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#189830 06-06-2015 07:05 AM
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Cal508 Offline OP
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Hello all,

I have bren lurking & decided to post. My brother (almost 19 years old) had a biopsy on thursday. My mom said the doctor called it a "plaque lesion"...not sure if that's exactly the way he phrased it though.

It is a sore/lesion on the bottom of his tongue & floor of mouth. It started in january of this year & it apparently has come and gone. It hurts him. Seceral years ago he had an allergic reaction to the packing used (contained petroleum) after having his wisdom teeth taken out. He had HPV vaccine when he was younger.

I am so anxious b/c in my mind i think "what else could it be besides something really bad?!"

When you google things....only cancer seems to come up. It really scares me. Thanks in advance.

Cal508 #189831 06-06-2015 07:33 AM
Joined: Dec 2003
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There are many possibilities and, infortunately, until you get the biopsy results, there is no other way to find out if it is cancer. Let's hope not.


SCC Stage IV, BOT, T2N2bM0
Cisplatin/5FU x 3, 40 days radiation
Diagnosis 07/21/03 tx completed 10/08/03
Post Radiation Lower Motor Neuron Syndrome 3/08.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis 01/11
Cervical Myelitis 09/12
Thoracic Paraplegia 10/12
Dysautonomia 11/12
Hospice care 09/12-01/13.
COPD 01/14
Intermittent CHF 6/15
Feeding tube NPO 03/16
VFI 12/2016
ORN 12/2017
Cardiac Event 06/2018
Bilateral VFI 01/2021
Thoracotomy Bilobectomy 01/2022
Bilateral VFI 05/2022
Total Laryngectomy 01/2023
Cal508 #189832 06-06-2015 09:34 AM
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Thank you for your response. I appreciate it.

Cal508 #189833 06-06-2015 09:36 AM
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The waiting game is awful. I remeber the anxiety of waiting between each course of action when my mother had cervical cancer when i was much younger. Thankfully she is cancer free & doing great today smile

Cal508 #189836 06-06-2015 01:35 PM
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That's good news plus you have some experience being around cancer, if that's what the biopsy shows.

I know a lady who is a 35 year survivor, June 4 was her anniversary. She was diagnosed at 22 years old.

Until that biopsy comes back, stay away from the Interent. It will wait for you to come back. Enjoy the time.


SCC Stage IV, BOT, T2N2bM0
Cisplatin/5FU x 3, 40 days radiation
Diagnosis 07/21/03 tx completed 10/08/03
Post Radiation Lower Motor Neuron Syndrome 3/08.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis 01/11
Cervical Myelitis 09/12
Thoracic Paraplegia 10/12
Dysautonomia 11/12
Hospice care 09/12-01/13.
COPD 01/14
Intermittent CHF 6/15
Feeding tube NPO 03/16
VFI 12/2016
ORN 12/2017
Cardiac Event 06/2018
Bilateral VFI 01/2021
Thoracotomy Bilobectomy 01/2022
Bilateral VFI 05/2022
Total Laryngectomy 01/2023
Cal508 #189837 06-06-2015 03:01 PM
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 55
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My experience is that not knowing was the hardest part of this. That is, sadly, is where you are right now. Uptown's advice is right on target. You get through this a step at a time, not looking too far ahead, and keeping a positive attitude while hoping for the best and preparing for whatever happens. Good luck to you and your brother. Be sure to let us know what happens.


Peter, age 62 at Dx
3/27/15 Dx T2N2aM0 Tonsilar P16+ G3 SCC
4/6/15 Full PET clear except for above
4/24/15 TOLM tonsillectomy/clear margins. Neck dissection 20 nodes (1 w/cancer & extracapsular extension)
5/28/15 PEG in
5/27 - 7/10/15 Daily Radiation to 66 units cumulative; Cisplatin weekly X 7
8/24/15 PEG out
9/24/15 Full body PET - N.E.D.
12/22/15 CT and physical exam. Continued clear.
3/11/16 Physical exam. Continued clear.
7/12/16 One year post-treatment! CT clear.
7/7/17 2 years post - still clear
Cal508 #189840 06-06-2015 08:58 PM
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 286
"OCF Down Under"
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The doctor has limited time to explain things to you, so sometimes Google is helpful for understanding what the doctor is telling you. It is NOT useful for answering questions like "is this cancer" and "will this kill me", which is what you want to know. Only cancer comes up because thats what you are looking for.

There is a lot of waiting for a cancer patient. Waiting for test results, waiting in treatment rooms, waiting for years after treatment to see if it will return. Once you have it cancer never really goes away, its a storm cloud hanging just over the horizon.

Worry is a misuse of imagination. Do what you need to do, see doctors, get biopsies etc, and then put it aside. There is more to life than this. Make a conscious effort to keep a positive outlook on everything you do, and be grateful for every day you get to wake up healthy.

That is pretty much a letter to my younger self, of things I wish I appreciated last year. I hope you and your brother never go through what we've had to, but we're here for you if you do.


Cheers, Dave (OzMojo)
19Feb2014 Diagnosed T2N2bM0 P16+ve SCC Tonsil.
31Mar2014 2 Cisplatin, 70gy over 7 weeks (completed 16May2014)
11August2014 PET/CT clear.
17July2019 5 years NED.
Cal508 #189843 06-07-2015 07:59 AM
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Posts: 9
Cal508 Offline OP
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Thank you

Cal508 #189848 06-08-2015 08:00 AM
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 2,671
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Cal - your comment about thinking "What else could it be besides something bad?" is exactly what we were thinking after my son's treatment ended, and he had been told he had a spot on his lung which they were checking out. When you are in the "waiting game" it too easy to assume the worst and difficult to realize that the waiting is taking longer due to some reason other than the bad one. In my son's case, it was due to clerical issues because they had to wait on results from two different hospitals. And he's been cancer-free for several years, now. Sometimes "a spot is just a spot" If you can try to think of all the reasons for a positive outcome, it will keep you from worrying about all the negative stuff. And keep busy. Come here often and let us know how things go.


Anne-Marie
CG to son, Paul (age 33, non-smoker) SCC Stage 2, Surgery 9/21/06, 1/6 tongue Rt.side removed, +48 lymph nodes neck. IMRTx28 completed 12/19/06. CT scan 7/8/10 Cancer-free! ("spot" on lung from scar tissue related to Pneumonia.)



Cal508 #189859 06-08-2015 07:55 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 596
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Hi, Cal.

Here's to hoping for nothing but the best results on your brother's biopsy.

Whether it is relevant to his biopsy or not, I am so glad to hear that he has been vaccinated against the worst strains of HPV. We need more of this all over the world. Education is key.

I know how extremely hard it is to wait. We've all been through it, sometimes too many times. Just try to keep yourself and your mind occupied. Go to a funny movie or dive into a good book. Spend time outdoors or do anything that makes you feel some sense of comfort...except alcohol or illicit drugs, lol!

I look forward to hearing some good news soon.

Love and strength in OCF,
Kerri


37 y/o fem at Dx (23 wks preg @ dx on 3/16/11)
SCC L oral tongue (no risk factors)
L partial gloss/MND 3/28/11 @ 25 wks preg
T1-2N0M0; no rads/chemo
Tonsillectomy on 8/6/12 +SCC L tonsil T2-3N1M0 (HPV-)
Treated with 35 rads/7 carbo & taxol (Rx ended 10/31/12), but many hospitalizations d/t complications from rx.
Various scans since rx ended are NED!
Part of genetic study for rare cancers @ MGH.
44 years old now...I wasn't sure I would make it! Hoping for 40 more!
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