Welcome to OCF, Curly! So sorry to hear you are going thru another recurrence. Glad you have found OCF to help get you thru everything. You will find tons of info and support both here and on the main pages.

There are many members who are HPV- and are non tobacco users. Some people are predisposed to getting cancer. In my opinion your mouth area could just be the weakest spot on your body so thats where you get it. It could be genetics or who know what kind of environmental issues, trauma or a million and one other reasons for the cancer to grow. No matter why you got it the important thing is to get rid of it and then you can move on with your life. Im another 3 time oral cancer survivor.

If you are not already being treated at a NCI cancer center I would suggest checking it out. They use a team approach to get all the specialists on one page and discuss your individual case. They are more experienced and see more oral cancer patients.

While you are waiting to begin everything, I would suggest focusing on your nutrition. Eat everything you can now and drink plenty of water. You want to go into this in good shape and have no regrets or cravings for certain foods. Your sense of taste will likely change for several weeks possibly months where foods you love wont taste like what you would expect. Dont worry yourself about calories or gaining weight, its ok to add a few pounds especially if you are on the slender or average size. Its not easy going thru radiation especially after having tongue surgery but it can be done and the better your nutrition/hydration the easier you will get thru this.

Best wishes with everything.