HI, MY HUSBAND HAS A NICLKE SIZED RES LESION ON HIS TONGUE, AND 1 IN HIS THROAT. ITS BEEN THERE FOR 3 MONTHS OR SO. DENIAL IS AN AMAZING THING, DOC WANTED A BIOPSY 2 MONTHS AGO, MIKE JUST AGREED. SCHEDULED FOR APRIL7, BECAUSE HES ON COUMADIN FOR DVTS AND MUST BE OFF THEM TO PREVENT BLEEDING OUT.BTW, EACH TIME HES GONE OF THE THINNERS, THE CLOT HAS RETURNED, SO THIS IS A DOUBLE WHAMMY. I LOOKED IN THE IMAGE GALLERY AND EACH PIC THAT LOOKED LIKE HIS TURNED OUT TO BE CARCINOMA. ANY IDEA WHAT I CAN EXPECT, SHOULD I PUSH THE DOC FOR HIS OPINION AFTER THE BIOPSY OR BE QUIET AND WAIT? I'M A WRECK, WE HAVE 3 KIDS,AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT. THANKS GUYS, TINA

WELL, ITS ME. I CAN USUALLY SPELL WHEN IM NOT CRYING LIKE AN IDIOT!! HIS LESIONS ARE RED, NOT RES. AND THEY ARE NICKLE SIZED. SHEESH, I HAVE TO GET A GRIP. TINA

Hey Tina,
My husband had what started out to be a normal canker sore, but white if you have ever had one. He waited to it got to past nickel size on his tongue and then the reg doc waited another month giving him antibotics for what he thought was a viral infection. To make a long story shorter, it was Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Stage 3 by then and we have just been through so much since then. I would definitely not wait as it did us great harm the longer we were put off. It might not be cancer, but now we know anything that lasts longer than 2 weeks in your mouth is defintely something you want checked and hopefully biopsied to be sure as soon as possible. In Dan's case, the cancer moved and became agressive extremely fast, so NO don't hesitate.

Get a great support system and my prayers are with you.
Thanks,
Debbie

Hi Tina, I too had a white sore on my tongue for several months before my dentist sent me to an oral surgeon (my dentist put me on antibiotics in February) for a biopsy in April, which came back negative for cancer. The sore got worse, I finally saw a different oral surgeon who took one look at it and diagnosed it as Squamous Cell Carcinoma and made a date for surgery (diagnosis from him 05/10). Please do not let your husand wait any longer, I am not trying to be negative but time is precious, my cancer spread to two of lymph nodes in my neck and I had 1/2 of my tongue removed followed by 7 weeks of radiation. I wonder had my dentist acted quicker back in January, would I have gone through all that. Keep Looking Up!!!!God Bless!

Tina,
If it was simple enough to Dx from a picture on the internet he wouldn't need a biopsy. The pathology report from the biopsy will reveal what it truly is. Until then it's NOT cancer.

I had an oral surgeon, MD and dentist in my mouth and none of them could Dx it correctly. Even the Head & Neck surgeon I subsequently went to would not give me a Dx until the pathology report came back. Even though I had a rather pronounced, highly visible tumor, the Head & Neck doctor wouldn't speculate on what it was. His reason was that it could be a number of things some of them benign. If the biopsy report turns out positive for cancer you will not have to "push" the doctors, they will start into action immediately. There will be a number of other tests and scans that will have to be run to complete the workup. From that they will develop a treatment plan as applicable.

He was probably wise to wait until the Coumadin wore off before getting a biopsy. I take it his doctor knew he was on Coumadin?

We can all relate to the denial thing, I waited almost 9 months before getting a biopsy - probably added a stage or two. Many of us here had "late" Dx's and are alive to tell about it. Like others have said it important to get to the bottom of this expediously at this point.

Take a deep breath, turn off your "cap" key (it's like you're shouting at us!). Be sure sure to take good notes or tape record what the doctors are telling you at your visits. They give a lot of information in a condensed time period upon which important decisions must be made and you will need ALL of the information. One of you has to keep a cool head. My wife was my note taker and absolutely vital. We are here to help fill the blanks or help you with the right questions to ask..

Try to stay in the "now". The past has already gone (and stop beating yourself up about the 2 month delay on the biopsy - most of us only see the doc every 2 months anyway) and none of us knows what lies in our future.

Yes Tina,

Try not to think of all the bad things. There are plenty of other things it might be. Only after the pathologist says what it is can you be sure. You will do just fine, even if it is cancer it is NOT the end.

Concentrate on what you can do right now like locating a comprehensive cancer center (read Large Hospital) If you need to know what is close by, tell us what city you live in or near and we can help give suggestions. Listen to his doctor and take notes. If it is cancer you will want to move ahead decisively but not with panic!

Take care.

P.S. It is really hard to tell cancer just by looking.

Tina, I re-read my posting and didn't want to be so negative about your husband's situation based on my own experience, I apologize for that.

Gary and Mark offered excellent advice. Remember, try to take one day at a time, that's all any of us can do. THINK POSITIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!Let's pray it is not cancer, but if it is, it is NOT the end, as Mark said. I am coming up on my two year anniversary since my diagnosis. SMILE!!!! Take Care, Carol

Hi Tina, Talk about a rock and a hard place, my heart goes out to you. Follow the advice of Gary and Mark and as Mark says, "It is not the End".
Iam currently in treatment for Squamous Cell Carcinoma and it is not bad at all...

Thank you all for your kind words. It's only been a few days since the biopsy was ordered so I'm in panic mode, I'll take care of the details so Mike can concentrate on being well. And yes, the Doc knows about the coumadin and clots, all his Drs. stay in close touch. Depending on the outcome I'll need a center in or near Chicago, so I'll sure ask for some ideas if we get to that. I'm so glad i found this site.

Hi Tina,
go to this site for the NCI/NCCN member comprehensive cancer centers http://www.nccn.org/

"Large hospital" may not necessarily translate into a comprehensive cancer center. I live in an area with 15 million people and we have lots of "large hospitals" but only 2 comprehensive cancer centers (Stanford & UCSF).

If it IS cancer you don't want to fool around with the "second string players". Your best shot at this is a multidisciplinary team with a proven track record.