All,

Got word today that although they found inflammation they see no cancer on my lung biopsy. This was given with a guarded prognosis as the sample was not the best. My lung still refuses to fully reflate so here I lie in the hospital in Michigan. They think they can get me out by Wed.

In the meantime my brother decided to get a small spot on his gum checked out given all the troubles I have been having and the fact that he smoked for years (quit two years ago). ENT found two issues and immediately ordered a CT scan.

My Brother's CT scan showed a 2cm. lesion on the throat just above the vocal cords on the right side and a 1 cm legion between the upper and lower molars on the left side.

Doctor feels both are stage I/II SCC but has scheduled a biopsy for Thursday to make sure. Feels it is odd to have lesions on two sides of the mouth which we all know is unusual. My Brother is in Dallas Texas.

If Brothers biopsy comes back positive we will both be heading to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center together. I wonder if they have ever treated siblings simultaneously?

Oh my god!!! I am so so glad your lungs appear clear - thank heavens!!! A recurrence isn't fun but thankfully it isn't in your lungs! Sorry your brother may end up going through this with you - but misery does love company! You can help him through it since you've been there and he can be here for you too. Not something. Would wish on anyone of course but at least you have each other! Hugs!!!

Hi Kelly,

Such good news about your lungs! I hope both of them are back to full function soon.

Your situation has helped your brother--maybe even saved his life. It's not something many people can claim as a result of their run-in with OC. Usually, it's more like third person anecdotal help and not for the benefit of a person with whom you share parents.

I'll keep both you and your brother in my thoughts and prayers for great success with treatment, a divinely guided medical team, and a quick return to complete health. I'd pray for a group discount, too. But, knowing that MDA is a top facility and a "destination" CCC, I know that would be asking way too much for even God to pull off.

Take care and keep us posted about what is happening with you and your brother.

Sandy

Kelly, Im very happy for you that things are starting to look up for you!!! Its great news!!!! See, when things looks the bleakest it doesnt always mean that you cant get well. Now if that lung of yours would just co-operate!

Im very sorry to hear about your brother. I hope you have told him to join OCF so he can get our help. He is very lucky to have you as a mentor and helper. Good thing he paid attention and went to get checked. I am a person who had 2 completely separate tumors at once. Mine were inside my L cheek and also on the top behind my top L molar. They were about 3" apart. So even with 2 tumors, he can be successfully cured.

Best wishes to both you and your brother!

Kelly,

I'm glad to hear this news my friend, much needed and a weight off I'm sure. Here's to hope.

Eric

Kelly,

Wow, what a relief that your lung biopsy is clear!!! So happy for you. Rest up. I am sorry about your brother. I wish him the best. He is lucky to have you to help him through this.

Anita

Looks like I'll be able to get out of here tomorrow and head down to M.D. Anderson to get the lymph node looked at. it's 3.2 cm so not so small. It had been pushing against a number of nerves in my neck and causing all kinds of trouble.

The good thing is that wth no lung involvement we can just go ahead and do a ND (which I never thought i would be happy with). At this point i'll take what I can get.

My brother is in a much better situation being a stage I (possibly II) so we will go to MDA together and get the news together, then we'll fight together.

Good luck! Keep us posted!

You'll both get great care at MDA. You'll have great company and camaraderie for the rough spots ahead.

Whatever bond that has been forged between you two, it will be tempered like steel by the time you are finished with treatment. Good memories do not always come from happy times. But, sometimes they are an unexpected gift that comes from sharing a burden. I hope the gifts are many and the burdens few.

Sending wishes for good health and great peace to you and your brother.

Love and hugs to both you and your brother Kelly.
Gabriele

Possible good news from my brother. His doctor is doing the biopsy in Dallas today before sending him down to houston and said that the spot in the mouth looked like displaysia (sp). Lets hope the throat turns out as well.

I was told I would be released today. The lung has stopped leaking for now.

Wish us luck.

Wonderful news for you, Kelly, and prayers headed to your brother for the same.
julieann

Prayers to both of you.. Hoping your brother is cancer free.. And you too!

Finally out of hospital after 5 days. I'll be checking in with M.D. Anderson and U of M on Friday to see who can see me first.

I'll have to start on the cancer positive lymph node in the neck first and worry about the lungs as time moves on. Although they could not get a good sample from the lung and the one they did get was negative, I'll have to protect against the worst (and still hope for the best). My brother is heading down to M.D.A. for follow ups and I am praying for the best for him (he has 3 kids).

Life is really tough these days. The tumor in my neck is throwing off a lot of pain and I just want it gone, but they don't want to do anything substantial until they get the lungs figured out

My extended family is freaking out about my brother and looking to me for answers as I have been through this before and I got nothing.

