Well, it's official. Cancer again. This time on the tongue. It's more advanced than anticipated. To think a couple of weeks ago I was this close to sending out 10 year anniversary cards in celebration of my mom being cancer free. This sucks. Looks like the options are going to be more challenging than the first time around. The surgical option basically removes a portion of the tongue rendering speech a thing of the past. The possible other option is chemo and radiation -- more toxic than the regimen used for the Stage IV diagnosis in 2003. If my mother is a candidate for this, which she may not be due to previous tx, this could possibly save her tongue. No idea on prognosis as we await a full path report and scan results. This disease is a bitch. Full recovery in her case was never achieved, perhaps due to her age (71 at the time) and the aggressive tx, but the side effects never ended and now to be faced with this crap at 81. It sucks at any age. I realize 81 is a full life, but the last ten years have been far from a walk in the park. Over the past decade I've made friends and lost friends on this forum. It's a great place and resource, yet sadly oral cancer still doesn't get the attention that it needs. Great strides have been made in getting the word out, but it still amazes me that I have to debate a physician about the dangers of
HPV and its link to oral cancer. It's scary to know there are health care professionals out there who are still telling people it's still okay to indulge in a practice that can potentially kill them. I don't know where I'm going with this diatribe as my mom's initial cancer could may have been caused by my dad's second hand smoke or from my mom being a closet smoker for a couple of decades. I'll never know and it doesn't matter much. Last night my older sister gave me a lecture on how my mom's limited diet of chocolate ice cream didn't help her situation much. That's the sensitivity that I get from my siblings. Unreal. Instead of being concerned about her mother, she goes off on a rant about her diet. Truth be told, my mom eats a lot of ice cream because she barely produce saliva, she has difficulty swallowing and she hardly has any teeth left. Her options are limited, although she had a g-tube inserted again today. I don't post much for a number of reasons, but I continue to support OCF as I have since I was fortunate enough to find this site in 2003. I apologize for my rant, I suppose I find it cathartic. I'm frustrated, tired, sad. I wish you all well, I really do. Fight the fight and kick some ass. Best regards, D
