Hello Forum:

I am new to this forum, and glad to have discovered it. Actually my Dentist discovered it, and referred me both to obtain information and to possibly provide assistance to others who, like myself, suffer with oral cancer or its side effects.

I have not read any posts as yet, and thus am not familiar with its style or format. I presume this forum is used to detail the specifics of your illness or involvement in the website, and so I shall provide a brief overview of my situation.

The first thing I would like to say is that mine is a very unique situation. I doubt there are many who were or are as stupid as I with respect to the early diagnosis of cancer. I remember awaking one morning with a sore throat and neck which I attributed to poor sleeping posture. The minor pain persisted over a period of weeks, however it was inconsistent as to occurance and severity. I paid little or no attention to it. Some time later the soreness had moved around to the side of my throat, however it was not severe enough for me to consider seriously. Still later it seemed that my throat was sensitive to the touch and it appeared to be inflamed, and quite frankly, the whole matter had become somewhat annoying. I failed to seek medical advice and put it out of my mind. For almost a year I refused to deal with the discomfort that had now produced a large lumpish growth on the right side of my neck.

Fearing comments from my wife, and rather than investigating this obvious health problem, I decided to grow a full beard for the first time in my life. I was, at the time, 54 years old and had enjoyed excellent health for every one of those years.

The lump continued to grow and before long, it seemed to have cloned itself on the left side of my neck. It wasn't as easy putting the matter out of my mind anymore, and I became increasingly aware of the lumps and my diligent effort to keep them well hidden.

Then I developed the symptoms of a common cold with its raw and raspy throat, which lasted a great deal longer than the other colds I infrequently caught. In addition, my tongue felt irritated as if it had been rubbing against a sharp piece of tooth. Finally, I mentioned the symptoms to my wife who suggested I visit the doctor for a checkup seeing as it had been over 10 years since my last review.

I committed to so doing, however a week or so later the soreness had abated and I felt it was no longer necessary to check it out. That was an unpopular notion, and to keep the peace around home (and to honor my committment...) I agreed to visit the doctor in order to at least obtain a prescription to rid myself of this pesty sore throat.

I hadn't seen Sean for over 10 years, and after the typical exchange of pleasantries, I outlined the problem, and with tongue depressor in hand, he asked me to open and say "Aaagh."

I wan't ready for his reaction to what he observed. His face went chalk white, and with eyeballs bulging out of their sockets, he exclaimed "John, you have cancer. There's a hole in the back of your throat that I could put my thumb through...." Quote, unquote.

He was shocked, and quickly apologized for his verbal outburst which he was quite upset about. But cancer, what me ? You must be kidding.

But kidding he was not, and cancer I did have. All stage 4 of it in fact, with a primary site of the left tonsil that had metastisized onto my tongue, floor of the mouth, soft palate, lateral pharynx, internal medial mandible and lymph nodes on both sides of my neck. The largest of the lumps was 7 centimeters or almost 3 inches in length.

A biopsy, CT Scan and further examinations by oncology specialists soon confirmed the diagnosis, and things took a rather bleak turn for the worse from there.

Why was I stupid ? Well, if it isn't already painfully clear, I could have avoided most of the suffering through early detection and a more responsible attitude towards my personal health. In other words, I could have easily been treated a year or so earlier and enjoyed a more hopeful 80%- 90% survival prognostication than what I faced then. Most of my health problem was avoidable, and I had failed to take appropraite action when it was first noticed by me.

In confessing my own stupidity a number of times, I have learned that I was not alone. I do not fully understand why so many men turn a blind eye to their health concerns rather than seeking medical attention, but the fact that so many fall into this category suggests it is more than a passing fancy.

But nothing will wake you up quite the same as a cancer sighting in your body. And wake up I did, although in many respects, it being the 11th hour, it might have been a little late.

That was 2 years ago, almost to the day, and I am happy to report that I am rapidly approaching the first anniversary of clinical remission, which occurs May 31, 2007. All tests during that year have been negative, and despite their many efforts, the doctors and their machines have not been able to find any evidence of cancer in my body.

It was a most difficult year that followed an even more difficult year, but here I am, firm in the belief that I was one of the extremely lucky ones to have dodged the bullet with such a dim hope of survival at the time of diagnosis.

Health related issues compeletely took charge of my life, and only recently have the number of appointments and examinations reduced to the point where I can now expand my thinking and refresh my interests.

I also believe that I have experienced pretty well all there is to experience in the successful battle with this horrible disease, and hope that I can share my experience, knowledge and positive attitude with others who find themselves within cancer's grip, either as a patient or a patient's loved one.

That concludes this introductory session that I hope isn't out of step with this forum's guidelines or expectations. If it is, then I offer a sincere apology to anyone I have offended, but otherwise I look forward to a meaningful exchange of information and inspiration amongst members and guests of the Oral Cancer Foundation's website.

I thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,
JT