Help For Hero's.

New Years Eve yesterday, I’d planned on my day off to do as little as possible, but my day took on an unexpected twist and turn. I’d started my day off as usual with a cup of sweet milky tea in my new favourite Denby little brown cup. I’d written my diary like I do every single morning, of events of the day before, then I’d read the Bible one Chapter from John gospels. Then I went into the kitchen to open a pack of jelly babies, these I’d bought reduced from my local Tesco store, they were 50p each Help For Hero’s, I’d bought three bags, two of them I’d already eaten and they were perfect, wished I’d bought ten more at the time, but that’s the risk you take if you buy reduced items that the store is discontinuing.

So, yesterday I opened the final bag of Help For Hero’s jelly babies and as soon as I put it in my mouth I had a horrible sensation, the left side of my jaw/mouth it felt as if I’d put the most sourest sweet in my mouth and it almost hurt! I put my right hand to my jaw and flinched as it made me close my eyes tight, it was that horrible and that was when I felt it, a large lump at the side of my neck just under my earlobe!

This shocking lump was huge! It felt like 2” high and 3” wide, in one moment my views changed, feelings of fear and the future and healthy eating flooded my mind! I know everyone has an appointment with death eventually, that can’t be escaped and some go young and others go at a ripe old age, I do plan to update my Will before April when it is due for the payment of the bank that is holding it, I’d also wanted to got to TKMaxx but suddenly I didn’t want to, it became unimportant, was this how I was going to die! By a lump? I tried not to be frightened, but I was, I wasn’t in pain, which I thought was odd.

So, now I had to go to the doctors! Ours it not easy to get into, it’s impossible to get through to them by phone it just rings, you have to go in person. I decided to have breakfast first so I made smoked bacon, I added wild rocket, mayonnaise in a butter toasted sandwich, yum.

My daughter Meghan had now come downstairs and was sitting next to me on the sofa, as I sat next to her I took my first bite of my breakfast and as soon as I took a bite the horrible sour sensation was there, this time it was magnified twenty fold, and it made me shout out in pain, as I again had to put my hand to my jaw! Meghan said, “Was it too hot?” I said, “No, I have a horrible feeling in my mouth like it is very, VERY sour but it hurts and this morning when it first happened when I ate a jelly baby I noticed a large lump at the side of my neck!”

I stood up so Meghan could feel it, she said, “I can see it Mum,” It had now got bigger since I’d first felt it an hour before. I stood in front of Meghan and she could see it easily from behind. I told her, “When I’ve finished my breakfast I will go to the doctors,” But would I be able to finish my breakfast? Food is important to me, I’m a little nibbler, especially at Christmas time. I took a second bite and it did hurt again so I tried to eat on my left side and there was no pain there.

I went to my doctors and was told, “There are no appointments left this morning you have to either phone at 2pm or return at 2pm for appointments in the afternoon,” I told her, “I’ll come back at 2pm,” But I knew from past experience to get a better chance of seeing the doctor of my choice I had to be first in the queue at 2pm or at least second or third.

So, not to waste my day off I walked from the doctors to Town as I’m counting steps, always aiming to do over ten thousand, I’d taken my tablet so the Staff there at TKMaxx could help me with my Treasure Points card, for even though the Staff there had set me up for the points card earlier this year and had given me a cotton shoulder bag for joining, it still didn’t work and I’d tried the day before to re-join again even saying I’d forgotten my password, but still I’d no joy. Two of my favourite Staff there tried to set me up but it didn’t work for them either! So, they said, “You need to either phone Ireland or email them,” So I said, “I will next year.” I then walked back home and got my car and drove to Morrisons and Tesco to get cat food, milk, bread and anything that was reduced that could be for dinner today and tomorrow, there was lots of goodies at Morrisons, but by the time I’d got to Tesco all the best stuff had gone! I kept a close eye on the all-important time, for I didn’t want to be late, or last in the queue.

