Hi Raymond,

I was 32 when they told me I had SCC in my tongue. Lost 1/3 of my tongue and had a modified neck disection where they took out lymph nodes, salivary glands, etc. You have definately found your way to the right place to ask questions of folks who have been through what you are facing.

Several items you need to ask your doctor about:
1) Feeding tube/GTube post surgery -- you will most likely need this based on your first posting.
2) Is surgery the only option? Is your doctor planning Chemo/Radiation treatments, etc?

I found that it was easier to write my questions down and keep a journal so I could ask the Dr each time I saw him. One time I faxed him 4 pages of questions before I was going to see him so he would have time to digest them.

You are in for a long and difficult treatment, but I am living evidence as well as many others on this site that it is survivable. You will have to make an adjustment to how you are used to living once the treatment is through. You will most likely have visits with speech therapists and swallowing therapists to retrain your changed anatomy.

This site is full of knowledge and I highly recommend you use the search function as it will lead you to more specific questions about what you are facing.

Feel free to ask me specific questions about what I went through.

Good luck and fight hard.
Jim