This whole thing is overwhelming. I was diagnosed 2 days ago with a well defined SCC on the underside of my tounge.

I am a single father of a 15 yr old son. I am scheduled to meet a treatment team on Monday. I don't know what to expect, or what questions I need to ask.

Can you direct me to get started?

David

Hello David, Welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry
that you are having to go through this. What
question's do you have? There is a light at the
end of the tunnel. I'm a 15 year survivor of
tongue cancer. I had mine in the back on the
left side of the tongue in 1990. Please keep
in touch and let us know how you are doing?
Are you having surgery and chemo and radiation?
I'm sure that the others will respond soon.
take care, Cathy

David, Hopefully you have been able to spend a little time reading here, so forgive me if this is redundant. 1st, take someone with you to all treatment meetings [4 ears are better than 2] Take a notebook to write down what you are hearing and to write questions that pop in your head. Unless you have a medical background, there will probably be alot of words, terms, etc. that you aren't familiar with and may want to research. 2nd. Don't panic! After your team meeting Monday, you can begin to ask questions here and to organize your time over the next few months. 3rd. Keep in touch here- you will get a great deal of help on this forum. Good luck. Amy

David,

I'm sorry to hear you are having to face this, but you'll find a great deal of support here. Are you being seen at a major cancer center? It can be very important to have a team of doctors who specialize in head and neck cancers to give you a thorough evaluation of your tumor and the recommended treatment.

You will want to know what they can tell you about the size of the tumor and whether it has the tendency to be aggressive. If you have only had a biopsy up to this point, you should be having some additional scans to try to determine whether it has spread anywhere else. This would help to determine whether to do surgery first or whether to start with radiation/chemo.

Do you have any pre-existing dental problems? If you do, it's best to try to address these first if you're likely to have radiation as part of your treatment. Having major dental work after radiation can be more complicated.

Do you have family/friends close by that can be a support system for you? There could be times during your treatment when you need assistance with meals, errands, etc., and if you have people who are willing and able to help, don't be hesitant to use them.

You're right that this whole process can be overwhelming. It can catch you completely off-guard, but there are a lot of us here who have been through it and will try to help. Don't be afraid to ask whatever questions you have and you'll probably find someone who has experienced something similar.

Cathy

David, We have ALL been right where you are now. You are not alone in this. If you look at the top of this page, you will find some excellent tools for research. The FAQ button will take you Frequently asked questions (and their answers). The Search button (the one I almost wore out my first week here) will let you find other answers.
Research and learn as much about this as your brain can absorb, then you can ask questions of your Docs. Get actively involved in your own care! That's my best advice. And check back in here as often as you can. Keep us posted!
Andrea