im new to this thing called "cancer".i saw so many other people had it but didnt really associate with it.wow.....was i in for a surprise!i got diagnosed in april 27th of 2016.i was diagnosed with stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma of left mandible.had my first surgery 7/1/16 to remove part of my jaw.had no idea how involved this would get.my doctor was not very informative.went from a nose feeding tube to a stomach tube.i have forgotten what "real" food tastes like.i was offered radiation and chemo,but refused both due to reading many articles.had a hole in my chin where anything i drank or ate came out.i dealt with this for 5 months.december 23,2016 had my final surgery .this consisted of bone graft and skin graft from lower leg to reconstruct my jaw.ive lost 45lbs in this journey and am going to the dentist next week for dentures.i cant say enough for my wife who without her,i never would have made it.she is my rock as well as my son.we had to fend for ourselves along the way.didnt see the doctor much thru this whole ordeal.we got our information off internet.
ive been in a "self-pity" mode thru this whole deal.but i look at other cancer victims far worse off than me.ive come to realize how thankful iam to be sitting here sharing my story with you. im very thankful.hopefully this will be my only exposure to "cancer".only time will tell.

Welcome to OCF! You certainly have been thru alot! Its always great having fellow survivors join our ranks.

Ive had the same type of surgery and know how difficult it is to bounce back from it. At least I had it a couple times before the giant surgery so I had an idea what I was in for. I cant imagine if I had been initially diagnosed with a mandibulectomy for my first diagnosis. You must be a very strong person to be able to deal with this so well.

You are so right, there are many many people out there who are much worse off than you, me or any of our members. Plus, there's all the ones who arent here anymore.

Looking forward to hearing more of your journey.