Hello Elliebellie and a warm welcome to Cancer Chat, 

What a stressful time it must be for you and I can imagine you have been very anxious waiting for your maxillofacial appointment and it's normal to have what happened to your dad at the back of your mind and I am so sorry for your loss. 

I know it's really hard and that you are worried about folate levels being low, but try if you can not to anticipate the worst as there are other things it could be which don't necessarily point to oral cancer. Poor you not sleeping with the anxiety of it all - I am glad you don't have to wait too long now for your appointment and I wanted to wish you the best of luck for Wednesday. 

It's not easy going through this while having to look after two young children and there is this fear too about the unknown, whether you will need treatment. I would say - but it's easier said than done! - that for now, the best thing to do is take one day at a time if you can and you will hopefully have some further guidance on Wednesday as to what it might be and whether you need further tests and investigations. It might still take a bit of time to gain some clarity on what is going on so in the meantime, I will share with you these helpful tips on how to cope while waiting for news. If you also wanted to talk things through with one of our cancer nurses or ask them what to expect from your appointment, they have a free helpline you can call on 0808 800 4040

I am keeping everything tightly crossed for you that you get definite answers soon and that it all turns out to be nothing of concern. I also hope that you will hear from other members of our community who have been in a similar position before and that they will be along to share their story with you.

Best wishes, 

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator