Hi to everyone,
I'm not sure I'm at the right place...maybe you can help me out?
Today I was diagnosed with "a lesion on the right vocal cord". I'm still not even emotionally beyond those words. A biopsy is scheduled for next Wednesday morning...and then a "couple of days" before the results are back.
From what I understand, it doesn't sound like too many "lesions" are benign on the v.cords, are they?...so I seem to be preparing myself for the worst.
Oddly, my regular ENT, who removed a benign tumor from my parotid gland 3 yrs ago, diagnosed me 2 weeks ago with a "ruptured blood vessel" and prescribed antibiotics. You can imagine that today's news really floored me. How can they mistake such a difference? Both did the scopes. I'd actually gone to this new dr because my oral surgeon couldn't identify anything orally that was causing some edema in my palate during hours of sleep. Now that I think about it, that's on the right side, too. Doesn't that sound like something malignant? It doesn't seem to take a rocket scientist to piece together that if the vocal cord lesion was benign,i'd be having this palate issue (which, btw, began very suddenly one night with this pulsating sensation..the next day I came down with a bad viral upper respiratory infection...I thought they were connected, but the infection is gone now and I'm still getting the palate swelling...it goes down after I'm standing for a 1/2 hour or so. I know you're not doctors...but I can see that some of you can figure some things out. To me, this represents some type of metastasis. Freaking out doesn't begin to describe it...I think you'll understand. Please excuse me if I can't just yet offer something hopeful to anyone...I just need a little time . Now I'm wondering if I need yet a third opinion?
This dr is well-respected and has "lectured internationally" on laryngeal issues....he's also quite old. Dear oh dear....what do I do now?
I've smoked for many years...am 60 yrs old. How odd that I started taking Chantix about 5 days ago. I almost feel it doesn't matter at this point.
Very sad today...and scared.

Get thyself to a comprehensive cancer center (CCC) and forget the "old Doc". This disease, if you HAVE it, requires state of the art, well informed and educated specialists in a coordinated team approach. Memorial Sloan Kettering perhaps?!?!

We also have a saying around here that "it ain't cancer until the path report says it is". You could have a node on your vocal cord. The edema could be an allergic response.

You are in the right place and welcome to the site.

Thank you Gary.
I am totally numb this morning and dont even know what I'm doing. I've been the "matriarch" in the family...they all look to me, so family seems to be sitting on sidlines waiting for me to decide. Sloan is 500 miles from here. Maybe I should look into Roswell Park in Buffalo?
I'm SO tempted to go back to my original ENT who scoped 2 weeks ago and ask "hey, what's up?" I've trusted this person before who did the very tricky parotid surgery a few years back. There isn't much I can do today, Saturday...or tomorrow. All lab work is done (except EKG) and ducks are already in a row for Wed.a.m. biopsy. What a dilemma. My family is very loving and supportive, but right now I feel all that I have is this forum and the people here. I see how important it is to find others who understand.

I can't agree more with Gary. It is certainly worth a trip to a comprehensive cancer center. My local ENT did my biopsy and I had a long few days waiting for the results. When they came back as SCC, I headed straight for MD Anderson. They weren't convinced it was SCC and moved cautiously into surgery. Turns out it was a granular cell tumor and I avoided further surgery and treatment. They're watching me closely as they can't dismiss the original biopsy...but treatment at MDACC made my outcome very different than had I continued with the local guy. Let the experts take a look. It's worth the trip.

Gail,

You really need to calm down and wait until the results of the bio are in. Please do not jump to the worst conclusions. It really won't help matters going back to the ENT either. Whatever it is, it is and you just need to find the right doctor that will make the proper diagnosis and just as importantly the right treatment plan. I went to 5 different cancer docs before I felt I had the right one. You must remain as calm and logical as possible because it may be your life at stake and who better than you do you want involved in making those decisions. So research as much as you can about the many things that you may have so that when decisions are presented to you, you will be better prepared to make them.

This site will prove very valuable to you so use it as often as you want. There is NO DUMB QUESTION EVER ASKED HERE.

In a way , I would like to go back to my original ENT and say "Hey, what's up with this, why did you discourage me from a tonsillectomy??" But it's kind of a moot point now. I got to a CCC and never looked back. It's time for you to step forward and get the best care that you can find.

