Thank you for all of your responses to my posting. I did see the ENT/head-and-neck surgeon on Aug. 10. He has scheduled me for a partial glossectomy on Aug. 30. I will have a CT scan of my neck on Aug. 24 to look for lymph node involvement or any additional primary tumors. At this point I am still considered Stage 1, so if nothing shows up on the CT scan, surgery is the only treatment I will need at this time. I am still really nervous about the procedure, though. What is it like when you wake up after surgery and can feel that part of your tongue is missing?

I should mention that one reason this situation has been especially difficult is that my sister's husband of 40 years was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer (originating as a gastric carcinoma) in late May. He didn't even realize he was sick, yet he deteriorated so quickly that just two months later, on July 26, he died. My entire family was so shocked and devastated by this experience that most of them have avoided discussing my cancer. Even though my prognosis is much better, they just can't deal with it right now. And Eddie's death demonstrated how fickle and unpredictable this disease can be. I think if we weren't living in the shadow of his illness, I would not feel so uneasy about what is happening to me.