblastoma has taken a significant bite out of the family finances and spurs me to get the family insurance reinstated. Now to follow the process of natural healing, enjoy the family, and find soft food to bite on.
