Hi! Last Thursday, I received the news my biopsy was positive for an scc on my tongue. I am scheduled to to back to my ENT on the 5th to review the tests I had done this week. One thing, can anyone point me towards a good diagram of the tongue? I know there are lymph nodes for different parts of the tongue and would like to get more familiar with the terms. I don't know what's considered "base", etc..

Also, I checked and the surgeon they have referred me to (5/10/05) is an otolaryngologist. Is that who I should be seeing? He came from MD Anderson, so I'm sure he's qualified, and he's at the OU Med Center in Oklahoma City, so there are oncologists/radiologists, etc... for consult. Just wanted your opinions.

Thanks!
Jennifer

P.S. Jerry, if you read this, I was just curious how you found out about your scc? Since you are a dentist and educated in oral abnormalities, I'm guessing maybe it was in a location you couldn't see?

Jennifer, Otolaryngologist is just a "fancy" name for ENT. You should be in good hands.

Take care

Thanks Mark. I was glad to see your reply and that you thought the otolaryncologist would be a good place to start.

I sure am anxious to get started with treatment.

Jennifer

Hello Jennifer,

Sounds like you are in good hands as far as doctors go. As your treatment plan is mapped out please post to let us know.
Some questions we would have are:

What did they stage your cancer at?
Is your trearment plan being reviewed by a team of different doctors? Surgeon, Rad guy & On'gist?

There will be alot of questions you will need to know. You can go to the search engine at the top of page and read some older postings that will help you. You can also post your questions and someone with similer treatments will reply. Everyone reacts diferently to similer treatment.
It may seem like a mountin but each journey begins with that first fearful step. Remember there is light at the end of the tunnel!

The more educated you are about your diaease the more confident you will feel as you start your journey. I can tell you it's one bumpy road but many of us have traveled it and survived. You will to!!

Best Wishes, Danny Boy

Hi Jennifer, I went to grad school at OU and was in Oklahoma for six years altogether (1988-1994). I'm not really an Oklahoman, I'm a New England Yankee now living in upstate NY, but every now and then I do miss hearing that OK twang so I'm doing that in my mind as I read your posts :-). You're getting the best medical care in Oklahoma at the Health Science Center there.

I'm in the middle of my treatment now and I understand your anxiousness to get things started. I have gotten a huge amount of really wodnerful support and information from this site, I hope you find the same. Just wanted to offer a hello and some support.

Nelie

Jennifer,

Sorry to hear the diagnosis, however, this is curable. Just keep on going in the right direction, as you already are.

My lesion was on the side of the tongue, left lateral border is what it is called. I was able to see it and found it very quickly. I had been having pain in my tongue with no signs of anything for awhile before the lesion showed. It was very small and in actuality it was all removed during the biopsy. I know this because there were no cancer cells on any of the frozen sections. I also had clean nodes (30) removed from my neck.

I tried searching the net with Google for you to try to find a good diagram of the tongue. No luck. I've even looked in all my text books, here at the office and there are no pictures that would help you, sorry. The base of the tongue is all the way in the back where it attaches to the floor of the mouth. If you lift up your tongue to the roof of your mouth, you will only be able to see a part of the base. Most of it is too difficult to see.

For further clarification, the top of the tongue is the dorsal surface and the bottom is the ventral surface.

When and if there is matastasis from the tongue it goes to the nodes in the neck, that is why the surgeon will sometimes remove these lymph nodes. The protocol of my surgeon is to always remove them as he feels that this is the only way you can know for sure. Others feel differently.

Good luck on Thursday and let us know what else you find out. Keep asking questions.

Jerry

Jennifer
Try cancerBacup.org.uk Look under types of cancer, i.e. head and neck. they have some diagrams and some good information.
Hope this helps?
Sunshine... love and hugs
Helen

Thanks to all of you for the replies. Nelie, I had to laugh at your note. My husband and I giggled about the Okie twang for the first year we lived here...then we didn't hear it anymore and figured out..it's because that's the way we speak now! ARRGGG... :-D

Daniel, thanks for the start of the questions I need to ask. I am making a list now. Believe it or not...I bought "Chemotherapy/Radiation for Dummies" this weekend. I couldn't believe that book even existed, but there it was. It has been great and discusses everything from how cancer cells look to emotional aspects. I'm reading everything I can find!

Helen and Jerry, thank you for the info on the tongue. From Jerry's post, mine is probably on the right lateral border, but I will ask for sure on Thursday. The bad thing is, it has crept down the side of my tongue and up the gum all the way to my back molars. Even if that part isn't malignant, I'm guessing it will be nasty to remove. Not sure what will be involved.

Anyway, thank you for the information. I am SO ready to get started. I view the cancer as my "enemy" and am ready to do battle. :-) I will post more on Thursday after I see the ENT.

Jennifer

gillijl .... We'll know that you're the real deal when you finally let slip the inevitable ya'all. But when you finally let pass from your lips (or fingers on the keyboard) the plural for the already plural ya'all....which of course is commonly said as..... all ya'all, we will all be certain of your complete conversion. If I handn't heard it plenty of times in my travels in OK and TX, I'd have never believed it.......

Hah! I'd totally forgotten about that...brings back memories. Funny thing is, yankee that I am, I still say "Y'all" in the classroom to my students once in a while since it is clearer that I am referring to them (plural) versus singling out one of them (singular) and is less apt to be interpreted as sexist than the way I learned "y'all" as a kid which is "you guys".