On top of all that my company just got offered the biggest deal in its short history and the CEO (me) just took a three month medical leave of absence.
Oh well, venting tonight, tomorrow is a new day. I still have life in these tired bones and plan on fully exhausting them before I leave this mortal coil.
As bad as I feel, I still am completely convinced that I and my brother will prevail and die of either old age or pulling some stupid stunt like we did back in high school (may need to buy a 68 GTO for that).

Kelly, Good Luck to you and your brother I hope all turns out well.

Take care,
Connie

Kelly, congrats on getting sprung from the hospital. I know how much I detested getting stuck there. Hope you are able to quickly get into MD Anderson to get checked out. Best wishes to your brother as well. How terrible to see more than one person in a family be ill with cancer at the same time. I hope you both can get successfully treated and move on to celebrate many anniversaries of good health!

Spent my first day back home; what a great feeling. I hate long stays in the hospital. I have decided to go to the University of Michigan first next week as MDACC can't see me until late in the week which is when I am already scheduled for U of M. I'll do a follow up at MDACC after that. We will be watching the spots on the lungs for now as another biopsy is probably not a good idea given all the trouble and the inconclusive nature of the last one and the collapsed lung.

The pain now is getting to the point where I just want them to get rid of this lymph node any way possible. It is growing inward and pressing on all kinds of nerves. Woke up this morning and it felt like someone had hit me on the side of the head with a sledge hammer. They gave me lots of pain meds and I was able to get that under control fairly quickly and am now going to go on a schedule to keep ahead of the pain.
I think I am just starting to understand the situation that EZJim has been experiencing these past few years (buddy I have no idea how you have been able to stay so positive).
I am now just hoping that this is one bad lymph node that we can get with a ND. That surgery sounded so scary up until I started in with this pain. Now it looks like a god send if it will kill off this pain.

Scan showed no other nodes involved so I figure they will take most on that side and we can be done with that part of it. I�ll have to worry about re-radiating the area and may just do intense chemo.

I guess its all speculation anyway as the pros from Dover have not had a chance to look me over yet. Its unbelievable how for back that collapsed lung sent me.

Good luck please keep us posted hopefully your lungs have nothing to do with the cancer! Hugs ne blessings to you and your bother - and vent away getting things off your chest is good or your soul!

Hi Kelly,

I hope you get some relief soon.

If your extended family has more questions than you are able to answer, please refer them to the OCF website and forum. I'm sure many people will be able to answer their questions and take a little burden off of your shoulders. You need to focus on what's happening with your treatment.

In the meantime, I hope you can get the pain under control.

Sandy

My brother Chris is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday this week at MDA. The spot on his gums was dysplasia and they are not going to worry about that now. They treated it and it looks OK for the present time.

The lesion on his throat was just under 2 cm and they think there is a 20% � 40% chance that they can get all the cancer in the surgery and he will need no further treatment.

The flip side of that is if they cannot get clear margins; If that�s the case they are going to remove 5 molars, do a modified neck dissection and go through a full round of radiation. He won�t know what the outcome of that is until he wakes up from the surgery. He is hoping for the best case but prepared for the worst case.
Keep him in your prayers if you can.

Will do and ill keep you too!

Hi Kelly,

I'll keep Chris in my thoughts and prayers that his surgeon's hands are divinely guided, that he gets clear margins, and that his recovery is quick and as comfortable as possible.

Your brother is lucky to have you in his corner. I'm sure you are, and will be, able to understand each other the way neither a parent nor spouse could begin to understand. I hope it comforts both of you.

Kelly, I'll will pray that your treatments are completely successful at eradicating the cancer, once and for all; that you will have a speedy recovery, and that you'll be back to your busy life very soon.

Love,
Sandy
xoxox

Thanks Sandy,

Your prayers are appreciated.

My best wishes for your brothers surgery on Tuesday Kelly.
You are both going through so much and my thoughts are with you and your brother Chris.
Gabriele

Just got word from my brother. Surgeon at MD Anderson says that he feels he has a 90% chance of removing all the cancer during tomorrow�s surgery on my brother's throat. He will also take one molar and remove the area around the dysplasia in his mouth. They said they will be doing a neck dissection just to be sure in about 6 weeks. No radiation is planed now. He will be getting a tracheotomy for a few days so he will be in hospital for at least three days.

All in all good news.

That does sound good! Keep us posted Kelly!

Eric

Chris had his surgery earlier in week. They could not get it all as the path reports kept coming back with cancer. I assume this means it was much more differentiated or the boundaries were not as clear as the doctor assumed. Anyway, path forward looks like radiation to the throat � removal of 6 molars and area of dysplasia in the mouth. They want to give him two weeks to heal before getting back to it. MD Andersons tumor board will meet and give him official recommendation sometime this next week