Hi, my name is Sara. Carlg is my dad. I am 27 years old, remarried with 2 children. My son is 8 and my daughter is 10 months. My dad was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. Im here to get good news from others with his type of cancer and support for myself and my family. Nice to meet you all.
Sara

Hi Sara,

Sorry to hear about your father's diagnosis. You don't mention much about where the cancer was found, size of tumor, what stage of cancer, whehter or not there is lymph node involvement, etc. I would encourage you to read the OCF site beyond the forum. There is a lot of excellent information that will be useful to you and your dad before, during and after treatment.

One of the most common recommendations that you will hear on this forum is to make sure that your dad is being treated at a comprehensive cancer hospital that has a lot of experience with oral cancer. This can be critically important and I'd encourage you to make sure that your dad is treated at one. Second, I'd strongly recommend that you get a second opinion to be confident that your father's diagnosis is accurate and that the doctors agree on the treatment regimen.

Good luck. Best wishes for a successful treatment.
Sheldon

Thank you sheldon. Im sorry i didnt mention all that, it was actually in my signature. He is being treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC, i think they are one of the best in the country. Thank you for your reply.
Sara

Sara--I'm older and so's my Dad (we're 49 and 75), but I understand what it's like to be the backup caregiver. I've spent most of the time since his April surgery with he and Mom in Chicago (although my home is in Kansas). This website is terrific for information and support. Be sure to use the search feature on any topic of specific interest. Your Dad's at a top facility and he's got good family support. It makes a difference. Hang in there!

Hello Sara,

Being a caregiver for your dad will be one of the toughest jobs you will ever have. I believe there is a special place in heaven for caregivers.
Are they planning any surgery before or after the chemo and radiation?
What type of chemo drugs will he be receiving and how often?
Is he going to have field radiation where they radiate the entire area or IMRT which is a more precise way to deliver the radiation with less side effects.
It is a rocky road at times but many of us have been through it and survived. He can to!!!

Remember to write all your questions ahead of time because you never remember them all at the doctors. Also when he starts treatment he will lose some weight. Tell him to eat like a pig before treatment starts. After treatment he may not be able to eat for awhile. Have they discussed a PEG tube to supply his food in case he can't eat? Many of us have had them and it was a relief knowing I was getting proper nutrition. Some go without and do fine. Everyone reacts differently to similier treatment.
Also when treatment ends remember to measure his progress in weeks not days. The radiation continues to do it's damage about three weeks after treatment ends.
Please post any questions you have an someone with similier treatment will respond.
You are now part of a large International Family that is here to support you in any way we can. Glad you found us but sorry you had to.
It is a tight band of brothers with a main goal of educating dentists to do an oral screening every six months at cleaning time. Early detection is one of the best defenses of this most unforgiving diaease.

I hope his recovery goes well!!

Your Friend, Danny Boy

Danny, thank you for your reply. As of right now, they said surgery is not an option. As for whether or not they will be able to do surgery after treatment, we hope and pray they will but will have to wait and see. Im not sure about the chemo drugs yet. We are going down to the hospital tomorrow where they will fit him for a mask, determine whether or not they will remove his teeth and so forth. They said they will definitly put in a feeding tube but im not sure if they are going to do that tomorrow or not. Im sure we will find out the exact's about the chemo and radiation tomorrow. Unfortunatly, he cant eat like a pig before treatment because his throat is so sore, it is so hard for him to eat anything. Even to drink. The doctor said the tumor is so big that he would have eventually suffocated from it in his sleep, so it causes a great deal of discomfort and pain to get anything down. The feeding tube will be great for him because of that. Thanks for welcoming me to this wonderful group and for all of your support.
Sara