I probably should have posted here before doing so a few minutes ago on the General Board.

By way of introduction, my name is Bill Dozier, 59 years old, married and live in GA. I was diagnosed with base of tongue SCC on April 27, 2006 by my ENT at Emory Hospital in Atlanta. The options were discussed and my ENT recommended a regimen of radiation and chemo as opposed to surgery. She recommended surgery only as a last resort due to possible resulting speech and forever taste bud destruction. I am now 4 weeks out of 33 rounds of radiation and a total of 4 chemo sessions. Please forgive my obvious lack of the common terms that so many seem to master who are veterans at this stuff.

I look forward to talking to others via this site although my time is limited. I have had a special problem in my case as I am self employed as basically a one man company in a service type business and have had that to tend to and worry about that during all of this. I personally feel that I have erred in reading too much on the web. It seems like up to now about the time I feel good about things I read something depressing on the web dealing with head/neck cancer.

I look forward to further awareness of this site whcih I just accidentally discovered earlier today.

Bill D.

By the way, I'm 59, married and live in CA. Hy H&N surgeon told me exactly the same thing and I had the same treatment. I was 55 when I was originally Dx'd. The survival rates for our age group are actually better than for younger people since it implies that we had a pretty decent immune system.

Bill,
I like you stumbled upon this site just a few days ago. I was diagnosed last month with Stage IV SCC base of tongue, with lymph node involvement on right side of my neck. I just had my third chemo treatment of taxol and carboplatin Thursday which I am receiving weekly for six weeks. Then I will have radiation daily for six weeks, followed by surgery. This site contains a wealth of information and support from folks with similar issues. Good luck with your treatments and I wish you much success in the future.

Hi Bill,

I turn 59 next Friday. I was daignosed in Sept 2004. I'm close to two years now. I have healed, have my saliva and am looking forward to a healthful 59th year. My treatment was close to the same as yours and we had close to the same diagnosis. I hope your results are as good as mine. I found this site after I had gone through my treatmetn, but it has helped me a lot since.

Steve

Bill,
Welcome to the OCF. Like many, I too found this site after I had completed treatment. I'll celebrate my 58th birthday next month, and I'm celebrating a clean set of CT scans today. I'm 2 1/2 years out from treatment, and the new normal is pretty normal.
You will not find a better site for answers to your questions. Come here often, read, ask questions, and share your own experiences.

It is a difficult path we all have travelled, made more tolerable with the help of fellow members of this board.

Good Health,

Chuck

Bill
Hopefully you are feeling a bit better since speaking to Pete last night.
Let us know your scan results...which we fully expect to be all clear...except maybe for some of those pesky spots that light up due to radiation.
BTW Gary, does that mean we are OLD?? Jeez.

Marica

I keep wondering this, and I'm sure it has been addressed before on this board, but if spots light up due to radiation, how do they determine that it is radiation, and not cancer cells? My husband goes Monday for his first scan since his treatment ended April 4. I don't want to let him know how nervous I am.
Michele

I have also wondered as Michele. If "hot spots" show on the scan how do they distinguish the difference. My first scan since treatment is scheduled for 29 August.

I would also like to throw out another question if I may to get some responses. I am planning to have my PEG tube removed Monday and am wondering if this is too soon? I will be 2 days short of 5 weeks out of tratment at that point. I weighed 176 pounds when all of this started back in May and the most weight I lost during treatment was down to 158. I have now climbed back up to 166 and am taking a good bit of food by mouth. Does if sound safe to have the tube removed based on those facts.

Thanks,

Bill Dozier

Hi Bill, Wow, it sounds like you are doing great! I think I remember reading here that if you can consume 2500 calories a day without the peg tube, you should be be able to maintain your weight- to gain more weight, you may need to push the intake up some. Can you do that without the peg? Amy

Marica,
I think that the boomers are going to redefine "old" that's why we are resistent to join AARP. I'm still 18 in my head anyway...