This time tomorrow, I could be under the knife. I will certainly be in hospital in any case.

I’ve had this annoying cough for some years now. Lingering coughs should be investigated, of course, and it was.

I had a CT scan, which revealed extra growth around my thyroid. Then I was sent to the Royal Marsden for a PET scan to determine if I had anything malignant, and after a worrying wait, the result was negative.

It seems I have thyroid nodules, which apparently many people over 50 get. Most people aren’t even aware of them, but mine have grown inwards, pressing on my oesophagus and windpipe. This causes me to cough when I sit down after walking, and also after eating.

It doesn’t appear to be getting any worse, but it’s not getting any better, and it can be quite embarrassing when in public. Coughing my guts up for ten minutes in a restaurant, or on public transport, certainly gets disapproving looks and people moving away from me on the bus or train, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hopefully, the operation to remove these nodules will cure the coughing, which can be quite tiring for me at times, even when on my own.

There are risks, of course. One is that my voice could be affected, and the worst-case scenario is that I could lose my voice altogether. Some would welcome that, methinks.

Today, I can eat and drink normally. I can even have water and black coffee as late as 6 am tomorrow, and it’s fortunate for me that I drink my coffee black these days!

Hopefully, the postoperative recovery won’t be too painful or take too long, and I’ll be back in the swing of things soon.

Perhaps I’ll take up singing if this cough is finally dispelled.

What’s that? You’d rather I lose my voice altogether?