Thank you for all of your kind words. I truly felt like I had no place being in a sea of folks that really are much worse off than I am. But you all have really welcomed me and I appreciate the support so much.
Yes, it was my Dentist who caught this, after a bit of prodding by me. It is sort of a long story, but here goes:
Towards the end of April 2006 I had an irritation on my gum on the bottom right side. It didn't hurt, it more felt like I always had food stuck there. I had a 6 month dental check up already scheduled for May, so I decided to wait and ask about it then. They took a look and really didn't think much of it. I went home with a $17 bottle of mouthwash and the instructions to floss and rinse well each day. I did. It didn't really get any better, but didn't get any worse either, until this past fall. Towards the end of September/early October, I started having some pain in the area. The soreness is on both sides of the tooth, just at the gumline. Being a busy gal, I decided that I'd try to hold off until my November 6 month check-up. But then I changed my mind. I just had a funny feeling. I saw the Dentist who still wasn't really suspecting Cancer. He thought it looked more like trauma than anything else. He prescribed an antibiotic and instructed salt water rinses and to come back after the antibiotics were done so he could re-evaluate. When I went back, he was very concerned because it didn't respond to the antibiotics at all. He said that he hadn't seen a case in a long, long time, but he thought it was possible that it was cancer. He got me an appointment with an Oral Surgeon immediately following my visit with him. The Oral Surgeon took a biopsy, but told me that it was very unlikely that this was cancer. She told me that cancer didn't hurt. Since mine hurt, that was a good sign. She told me that getting cancer on your gum is also very rare, that's not where it usually shows up. I am a 37 year old female, she told me that it would be very unlikely for this cancer to strike someone like me. And it didn't look like cancer, she said. I went home and got on the internet, which was foolish because is caused me more worry. I saw a photo of some gum cancer and it looked exactly like what I have in my mouth. Exactly the same. I went back to OS to have her check that the biopsy site was healing okay. This was a week later. She didn't have the results yet. I explained to her that I had done a bit of research and I was convinced that it was Cancer. She told me "I'd almost bet my life that it isn't cancer, quit worrying." I left her office feeling a bit better, but I still couldn't shake the feeling. And then another week later I got a call to come in to discuss my results. I knew it was bad, but of course they wouldn't confirm that. I didn't have a sitter, so I told them that my tiny little kids would be coming. That's fine, they said. Thank God that at the last minute my neighbor volunteered to watch them. I can't imagine having them there with me while I heard that news. I am actually quite angry at the OS for poo-pooing my concerns. I know that it didn't affect my TX, because she got me hooked up with an awesome Surgeon at the Mayo clinic. But still, I have no trust in her whatsoever. I will NOT be seeing her again. If I need follow up care from someone closer to home, which the Mayo Doc said I would--I will not go to this OS. I am sure that she is a fine Doc, but I don't trust her. My hubby thinks I am being to hard on her, but I really think that she should have been more honest with me. She could have at least agreed that it was possible it was cancer.
And for those of you wondering, I am a former smoker. I quit a few years back. I am not much of a drinker but I do like to have a beer after mowing the lawn, times like that. In fact, up until a few months ago, I hadn't had even one sip for 5 years. I was either pregnant or nursing for 5 years straight. I figure if I can survive that, cancer should be a piece of cake, right? They tell me now that I should never, ever drink again. Ever? Of course I won't, if it means that I can live. But it's weird to think that I won't be able to ever have one beer again. Small price to pay to be able to see my kids grow up though. Now if they tell me that I have to stop the diet coke, I'll be in big trouble.
The Surgeon at Mayo told me that I have my Dentist to thank for getting me treated so quickly. If he had put it off or tried other things himself, there is no telling how much worse this could have ended up. But one thing that sticks in my mind is back at the May appointment where I first mentioned this. I had an oral cancer screening as part of the visit. I remember him saying "oral cancer, negative".
Thank you again for all of your support. It's nice to have people to lean on that know what it's like.
Good Night!
Amy
