I would strongly recommend going to your doctor and asking him about it. The guessing game is really not reassuring in any way.

I have been to my doctor about the rash?I did state that he prescribed tablets for it previously..I'm due to go to the hospital on Monday to be told what stage /grade/treatment is be done moving forward.I will be showing them this rash..And yeah the sun is a newspaper/tabloid in the united Kingdom.I'm not playing a guessing game win anything as its my body/life.I don't really know much about all this as you can most likely tell,hence the questions.I will be writing everything down prior to my hospital appointment as someone suggested and it's a great idea.Thank you for the reply's everybody..I know no-one is a doctor here,I just thought maybe somebody may of had a silmar thing happen once diagnosed or when having a dye injected prior to mri/CT scans may of had a reaction to it.forgive me if I'm coming across as dumb here!

Will be back after hospital appointment..
Thanks guys/gal's..good night..
Tom x

Im sorry we arent able to help you more with what you have going on. As you know our forum is made up of oral cancer patients/survivors and their caregivers. All of us are without a medical background, we simply are not qualified to give an opinion. The best resource should be your physician. They hopefully will be able to get to the bottom of what you have going on. You are NOT being dumb!!! You are upset (which is perfectly understandable), worried and would like to have some guidance to help you get to the bottom of what you have going on.

Let me explain something else thats important... Everyone is an individual and responds to things in their own unique way. No two people are the same! That said, take 5 people who are the same age, sex, from the same location, same type of employment and social habits, same weight, height, ethnicity, even the same hair color and eyes. Those 2 people on paper appear to be almost identical but... those 2 people are still individuals who have their very own body chemistry, heredity line, dna, etc. Its like comparing apples to oranges. Ive seen it time and time again with members who have the same tumor location, diagnosis, treatments, etc but those 2 patients will have polar opposite experiences with their reactions to treatments and recovery. Maybe this factors in as why all those clinical studies need so many participants? My guess would be they need to get a better understanding of every little thing and only can do so thru a large sampling of participants.

Since the newspaper/tabloid is where that info came from, Im sorry but its not a medically reliable source and I must remove the link. Without a medical degree, years of medical school, etc we would not be able to help you even when given an article and photos. We arent the right people to be able to figure your symptoms out with anything more than a guess. Posting a link to a tabloid's article and photos is against our ethics code. We are Health on the Net certified to only give correct and up to date medical advice, among other things. This is an honor for our site to be part of that group as its not an easy thing to earn their approval. Only reliable medical info can stay on our website.

Please let us know how you make out. If you have a friend or relative who can go along just to listen and take notes that would be a great benefit for you. Too often we focus on other things and our ears stop working during important appointments. Stay strong and good luck tomorrow!!!

The doctor you saw probably knew it was an allergic reaction to the dye. But ask your oncologist just in case as they are specialised. What you’re going through is scary and frustrating. I think everyone just says “I’m not a doctor” because no one wants to give you bad advice. Good luck on Monday, and remember that they have to tell you all that could possibly go wrong during treatment. Doesn’t mean it actually will. And google is not your friend when it comes to this illness as everyone’s experience is so different. For example, when I first thought I was sick, I read lots of stuff about how painful and terrible an oral biopsy was, but it didn’t bother me at all. I read how terrible an mri was, but I took medication to ease my anxiety and was fine during the scan. Just because someone else finds something intolerable doesn’t mean you will. I know you want to be prepared, but try not to read too much about other people’s opinions as they may end up needlessly scaring you even more.

If it's still a reaction, go back to your doctor. Some reactions do need more treatment, and whether that's what this is or not, the doctor is the person you need to talk to. I'm *not* a doctor, but I have had lots of allergy reactions over time, of varying kinds, and have needed a wide range of interventions. So if it is a reaction ... you need more medical help, and a doctor can do that (steroid shot or things like that). If it's not an allergic reaction after all, the doctor is still the person who is your contact point for your health concerns, and this is something you want in your file, right? Hives are not always a bad thing, but it's bothering you, so it needs to be dealt with, or documented, or whatever. And consider this ... if you are reluctant to go back to your doctor for this, is he the right doctor for you for anything bigger?

Folks here can't give specific medical advice because, as Christine wisely pointed out, every single human is different. Even if we were doctors, it would be bad practice to do so over the internet, anyway. But we CAN point you back to finding the specialists and trusted physicians in your area who will support you in your journey, and we can cheer you on from here with whatever it is you end up dealing with.

The doctor I saw for the rash was not my main doctor at my clinic,it was just someone that I could see asap for an emergency appointment...

