Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 74
Supporting Member (50+ posts)
OP Offline
Supporting Member (50+ posts)

Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 74
Hi Everyone. Its so nice to have found this place. I just came home from mouth and throat surgery yesterday.Its still really hard to talk and swallow but Ill get there. My cancer got diagnosed about a month ago. It started out with a sore on my gum and a sore on my cheek. My dentist said it looked suspicious so I had a biopsy done and it was positive. A couple of weeks later my throat started hurting so they checked that out and yes again more cancer on 2 lymph nodes.
I had my surgery done at UNC Chapel Hill here in NC and while it was not a pleasant experience it was the best hospital experience Ive ever had as far as care.
Its now day 7 post surgery and Im finally able to swallow a bit of soup and Im trying to stay hydrated. They tell me I wont need any reconstructive surgery or speech therapy (although right now I sound as though I have a mouth full of socks!)
I am doing so much reading on my down time and I really want to improve my lifestyle. I did quit smoking about a year ago (30 year addiction) so thats one hurdle I wont have to worry about.
Well...just wanted to introduce myself! Thanks for having me!


4 cancerous tumors stage4 Surgery 10/26/2010 Radiation 2x a day for 4 weeks (started Dec 13th 2010)
Reccurance discovered Nov 2011. Tumor behind left jaw. Erbitux, Taxol and Paraplatin for 6 wk. Surgery scheduled for Feb
50 year old woman smoked for 30 years quit 3 years ago light drinker HPV +16
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 531
"Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Offline
"Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)

Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 531
Welcome aboard and congrats on the stopping of smoking! Yes stay hydrated and eat to stay healthy and help with the healing. Nutrition helps healing! Glad to see you found this too! I am!


CG to Ron
Out of Pain 4/3/13
4/12-lung and under chin growth no treatment
1/13/12 lung biopsy
6/11 recur 6/30 resection #2 Clear margins
Clear 12/10
Surg 5/13/10 neck dis/nodes part gloss/flap R thigh all teeth out
RAD 30 8/10
DX 4/2/10 "Oral Cavity" T3NOMO
12/28/07 Non Hodg Lymph remission 7/08
passed away 4.3.15, RIP Ron, you are greatly missed
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 26
Contributing Member (25+ posts)
Offline
Contributing Member (25+ posts)

Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 26
Hi
I'm brand new here and going to the ENT tomorrow to discuss if I need a biopsy.
Can't really offer any advice but just wanted you to know that I'll be thinking about you.
Am I wrong to think they don't automatically check to see if the cancer has spread when your dx?
Was really surprised you had to go back with symptoms before they did further testing.

Brenda

Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 36
"OCF Canuck"
Contributing Member (25+ posts)
Offline
"OCF Canuck"
Contributing Member (25+ posts)

Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 36
Hi Plantgirl, a few days have passed and I am hoping you are more comfortable now and using fewer pain meds. My surgeries were in August and Sept of this year so my memories of post op eating is very clear to me. I did a lot of reading too on my downtime since chatting on the phone was out of the question!..my mouthful of socks probably sounded about the same as yours. if you like Interior Decorating the Nate Berkus tv program might be nice for you to spend some time with. Just a thought! He has a living plant wall as part of his set, truly beautiful.

keep posting Plantgirl we would like to follow your recovery with you!

Light and blessings,

Meggie


55 yrs, Female, smoked for 4 yrs 35 yrs. ago, SCC right underside tongue and floor of mouth, laser surgery took 1/3 tongue Aug 2010, 3 weeks later in Sept right neck dissection 40 nodes removed with 1microscopic spot in one node. No chemo or radiation.
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 711
"Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Offline
"Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)

Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 711
Welcome to the forum, Plantgirl. It's a great place to come and ask (or answer) questions, to give and recieve support, even joke around or just plain vent when you feel the need. There are people here who's experiences are similar to yours and people who's experiences vary widely as this disease affects us all in different ways but whatever our individual experiences, we're all here to support each other. Best wishes to you.


David R. 65 yr old male non-smoker, light drinker, stage 3 or 4, depending on which doc you ask, scc rt. tonsil, 2 nodes, 7 weeks radiation and chemo. No surgery. Teatment ended 3/20/08. PET scan 8/08 showed no cancer.
And now, as of oct, 2010, caregiver to wife, Linda, with breast cancer.
May, 2013, Linda diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. Enuf already.
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,406
Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Offline
Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)

Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,406
PG, welcome. I'm sorry you have to be here, but it's a great place under the circs. You sound as though you're getting excellent care. You didn't mention whether or not your docs have recommended radiation or chemo. If they do you'll find plenty of people here who can help you through that experience as well.

If you'd like you can make yourself a signature. There's a page of abbreviation explanations on one of the forums if you need help.

