Hi. My name is Lindsay and my dad was diagnosed with oral cancer on May 4th, 2015. He had dental implants in 2013 and after that he was never the same. He said his mouth hurt and he wouldn't eat and acting weird and feel into a deep depression. It went on for so long our family ended up taking him to doctors offices to see what was going on...to see if it was mental or medical problem. The doctors really had no answers for us...a couple doctors said it was the start of dementia and some others said it was just a deep depression. He would never go back to the dentist because he was scared and he kept smoking and didn't take care of his teeth. Over the next 2 years he would get really bad and end up in the hospital and the hospital would send him to mental hospitals and he would get on medicine and return home and be ok for a couple months and then slowy get bad again and end back up in the hospital. We had no real answers. He finally went to a dentist May 2015 and they found a tumor in his cheek and 1 in his jaw..the one is his jaw is wrapped around a nerve that they say is connect to his brain. His jaw is complete decayed away. He has lost 40 pounds in a year. He is suppose to go get a scan next week to see if it is anywhere else in his body...they believe it is but praying those are his only tumors. Very scared for him and he waited way too long and don't know what the out come will be. I signed up to this website to learn more about this cancer. My daughter was diagnosed with neuroblastomia in 2013 but is cancer free now We caught hers very early and she had a very good outcome....I am afraid the same won't be for my dad. Hope to learn from this website and meet some people!

Lindsay, welcome to OCF! You have found the right place to learn about oral cancer. We will help you with info and support.

Your fathers story is so sad. Your family and of course your father has been bounced around for a long time. Hopefully, you will get some good news soon. The scan will see things the doctors cant see visually.

Best wishes with everything.

Hello Lindsay, I am so sorry that you need to be here. Getting diagnosed often is difficult with oral cancer and it is often at an advanced stage by that time. The scan next week will give further information and then Dad's Team will be able to make a treatment plan. For myself, I was only able to calm my fears once a treatment plan was in place. It is a relief to know that they could and would treat the cancer. Then it was a matter of getting on with it. Finding this support group was and is invaluable. We will help you as much as we can. Please let us know how things progress.
Thinking of you and Dad,
Tammy

Hoping for good news!!! and that the tumors are located locally only. HUGS