Hello, my name is Donna. My mother has just been diagnosed with tongue cancer, stage 2. The doctor at Univ of Penn is going to remove part of her tongue, the lower end. Going to do a skin graft and left and right neck dissections. He said she will be in the hospital for about 5 days and then come home with a nasal feeding tube and a temp trach. I am going to be her caregiver-the majority of the time. I am trying to help her come to terms with all of this. One chief question she keeps asking is that if they remove 20-30 nodes out of each side of her neck what will it look like after? She thinks she is going to sound terrible with a horrible speech impediment for the rest of her life. My mother is a 63 year old, vibrant, beautiful woman on the inside as well as the outside. She is not a vain person but she is frightened that she may look drastically different....can anyone help me with this? I feel so overwhelmed I am not sure what I am writing is even making any sense or coming across as I hope it will. I want to help her and I just don't know how.

BOB,


You dont know how wonderful it is to hear survivor stories !! Thanks for the inspriration !


Shar

Donna Rose....I am answering you here, bec. it is where you posted, but you need to post a new topic of your own, so that you'll get more responses. You are getting lost in Bob's thread.

Neck dissection...I am also 63 years young,and, I hope, "vibrant."...I had a one-sided neck dissection, and I think it makes me look slimmer. I told my dr. that I wish he had done both sides so that I would have gotten a neck lift out of the deal!!

Seriously, she needn't worry about the appearance. My scar is visible, but so is my thyroidectomy scar from years ago. I have quite a road map on my neck, but little children don't run in fear nor adults turn in disgust. I don't think that anyone notices it. I certainly don't do a thing to hide it.

Cross that off of her list of worries.

There are many, many persons here who have had varying degrees of tongue removal, and most seem to be doing quite well. I'm sure that they will post soon. And I am certain that speech therapy can improve anyone's speech...can teach a different way to form proper sounds, if necessary.

Have your mother come to the forum, and do some searching. You will find lots and lots of comforting information for her here.

Thanks Colleen.
I am so overwhelmed, not sure where you mean to post...some help I'm going to be!
I'll try again.

Donna.....You have not done anything wrong by joining Bob's thread. It's just that, even though it is about tongue cancer, it is mostly a discussion of his return for a "visit" to the forum after sev. years away.

Your questions and concerns will get better attention if you will click on "New Topic" in whatever forum you choose (General, if you're not sure....There are no hard and fast rules.).and start your own "thread," with your own title. Of course, you can always comment on someone else's topic. Always. But if you have a specific question or concern, it will definitely get better attention as a new topic.

Welcome. Keep writing and asking, and before you know it, you'll be answering other people's questions!

I will write a brief summary of my life when I have a litle more time to do so. In the meantime thanks for replying to me and I am anxiously waiting the results of a PETSCAN examination done last week.
Seeing the doctor tomorrow and will let you know what happens.

Englishbob.