Stay in touch. Your attitude is wonderful!
David 2


David 2
SCC of occult origin 1/09 (age 55)| Stage III TXN1M0 | HPV 16+, non-smoker, moderate drinker | Modified radical neck dissection 3/09 | 31 days IMRT finished 6/09 | Hit 14 years all clear in 6/23 | Radiation Fibrosis Syndrome kicked in a few years after treatment and has been progressing since | Prostate cancer diagnosis 10/18
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 10,507
Likes: 6
Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services
Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Offline
Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services
Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)

Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 10,507
Likes: 6
Hi Plantgirl and welcome to OCF. Your diagnosis was just like mine. I had a sore on the inside of my cheek and another one on the gum behind my top molar. Its unusual but not unheard of to have 2 completly seperate tumors at the same time. I didnt have any in my lymph nodes. What a difference in treatments too. You had surgery while I had chemo and radiation. Will you be doing radiation treatments?

Best of luck with your recovery.


Christine
SCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44
2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07
-65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr
Clear PET 1/08
4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I
surg 4/16/08 clr marg
215 HBO dives
3/09 teeth out, trismus
7/2/09 recur, Stg IV
8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy
3wks medicly inducd coma
2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit
PICC line IV antibx 8 mo
10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg
OC 3x in 3 years
very happy to be alive smile
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 74
Supporting Member (50+ posts)
OP Offline
Supporting Member (50+ posts)

Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 74
Thank you all for the replies. Im sorry i havent responded sooner but the last week has been hell for me. I went back to my Dr last week with a very very sore roof of my mouth.(they used tissue from it so it is very raw. I couldnt see my surgeon as it was his day off and saw one of his collegues who pretty much told me to tough it out. Thank God Im seeing my surgeon tomorrow because i just cannot take this pain any longer. Im still on painkillers 1 or 2 every 4 hours and I do not want them any more. Im not really sure what i am feeling, it feels like nerve pain, my whole upper mouth is so sore, even my teeth. My throat is better, Im able to swallow now so that is good. I started swishing with warm salty water today and that seems to be helping a bit. I will also find out tomorrow if Im going to need radiation. I really hope not. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to minimize my mouth pain? Thanks in advance. you all are so nice and friendly. Im so glad I found this forum.

Last edited by plantgirl; 11-16-2010 03:01 PM.

4 cancerous tumors stage4 Surgery 10/26/2010 Radiation 2x a day for 4 weeks (started Dec 13th 2010)
Reccurance discovered Nov 2011. Tumor behind left jaw. Erbitux, Taxol and Paraplatin for 6 wk. Surgery scheduled for Feb
50 year old woman smoked for 30 years quit 3 years ago light drinker HPV +16
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 618
"Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Offline
"Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)

Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 618

Plantgirl,

You will find that most on this board are in favor of whatever pain medication is necessary to keep you comfortable. If you have a good doctor he or she will understand this.

I heard somewhere that oral cancer is at about the top of the list for pain where treatment is concerned. Some of the pain medication can be very addictive as it involves narcotics, DON"T worry about this. Your doctor will help you wind these down when that time comes.

I was on fentanyl which is very powerful and went off it myself thinking it was no big deal. I just about lost it for two days. My doc was a bit upset with me as he said he should have been told what I planed as he could have helped a lot.
Pain is part of this process, but your doc can do a great deal to minimize this. Feel free in calling in to your doctor�s office and talk to the nurse if that�s all you can get. They are very good about pain issues.


Kelly
Male
48, SCC (Soft Palet) Rt.,
Stage 1, T3n0m0,
Dx, 8-09, Start IMRT 35 9-2-09 end 10-21-09
04-20-10 NED
8-11 recurrence, node rt. neck N2b
10-11 33 IMRT w/chemo wkly
3-12-12 PET - residual cancer
4-12 5 treatments with Cyberknife & Erbitux
6-19-12 Pet scan CLEAR
12-3-12 PET - CLEAR
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 74
Supporting Member (50+ posts)
OP Offline
Supporting Member (50+ posts)

Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 74
Thank you Kelly. You are right, my Dr was very agreeable to giving me as much pain meds as i want today when i saw him. I found out that I will be having radiation too. dont know how i feel about that yet, Im meeting with the Dr on Tuesday.


4 cancerous tumors stage4 Surgery 10/26/2010 Radiation 2x a day for 4 weeks (started Dec 13th 2010)
Reccurance discovered Nov 2011. Tumor behind left jaw. Erbitux, Taxol and Paraplatin for 6 wk. Surgery scheduled for Feb
50 year old woman smoked for 30 years quit 3 years ago light drinker HPV +16
Page 1 of 2 1 2

Link Copied to Clipboard
Top Posters
ChristineB 10,507
davidcpa 8,311
Cheryld 5,260
EzJim 5,260
Brian Hill 4,912
Newest Members
Jina, VintageMel, rahul320, Sean916, Megm37
13,103 Registered Users
Forum Statistics
Forums23
Topics18,166
Posts196,921
Members13,103
Most Online458
Jan 16th, 2020
OCF Awards

Great Nonprofit OCF 2023 Charity Navigator OCF Guidestar Charity OCF

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5