So just got home minutes ago and before shutting down the computer to drink a bottle of wine with my wife
(the ENT surgeon suggested it as at this point it cannot hurt
Here are her Bolded answers to the questions I posted earlier.
1. With a new lump now on the lower side of the tongue where we could actually feel it with my finger clinically cancer - is partial glossectomy my best bet at "beating it"?
YES - AND SHE SPOKE WITH THE RO WHO AGREES
2. Would some CO2 laser surgery on tongue be better than scalpel? NO
3. What percentage of tongue are you planning on removing (1/8;1/4;1/2)? ONE HALF
4. How urgent is this surgery? Can it be delayed for expert flap surgeon? SHOULD BE DONE W/I 3 WEEKS - EXPERT LINED UP
5. How many glossectomies have you done?
OVER A HUNDRED - NOW REDUCED TO ONE A MONTH
6. How many flap reconstructions have you or a co surgeon done? HE DOES 2 TO 3 A WEEK
7. What are the odds on �Tin Man Syndrome�? (multiple serial glossectomies as some OCF posters had) NO CLUE JUST HOPE
8. What assistance can your office provide in getting second opinion CAN'T EXPEDITE JOHN HOPKINS BUT WILL SEND TO WHOEVER
9. What�s the SWAG risk benefit: how long would I have if I do nothing? Do I only get an extra 5 weeks?
IF NOTHING, DEAD W/I THE YEAR AND VERY PAINFULLY WITH INABILITY TO EAT, TALK PLUS PROFUSIVE BLEEDING FROM THE MOUTH WITH SURGERY - GOOD CHANCE OF EXTRA ONE TO FOUR YEARS
10. Can you do a �selective� Neck Dissection that operates on fewer areas, preserving function in the shoulder, and can sometimes leave the sensory nerves, preventing numbness, especially in the earlobe. GIVEN LOCATION OF TUMOR PROBABLY NOT - EXPECT PERMANENT DAMAGE FROM SPLITTING JAW BONE IN HALF PLUS TUMORS INTERTWINED WITH SENSORY NERVES
11. Can you do a neck dissection that still removes tissue from all five levels, BUT sparing the sternocleidomastoid muscle, the spinal accessory nerve and the internal jugular vein ? PROBABLY YES
12. Should I be changing RO and MO since prescribed TX didn�t do the trick? THEY BOTH RECOMMEND THIS SURGERY AND WANT TO TELL ME SO IN PERSON IF I WANT TO SEE OR HEAR THEM EVER AGAIN - THEY FEEL VERY BADLY ABOUT THIS OUTCOME-
13. How long in hospital? 7 TO 10 DAYS
14. How long recuperation? 6 MONTHS TO A YEAR
15. Ability to Speak? YES BUT WITH A LISP AND NOT FOR 2 MONTHS
16. Ability to swallow? NOT SO MUCH - HOPE FOR THE BEST
Then she added in full detail the really nasty side effects
