Hi everyone smile Im Lyn. Im from Melbourne Oz. I was diagnosed with fairly severe tongue Cancer on Nov 16th and operated on (losing 2/3 of my tongue, 34 lymph nodes, 4 teeth a chunk of my wrist to make a new tongue and a chunk of my thigh for a skin graft to cover the new tongue chunk. I also lost a nerve from ny wrist to my elbow which replaced the one that made my old tongue move.) on the 19th Nov (yep 2007) Starting on the 31st Dec 4 days after my 46th birthday, for 6 weeks straight (5 days a week)of radiotherapy (happy Nuclear year! huh?!)
A flap was made to replace the chopped off cancerous bit of my tongue and although I guess it could be worse I am VERY sad and lost and feeling like a mutant. I can talk...with somewhat of a speech impediment (its worse in the morning) as most of you will be familiar with..but the most annoying part for me is...I am..no..i was...a singer and a pianist. I worked with My Husband Kim on Cruise ships, local ferries and around town at functions. Thats over now. Im in shock....we both are. Our finances are in shock and i HATE where I am right now (sad)...so here I am...I googled "BEST ORAL CANCER FORUM ON WEB" and was brought here. Any advice, ancouragement, help, friendly (and not so friendly if i need them! haha) kicks to get me motivated etc are welcome.
As I lost four teeth and had stiched under my chin where the 34 lymph glands, my neck is still quite swollen and tight...will this go away anytime soon?...Can someomne tell me?...what have I got to look forward to in general (apart from living)..positive only please at this stage...eg...will my lisp get better? (i sound like a i have a golf ball in my mouth...will my tongue swelling go down more? will i ever be rid of this cancer or will it keep coming back (i keep reading there is a 50% survival rate for oral cancer at the 5 year mark). Im only 45...so is there a 50% chance I wont see 50? Hard questions..so I just thought after saying hello I'd tell you where Im at right now.
If I can help ANY of you...PLEASE ask. Please. If you have no one to talk to...you now have ME...a net pal from Down Under. You are not alone.
Thanks for letting me join this forum. I need this...I have so many questions. Im scared. But...as someone put it...Hey, its just an experience and life isnt boring at least haha!
I hope to talk to lots of you and hear good things...and i will do my best to see if I can support you through the not so good!
Love to you all Lyn cool
PS I thought Id give you a little "hello" gift as it is my first time....one little thing that you have probably all figured out by now is..BEGINNERS plastic chopsticks are lifesavers as far as eating goes (esp in public!) you can put the food in the most comfy place in your mouth after you chop it up to the size that suits your mouth/teeth/tongue/jaw best!...MUCH cooler than teaspoons! huh?!.

Tongue Cancer SCC Removal of 2/3 of right side tongue, neck disection-34 lymph nodes removed. flap for new tongue made from left wrist in 2007. Now (mid 2011) speech has been back to normal since early 2009, and Im back working as a singer. So far so good!
2016... Still cancer free! Yay.