Hello everyone,

I have been looking around this site since I finished my 33 Radiation treatments with 3 major Chemo sessions, 6 weeks ago. It's been helpful to know I'm not alone and get some reassurance that the symptoms / side effects I'm having are common.

My story begins with a small blemish on the floor of my mouth, 7 years ago. My dentist found it. He referred me to a maxillofacial surgeon who cut the entire thing out with a quick swipe of a scalpel, then sent it for biopsy. (Only suspected to be Cancer), he told me to quit smoking and drinking beer. Or it would come back!, I didn't and it did.

5 years it lay dormant, then my dentist said "better get it looked at again". I ended up having the entire floor of my mouth removed at Sunnybrook Cancer hospital in Toronto, Canada.

The surgeons were brutal, knocking out teeth and slicing out all the lymph nodes from my neck. Cutting a big swatch from the underside of my left forearm, a piece of vein was removed for use in my mouth. The flesh acted as skin graph to re-upholstered the floor of my mouth. My shortened tongue was re-attached onto it. Then, twisting the skin together on my forearm, they managed to stitch that wound closed. (I have only minor numbness when I grip things with my left hand).

That was back in April 2009, over a year ago. The major swelling of my neck, and lower jaw took a few months to receed as I underwent physio-therapy to regain my neck muscles. I had quit smoking the day of my operation, but I continued to drink until August.

By early October, I had just been fitted with a new lower denture plate. Having trouble getting it to fit comfortably, by November I ended up with the oral surgeon trimming the 'flap' he graphed into my mouth. He decided to biopsy the extra bits. The cancer was back, it came right through the New floor of my mouth! In December, more surgery, removing more tissue, teeth and a part of my lower jaw. A piece of titanium replaced the missing jawbone.

Because the cancer reoccurred so quickly, I was fast tracked into the radiation / chemo program during March.

Now I am trying to get teeth again, sigh. (I sure could use a cigar and a bottle of scotch).

Fed up, but still hungry!
From Canada,
Art2Go