Hi Everyone! My name is Danielle I am 43 yrs old & have been dealing w OC for half of my life. 1st diagnosed during a TMJ surgery-I asked the surgeon to biopsy a suspicious site on my tongue that would not go away. Although I was only 21 & had never heard of OC, I knew something was wrong. I was referred to an ENT who would basically ruin my life. He cut thru the tumor-not around & hid my pathology report from me & my family. Obviously the cancer came right back & at the age of 22 I made it to a CCC & they saved my life. Radical neck dissection & partial removal. 4 years almost to the exact day it came back & at that point I was given no more then 5 yrs. Had a hemi, floor of my mouth& right tonsil removed, 35 days of radiation, peg tube put in. Was married after surgery but before radiation & was admitted to the hospital for a month & 1/2. The past 15 years have been a roller coaster of surgeries vocal cord nodules (4x) all my teeth removed-dental implants 100+ HBO dives, severe trismus & the TMJ disorder. Began having pneumonia about 7 years ago & once I had the upper teeth removed but before the implants I had a denture. Because I was unable to chew properly I began choking a lot. Recently & what has brought me to the site I have developed a nasal sound to my voice due to my palate shrinking, my tongue is not moving much anymore either so eating has become a huge issue! I am not allowed to lose weight or they will place another peg tube-That would be awful!! I am back in therapy (for the 100th time-that's what it feels like) trying to strengthen my tongue, get my mouth to open more but I am beginning to lose the fight that I once had. I've also suffered personal problems that add to all of this. Because of the nasal issue, no one can understand me when I speak, especially on the phone. I've had issues over the years w speech but never this extent. It's tough because no one in my life can understand what this is like. That's why I am reaching out on here. I would love to chat with people who understand the battle! Thanks for your time