Dad who went to GP when water spurted from nose told he had months to live

A father was given a horror diagnosis when he went to his GP after water spurted out of his nose when he was drinking.

Phil Sledden-Houston, who confesses is a heavy smoker, was told he had a tumour the size of a tennis ball which had to be removed from his cheek in surgery that took over 15 hours.

The 51-year-old was given the shattering news that the bizarre nasal faux-pas was in fact a sign that he had advanced cancer and without surgery had just months to live.

He was aged 48 when he was forced to have invasive surgery, with doctors slicing into his face to remove the huge cancerous lump.

Phil was told that the bizarre nasal faux-pas was in fact a sign that he had advanced cancer (MEN)

He was told by doctors he had to have the surgery or he would be dead within six months.

In order to repair his damaged cheek, a surgeon had to remove part of Phil’s hip bone and move it into his face, leaving him unable to smile, according to Manchester Evening News.

The dad from Middleton, Greater Manchester, who had smoked since a teenager, realised something was wrong when he took a drink of water and it spurted out of his nose.

“I started smoking at school when I was around 15 or 16 as everyone smoked back then,” he said. “I never thought about how it was affecting my health as I wasn’t a heavy smoker, I only smoked a few a day.

“I continued smoking for years and then in 2018, I was drinking water and some of it came out of my nose. I knew something wasn’t right, so I went to get help.

“I was referred to see a specialist at the dental hospital, who told me I had cancer and that it was serious, and I needed to have an urgent MRI scan and biopsy.

Phil revealed he had smoked since he was a teenager (MEN)

“A week later I was diagnosed with Stage 4 (palliative care) mouth cancer and the doctor told me I had a choice – to decide to have the operation within a month or die. He said I could have six months to live and maybe see Christmas. I had to quit smoking immediately.

“I’ll never forget the surgeon telling me how serious it was, the tumour was in my cheek bone, and he thought it had been hidden for four years. It was the size of a tennis ball and had to be removed. It was a massive operation, and it took me months to recover.”

A team of surgeons operated on Phil for over 15 hours. They cut his face in half and removed his cheek bone, eye and palate. Part of his hip bone was then used to replace the removed part and reconstruct his face.

He couldn’t talk or eat properly for six months and he was also left slightly disfigured as the nerves in his face were damaged during surgery.

“It looks like I’ve had a tiny stroke, but I have been incredibly lucky as not everyone makes it through,” Phil continued.

“The medical team managed to remove the entire tumour, so I didn’t have to have chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Phil took a drink of water and some of it came out of his nose, so he knew something was wrong (MEN)

“In October 2019, I had a face lift which has given me much more confidence and I only have a faint scar now. One of the biggest challenges was learning to eat and talk just using my left-hand side of my face, as I have no teeth on the other side. I’ve now been in remission for just over three years, and I have never felt better.”

Phil has since been able to return to his job in highways maintenance. Since quitting smoking he says he sleeps better, no longer feels out of breath and had more energy.

He added: “My taste improved and I also started to save money, all of these were incentives to stop smoking but being diagnosed with cancer was definitely my wake-up call as I would have continued smoking.

“I needed the shock of being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer to stop, and I urge everyone to give quitting a go before you end up like me.”

Phil is sharing his story ahead of World Cancer Day on Friday.

Smoking is directly linked to at least 15 different forms of cancer, and causes 15% of all cancer cases each year in the UK (54,300 cases), according to Cancer Research UK.

A team of surgeons operated on Phil for over 15 hours (MEN)

Dr Matt Evison, Clinical Lead for Greater Manchester’s tobacco control programme Make Smoking History, said: “Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for your health, and to reduce your risk of developing serious illnesses.

“I see the harm from smoking daily and the devastation it causes patients and their families. It damages every organ in the body and causes lung disease, heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and at least 15 types of cancer.

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