Hello, my name is Karen and I live in Columbus, GA. 3 years ago I had a spot on my tongue that concerned my dentist. I went to an oral surgeon to have it biopsied and it came back as benign so great news. A few months ago the spot came back in the same place, the back left side of my tongue. I was again sent to an oral surgeon who biopsied it and it came back as squamous cell carcinoma. I was shocked since it was nothing last time. I am 48, use no tobacco products and am very healthy. Also HPV negative. I was referred to an ENT who said it would need to be removed. He ordered a CT scan with contrast to make sure it wasn't in my lymph nodes, thankfully it hadn't spread. Surgery to remove that part of my tongue is scheduled for July 25th. I am ready to get it over with, but not looking forward to the surgery and recovery. I own my own business (pet sitting company) so I can do most of my work from home and can answer customers/employees through email and text. My surgeon's step mother had the same surgery in February and I got to have a nice conversation with her about her experience, made me understand things better. She suggested I visit this forum for more help and information.