The chief complaints then began: a burning sensation in the mouth for 4 hours, vomiting for 4 hours, and slurred speech, especially after attempting to swallow liquids. On November 29, 2024, my grandma was conscious, alert, and oriented, but her tongue had multiple superficial ulcers about half a centimetre each, and her teeth appeared strangely bleached. Doctors recorded this clinically, but it was evident—her mouth was burning internally. A few weeks earlier, around November 5, she consumed a liquid at home, possibly a household chemical mistaken for water. She experienced immediate burning pain in her mouth, followed by four to five episodes of relentless vomiting within hours. Her mouth mucosa blistered and peeled, and her tongue and lips swelled. She was rushed to the nearest hospital, given first aid, and referred to the ESI hospital in Rajajinagar, where her cancer had previously been treated. 

She arrived conscious but distressed; investigations began immediately. Fluid therapy was started, and she was kept nil per oral to prevent further injury, ruling out perforation. A gastroenterologist performed an endoscopy, revealing grim findings: corrosive injury and grade 2B damage to the oesophagus, grade 3B to the stomach. The damage was extensive. An ENT exam showed superficial ulcers on the vallecula, epiglottis, arytenoids, and aryepiglottic folds, with congested mucosa. The vocal cords remained mobile, but swallowing was nearly impossible.

 She was treated with antibiotics and tolerated only liquids. The worst came when follow-up PET and CT scans confirmed the recurrence of leiomyosarcoma. The surgeon who performed her thyroidectomy was immediately informed. He was furious—not at us, but at the radiation team for ignoring post-surgical radiation instructions, leading to the relapse of an aggressive cancer. He scolded the team for neglecting his orders, persuading her to delay treatment, and wasting time. Frustrated and sorrowful, he refused to operate again, knowing a second surgery amidst such injuries and rapid recurrence would cause more harm than good.