I know every case is different, but I was wondering what the general length of time is between your Dx and treatment. I was diagnosed on June 30th and am not being treated until August 20th. I feel that I have waited quite a bit of time and it has been nerve racking for me and my family. I know my doctor cares, but frankly my diagnosis came when they were all taking their vacations. Semi-funny thing is we just read an article on how this is the worst time of year to get Dx, because of doctor's schedules/vacations. In the time since my Dx my tumor has at least doubled in size and the pain is rather significant now. My doctor just saw me on Monday and isn't alarmed, but it is a question that has been weighing heavily on us - and it isn't really a question you can ask your doctor without becoming a problem patient. I am ready for next Wednesday!

My husband's diagnosis was delayed by Thanksgiving, and his treatment by Christmas and New Years. It WAS nerve-racking, but things have turned out well for him. On a positive note, you saw a doctor promptly for the tongue irratation, so at least that part of it moved quickly. Best wishes on the upcoming surgery.
Maria

Thank you Maria. Waiting is the hardest part for me. I am ready to fight and I am sitting here waiting for everyone else to get their gloves on and join me...

I was told to hang on that things were going to move very quickly. 3 weeks later I had my first appointment.

I can't end with that...

In spite of the wait, I did very well. Looking back, there is a lot that happens out of our eyesight. I was about to be injected with poison (chemo) and blasted with ridiculous amounts of radiation so any time they needed to dot i's and cross t 's they are welcome to. While it's easy to feel like the cancer is growing every second, in my case I had ignored a swollen lymph node for 3 months or so. And NOW I'm in a hurry?

Yes the waiting is worrying. Kris was diagnosed in The first week in December. So, Christmas and new year intervened. His treatment started in the last week of January. He needed tooth extractions and time to heal before radiotherapy started and a PEG inserted.
When he had his recurrence , surgery was not scheduled for 8 weeks! We were not prepared to wait and sought treatment in the private sector - with the same surgeons - the following week.
Thinking of you,
Tammy

I know how you feel! I had multiple treatments, and had to wait for a month or two or even longer to begin treatments for various reasons, and was concerned as much as you are. I can't say for sure any had a negative impact, but beginning treatment as early as possible is best, I think, but sometimes it's unpreventable, and once something is removed like from surgery, can't be put back or radiation or chemo taken away once given. Once you start treatment, you will forget all about the wait, and will just wanting to get through each day.

Use this time to prepare, psych yourself up for the big fight. Good luck.

Waiting is hard, now way around it. Your wait is not all that unusual. I have read some as short as three weeks and much longer than yours based on various rounds of misdiagnosis and other delays. Even the standard take some antibiotics go around can delay a month. My feeling is the wait is certainly worth putting up with if it means a through and complete set of tests and board reviews is involved. Additionally, more time allows you to get more informed about your own case and for some that is a good thing. Other like to fly blind, some like to look straight at what is about to whack you in the head. Good luck,

There actually is a way around waiting some of the time. Knowing the system helps - so does calling daily to see if there are cancellations (this does two things - one impress upon them you are anxious to get moving - and two keep you in the forefront of their thoughts. Up to 6 weeks is a normal wait time from dx to surgery - from surgery to treatment - 5-6 weeks depending on healing. There's usually a lot to be done in that time - cts, dental appointments, meeting with the team - bloodwork - hearing tests etc... But waiting totally sucks.

Hugs.

Thanks for all of your replies, they helped calm me down before my surgery. You guys are great so thanks for all of your support! It has been a big relief having all of your help.

So glad you are doing well. ;o)

I had the same thing with the waiting. I was diagnosed on Dec 3rd 2013, appt Dec 12th, and was not scheduled for surgery until end of January 2014 because of the holidays. The only way I know if what Cheryl suggested with calling each day if there are cancelations... I wish I had done that...

Good luck to you, and keep calling, hopefully they will fit you in sooner.

Take care.
Angela

I was reasonably lucky I guess. First check with doctor on Jan. 14, biopsy on Jan. 22, first informed of my diagnosis on Jan 29, consult with surgeon, pathologist & dental folks on Feb 3, consult with radiation dude on Feb 11, CT scan on Feb 17, then into surgery on Feb. 25.

Not sure if I was fast-tracked because of either how serious it looked and/or how likely I was to recover. Or perhaps I was just lucky in terms of having capacity at the time, but I also heard horror stories of much longer waits. However, I am in a major city center and they have several tiers of doctors so I'd guess it's very unlikely that they have gaps because of people on vacation at the same time.

Escalation did happen pretty quickly though. In my case, it went from just looking like a cold sore, to suddenly maybe half an inch of missing tongue in a couple of weeks. Imagine hanging a quarter on your tongue in such a way that it covers 1/2" of your tongue - thats about what it looked like by the time I saw the surgeon the first time. Quite scary stuff.