I arrived back at the doctors at 1.25pm there were two other women in front of me. Others joined and by 2pm there was a lot of people behind me, I asked the receptionist, “Can I see my doctor,” Naming him, she replied, “He was here this morning but is not here now.” I was disappointed, so, I asked if I could see the oriental female doctor, as I didn’t know her name but I knew she was good, she said, “Yes at 3.40pm for a five-minute slot,” I said, “That will be fine,” She printed of the time and gave me the slip. I went back home. Meghan said to me, “I’m going to Google your symptoms and see what you have,” I said, “Don’t tell me, I want to hear it from the doctor first,” I said, to her, “I wonder if I have Glandular Fever,” Not that I knew what that was but I assume it was to do with the glands. Paul looked at my swollen neck and said, “You could have mumps,” I said, “I’ve already had it,” He said, “You can have it more than once.” I said, “I didn’t think it was,” And thought I hope the pain doesn’t move up into my head or down into my shoulder, the unknown was scary, it didn’t look nice. I’d text my retired Nurse cousin, Charis and had told her all about it, I again hoped she’d not tell me what was wrong until I’d seen the doctor! As the symptoms seemed SO clear, that a doctor would surely know in an instant what I had, I hope that I wasn’t going to die, as this isn’t the way I’d hoped! I didn’t feel ready, but I knew I’d lived longer that lots of people before me, there was SO much I still wanted to do. I kept my fearful thoughts to myself, I wasn’t in pain, it was just a very mild ache and only when I touched my neck, I didn’t know how long I’d had this lump, if it wasn’t for the jelly babies, I’d not had known!

I drove to the doctors, she was behind and at 4pm I went into to her room. The swelling had gone down a whopping 80% and I had felt like a fraud as I waited in the Waiting Room, but the pain was still there, I’d bought a sweet to eat while I was waiting, but the thought of the pain if I was to put it in my mouth, stopped me eating it. I’d drank a can of ginger beer before I went to the doctors and it had all been OK, no stabbing, sour, pain, it just didn’t make sense.

I told the doctor what had happened with the jelly baby and the bacon sandwich, she stood before me and with both hands touched the sides of my face, then moving backward to my earlobe she touched the painful part, it was awful, the swelling was not there but the pain was when she touched it. She looked inside my mouth and touched the side of my jaw again asking me to, “Open my mouth,” The pain was there alright, she said, “You must have pulled a muscle,” I told her, “I hadn’t,” She said, “You must have chewed too hard on the jelly baby,” I told her, “I eat jelly babies all the time, I didn’t chew hard on it,” She said, “You need to see a dentist, maybe you grind your teeth when you are asleep,” I told her, “I see a dentist every six months, I do not grind my teeth.” Finally, she said, I’m not worried, so you don’t need to be, I suggest for the next seven to ten days you eat mushy, soft food, so as to give your jaw a rest.” I knew that wasn’t going to happen!!! I said, “Well if you are happy, then I am happy too.” I told her, I’d been in a car accident recently, did that have anything to do with it?” she said, “No, I’m happy that all is well.” I left the doctors surgery relieved that all was well, ‘twas a mystery.

I didn’t ask Meghan what the internet had suggested it was but my cousin Charis said, “Maybe the sweets had been tampered with, in the shop,” Now she didn’t know the jelly babies had been Help For Hero’s, that indeed could have made them a target! But then I remembered the lump was already there but I didn’t know it, until I ate the sweet, and I told her so, nevertheless, I checked my cupboard this morning to see if there was another bag for, I was going to throw it away! But there was no more.

I ate without any sharp, sour, pain, this morning and yesterday I’d finished off the Help for Hero’s bag of jelly babies that I’d first opened and was OK.

I’d slept on my right hand side without any pain and there was no pain today, I won’t touch the ‘hole’ part just under my earlobe in case it hurts.

I don’t know what it was, the pain was real and the swelling was real too and could be seen by myself and family. I’m glad I’m not dying and I do need to update my Will.

Happy New Year 2019A.D.