I have stage 4 n1 oral cancer,and is operable,was told this today.It hasn't spread to my lungs which I am extremely lucky due to how long it's been there.There was all kinds of different people in the room wanting to go through different things with me,diet,medical history,dental history,speech therapist,care worker,and two surgeons.All got a bit much for me to take in at once and finishing the rest tomorrow so I don't forget most that's said to me..My mom is always with me each time I go.tomorrow I speak to surgeons to talk in depth about the process that I'll be taking surgery and treatment plans.so all in all,great news all things considered..
I'll post back tomorrow..
Thank you all for the support once again ..
Tom x

Wow. That's a lot for one appointment, but I'm also kind of impressed they had all those folks on hand at the same time to help out. Take notes. Make THEM take notes and hand them to you. (Worth a shot!)

My speech therapist is someone I should have started seeing a lot sooner after my treatments ... she turned out to be worth her weight in gold not just for speech and neck issues, but also as a sort of informal mental health counselor and someone who could give tips on migraine headaches and particular massage motions. (They cover a lot of issues in her office.) Just plain a really nice lady. I'm due for one final assessment, but have been awaiting my new teeth for that. Anyway ... that'll be a person you won't need right away unless your surgery is extreme, but could be someone who becomes your new best friend. I hope yours is as good, thorough, and kind as mine has been!

Diet person is someone to talk to after you understand your surgery. Make 'em go in order, if you didn't figure that part out already. Teeth first (especially if any chemo or radiation is in your future) and surgery are first. I'd guess the care worker and the diet person would be next up, as that's recovery stuff. And then that speech therapist, who can't do much till you heal. (Unless, as I said, it's something you start while in hospital.) Then at least you get a sort of timeline to your notes as you're going, if that helps. And gives a feel of control over some of this.

Good luck and hope the next appointment isn't so overwhelming!

Im very sorry your diagnosis was not benign. You're smart to take your mother along to your appointments. That extra set of ears is priceless when your ears stop working. Make sure your mother takes notes for you to later go back and go thru. Some doctors will allow the patient to tape their session. In extended appointments like what you went thru that would be a very important part of your appointment. Ask your doctors permission if they mind you taping your session so you can go back and review things you arent clear on. Also ask for all your records to keep copies of every appointment, with every specialist. You want to begin a paper trail so you can go back and read thru things if you have trouble understanding anything.

Just remember... stage 4 is NOT a death sentence, even if it has been there for a while. I know many Stage IV survivors who have gone on to live full meaningful lives. I was diagnosed for my third round of OC as Stage IV and somehow I survived even having very low odds of survival. We're here to help you get thru this. You are ahead of many OC patients as you have been reading and learning about your illness before it was even diagnosed. That will make for a strong advocate! Dont worry, we will be in yoru corner every step of the way.

Best wishes with everything!!!

Hi again guys/gals,
I'll start off saying I'm so happy I decided to stop half way through the meeting of everyone involved in my treatment as I wrote all my questions down last night after the hospital sessions yesterday ready for today.And felt I got everything I wanted to know for now,and I was fresh minded and took so much more in today.I can't thank you enough for that suggestion,it really did help me.

Right ok..

Thursday I'm having pet fitted then come home..Monday I go there for Blood's in the morning,then go back later on to get a bed for the night,if there isn't one I'll go back Tues morning..surgery is Tuesday ..And the process involves,taking part of my tongue out along with tumor,part of the floor of my mouth,maybe gums on that side but definitely teeth on that side even though there's nothing wrong with them.(had an dental X-ray today before seeing surgeon)they take part of skin from my wrist to use in exchange,then take skin from stomach to put on wrist then sow stomach up,get lymph node out,fit a breathing tube through my throat along with a voice box as temp whilst mouth heals.so much just for one area to be operated on..they've obviously had to go through all the things that may happen and yes it could become very messy.I won't be able to use mouth for 7/10 days..had to sign the form to ok all the surgery..will be radiotherapy afterwards depending how it all goes and may be on that for 6months in worst case scenario..will need around 8 months off work,again worst case scenario..I may be able to come home after 10/11 days but that all depends how it goes and how the healing does..that's the majority of it from today.Oh and I got some patches to try out prior to next week which I thought was appropriate to do as I HAVE to stop this terrible smoking habit now I am being given a second chance of life and this time I ant to be smoke free..

I won't lie I am terrified of what's going to come but I must man up and beat this disease and become a survivor,then run with what life I have and like it to the fullest I physically can!

Will be posting my progress as its happening,thank you all so much again,much love..

Tom x

Hi Tom,

Good for you, getting all the info down and being clear about them. It can be pretty confusing to someone who is already/ anxious. The treatments seem to be par for the course but I was a bit surprised about your getting radiation for six months, are you sure it isn’t six weeks?

At this point, I would go out and eat all my favorites foods if I were you. Indulge. It will be a while before you can enjoy them again. Have you lined up other supports like having someone driving you to and from the hospital and to look after you a bit at home?

By the way, did you talk to your doctors about your rash? You will be getting quite a few CAT scans over the next little while; if it is the contrast (dye) that’s causing the problem, you really need to let your doctors know.

You can do it, it is tough at times but you can do it.