Hi - I am a 53 year old happily married man with two outstanding teenage boys. I was never much of a smoker/tobacco user and a modest social drinker. Found a lump on left side of my neck which my primary recommend a Cat scan. Scan showed the mass. Had biopsy on Friday. Preliminary is SCC left base of tongue. Searching... need Drs., plan etc. We are not far from Moffitt.

Go see Dr. Louis Harrison at Moffitt.
One of the best in the world.
Rob Jaffe

Thank you Rob

Welcome to our group Ward! You are in the right place for info and support. We will help you thru this.

If you are close to Moffitt, you are near one of the countries top comprehensive cancer centers (CCCs). Many of our members have been successfully treated at this facility. Your treatment plan likely will include surgery with radiation with or without chemo. The chemo helps the radiation to work better. The location of your tumor suggests to me it could be HPV+. When you go in for your biopsy results, ask your doc. Being HPV+ is actually a good thing, survival odds are better for HPV+ patients.

Prior to getting treated you will have many appointments. Make sure you have a full blood workup done including thyroid levels, you also should get testosterone levels tested too. If having rads, you may have problems years down the road with your thyroid. A blood test now ensures you will know what your regular baseline thyroid levels should be. Taking a pill a day to manage the thyroid isnt a big deal, but getting the baseline level is.

To prepare, if you havent already seen your dentist, try to make an appointment right away. If your treatment plan is what I suspect, you may have rads 6-8 weeks after surgery so you need to take care of dental issues before the surgery. You should have a thorough check up, deep cleaning and ask your doc if you should start having the flouride trays made for rads.

To help be a stronger advocate for yourself, take some time to read and educate yourself about your illness. Our site has page after page of helpful info both here and on the main OCF site.

You should eat all your favorite foods now, before any treatments. Your intake must be your first priority during any treatments and recovery. Your ability to eat could be compromised for only a short time if having surgery, with radiation for most patients it can be compromised for months. Best thing I can tell you is to eat now, have all your favorites and dessert too. Dont concern yourself with gaining weight, a few extra pounds on going into this is a good thing.

Anyone who offers their assistance to you, tell them when the time comes you will let them know what they can do to help. Make sure to write everyones name down and contact info for later. There are so many small things you may need help with during and after treatments. When you need a hand dont be afraid to ask for help. Everyone needs help once in a while and people are genuinely good and will be happy to lend a hand.

I hope I havent overwhelmed you with too much info. Stick with us and we will be here to help guide you thru everything. Make the most of every day and try to stay busy to keep your worrying to a minimum.

Best wishes!!!

Sorry that you have to join this circle of friends, but I know we all welcome you and will try our best to support you. Moffitt isn't a comprehensive cancer center, and it is the best kind of treatment facility because the doctors use a team approach. The first thing you might like to do now is to eat all your favorite foods now (don't worry about putting on weight, you will probably lose what you pick on during treatment). It is a treat for yourself and also because it is likely you won't be able to eat them for a while once treatment starts.

Thank you Christine.... You are an angel!

Thank you

Welcome Ward,

Sorry to hear about the diagnosis but very happy you found OCF so quickly. There is a huge amount of first hand experiences here to help you along. We are not medical professionals but can guide you to places where we have experienced.

Ditto the support for Moffitt. If you case is handled by them you are in good hands.

Good luck and check in often,

don

Thank you Don

[quote=gmcraft]Sorry that you have to join this circle of friends, but I know we all welcome you and will try our best to support you. Moffitt isn't a comprehensive cancer center, and it is the best kind of treatment facility because the doctors use a team approach. The first thing you might like to do now is to eat all your favorite foods now (don't worry about putting on weight, you will probably lose what you pick on during treatment). It is a treat for yourself and also because it is likely you won't be able to eat them for a while once treatment starts.[/quote]

Sorry, I meant to say Moffitt IS a comprehensive cancer center. Thanks to Rob for pointing it out.