Hello! I’m 45 from Ontario. Dental hygienist noticed a growth 4 years ago. Dentist encouraged me to get it checked. Went to someone and had it biopsied. Dr came back to me then saying it was nothing and no worries. It came back. Went to see him again a year later. He said it’s not a problem. Tongue got more painful as years went by. Dentist encouraged me to go back and I relented. Dr retired so new dr was there. He said need another biopsy. He did it mid-Feb.. Called me back earlier then appointment to come in. Turns out it was suspicious for cancer. Sent to cancer clinic 4 hours away. They decided needed partial glossectomy. They rescheduled surgery twice. Third appointment mid-May had surgery. Follow up mid-June where I was told it was bigger then suspected so need to remove more. CT shows no spread (😀). Dr called yesterday to send me to next ENT oncologist as he’s away rest of this month. Go to see new guy Tues and he will do second surgery. When? No idea. Let’s hope it’s soon so I can get this cancer out of me! Feeling defeated but trying my best to positive….some days it’s a losing battle. No high risk behaviours like smoking or drinking so , no hpv related so no real explanation other then bad luck. Well….that’s my story and where I’m at.

Hi Jessamyn,

I am so sorry to hear what you are going through. This cancer path sometimes is so fickle and nebulous. Glad you reached out here. It's a great group with lots of information to share. For a little light reading, try googling cancer is like finding a lion in the fridge. Or, for a longer read, try the book Anticancer. Content rich book that sometimes I had to read the same few pages 2-3x to get all the info packed in there.

To deal with the mental anguish/anxiety, I used to lay out a daily plan of exercise, reading, mindfulness, prayer, family time, etc. I found writing in a journal to be a wonderful tool for letting out my emotions. And, it was helpful for looking back and referencing to see how far i had come in recovery.

Keep us up to date on your final surgery and treatment path. We can likely offer some good advice.

Stay safe and keep the faith,
Nels

Thank you! Still in shock it is Squamous Cell Carcinoma…..but it is what it is. Will keep things updated and will definitely check out the readings too. Appreciate the advice