Thank you girlcat, Suess and David. All good suggestions, and of course they make sense. What makes me most unhappy (aside from the obvious), is that I'm finding out what a wuss I am and how I've let this potential paralyze me physically and emotionally. I wouldn't have thought I'd react so poorly, at least until I hear something further.
Could someone fully explain "CCC"? There are cancer treatment centers...but are they all equally good? How would I know? What is the criteria I should look for? Any other NY'ers here? We're about 60 miles sw of Buffalo.I don't know why Roswell Park Cancer Instit. (i think that's the proper name) scares the heck out of me. I wish there was someplace else.
I'm glad you are all doing well.
Thank you all for caring for me...a stranger.

Gail,

I will let others expound on CCCs. What I want to say to you is this:

I don't think any of us, when first diagnosed, immediately knew what to do. We all had a few days of shock...we all had a sense of helplessness and being overwhelmed. So don't feel like you are a wuss...you are normal. Armed with more information, you will begin to formulate a plan and once you start moving within that plan, you will feel better.

The first step is that biopsy. If it is positive (a big if,) you can take those slides ( and scans) to any CCC for second opinions, etc. The most frustrating part of all of this is the waiting...it seems forever to reach a treatment plan and get going on it.

Stay with us here at this board...check in with your results and you will, by posting and reading (a lot,) have help making a decision about how you need to proceed.

I just wanted to assure you that a vast majority of us here have, at one time or another, felt very scared and yes paralyzed
by what we were facing. We do care and we will walk thru this storm with you.

Deb

Dear Gail - A comprehensive cancer center is the best way to go - where there is a team of doctors who all get together to share information and come up with the best plan and there is a list of them here:
http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/resources/cancer_centers.htm
This list includes Sloan-Kettering which has already been mentioned, but there are several in your state. Most hospitals also have a web site where you check the credentials of the doctors and find out something about their experience and their main area of interest. It's better if you can try to stay calm because you won't know for sure about anything anyway until the results of the biopsy come in. If you can keep busy by researching this site it will help to ease the anxiety. Just go to the OCF Main site (upper left this page) and use the Search function or just click on everything you see that interests you. That way you will be better prepared to ask the questions you need to help you get through this. Staying busy helps, deep breaths, exercise, or just putting one foot in front of the other. When I was going thru those horribly anxious moments with my son, I did so many Sudoku puzzles I think I've become an expert! And come here often - there is always somebody to listen and to care.

Gail,

You are in the Best Place!! There is a lot of information here that will keep you busy until Wednesday. I know it is hard to keep your cool during this WAIT time. You will soon learn that waiting is part of all of this.

Don't shoot your self down, you are just trying to take it all in from where you are at. Learn as much as you can here and make a list of questions you can ask the Dr. on Wednesday. We are here for you. Like Gary said "It is Not cancer until they say it is."

So until then take a big breath, and know that we all understand where you are at. We know it is scary, but we are here.

Take care,
Diane

Gail, Hi from another upstate NYer.

First of all, the time when I was the MOST scared in my entire cancer battle is right at the beginning when everything was unknown and just the C word still scared me. The fear will get better once you know what you're dealing with. No matter what it is. Trust me on this.

Roswell Park is a CCC and it is by far the closest one in NY to you. There is not another in Upstate. For those of you who may not have your NY geography down, Gail is I'd say about seven hours away, by car, from NYC and Loan-Kettering.

I was treated at an affiliate of Roswell Park here in Ithaca (the RO was from Roswell Park). I think there may be other CCCs closer to you in Pittsburgh or somewhere, you should look at that list, but I also think Roswell Park would do fine. They are a CCC and have a head and neck cancer team that would be treating you and all the additional specialists such as speech pathologist and dental oncologist. I would be making plans NOW to get a second opinion from them.

Nelie

I just looked at that list and there is also a CCC in Cleveland--that might be not much further away than Buffalo for you, if I am thinking of roughly where you are correctly. You're somewhere near Jamestown?

Nelie

i know it is hard to wait.it seems like forever
i have stage1 t1a on my vocal cord.went thru the radition and chemo.went back to ent in nov everything was good.then went in jan and he saw a nodule on my vocal cord the same one
now moved up pet scan i have it thursday.the people that are on here are great they help any way they can.and beleive ive askde a lot of stupoid ///////////? .TRY NOT TO WORRY iknow that is easier said than done.it will all work out.do you smoke/WE ARE AL LHERE FOR YOU