How did you find out that you or your loved one had cancer?

I noticed a lump on the side of myneck when shaving. It was misdiagnosed. I went to another doctor and had a biopsy. In five days I was in surgery in Boston. Dr.H. Digby Clarke

I had a lump on the left side of my neck which my dentist and I both thought was the result of an infected tooth, turns out it was a tumor and after firing my original doctor and going with someone who actually cared about me and not one who just kept suggesting anti-biotic after anti-biotic, we started going thru quite a few test (scans, bloodwork and the likes). End result... I will be starting chemo on Tuesday, I am very confident that I will beat this, although it is quite ironic that my last girlfriend who was a breast cancer survivor, had a recurrance almost 5 years to the day and 2 years later, she was gone. I was the caregiver for her, now the roles are reversed and I am the one in need of care. At the moment, I feel fine aside from the lump in my throat of course and my girlfriend who had been cancer free for 12 years now is a strong, wonderful and very positive person. We will get thru this and come out the other side with a much different perspective on life and just how much good friends, a sense of humor and remaining positive do wonders for ones health and well being!