#28000 03-15-2006 02:34 PM | Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 105 Gold Member (100+ posts) |  Gold Member (100+ posts)
Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 105 | Linda,
I can understand how you would become discouraged by the way you were treated. However, if you are not comfortable with this doctor, find another one. Absolutely do not push this aside. Do yourself a huge favor and get it checked out.
John
SCC base of tongue. Diagnosed as stage IV, Sept. '04. Partial glossectomy, Radical neck dissection left side, 37 Radiation sessions, Chemo x 7 weeks. Finished treatments January '05. Cancer surivor!
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#28001 03-15-2006 03:09 PM | Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,219 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,219 | Hi Linda,
It's hard to believe that an oral surgeon acting as yours did would be able to maintain a practice. What an insensitive jerk.
Speaking as a dentist, I would highly recommend that you find another oral surgeon and get your self checked out to be sure. I would let your periodontist know how upset you are with the oral surgeon and ask him for another referral. He must use more than one.
Good luck and let us know how you make out.
Jerry
Jerry
Retired Dentist, 59 years old at diagnosis. SCC of the left lateral border of the tongue (Stage I). Partial glossectomy and 30 nodes removed, 4/6/05. Nodes all clear. No chemo no radiation 18 year survivor.
"Whatever doesn't kill me, makes me stronger"
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#28002 03-15-2006 05:32 PM | Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,912 Likes: 52 OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,912 Likes: 52 | I agree. To tell you after an ASSUMPTION, not based on anything other than a quick look see, is unacceptable. You may not have anything seriously wrong. But this guy wouldn't have any way of knowing. Get a new refferal and if necessary get it yourself outside the loop of the dentist that you are cuurently seeing.
Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.
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#28003 03-16-2006 03:46 PM | Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 153 Gold Member (100+ posts) | | Gold Member (100+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 153 | Please do not let this doctor's ineffeciancy turn you away from seeking more information. A large part of my brother's problem was denial. It's the natural thing to want to push it to the back of your mind and not worry about it. I recently found out my brother was told he had precancerous areas in his mouth when he was 18 - his solution? He never went to the dentist again, until they removed his teeth to begin radiation. Talk about denial. They may be nothing, but stay on top of it, now and with regular checkups in the future no matter what the outcome. It's better to be safe than sorry. As for feeling it isn't deserved...my brother did a lot of things "wrong", he chewed tobacco from the age of 2 (my parents thought it was cute), he drank alot of beer, he did not have regular dental checkups, etc. He literally did almost EVERYTHING on the check list of what can cause oral cancer, but all that said, he didn't deserve this disease. I say that not to imply he shouldn't be responsible for his actions and decisions, but because this is such a painful, devastating, horrific disease. Although I have only been around a couple of different kind of cancer, this has got to be one of the most vicious ones out there. No one deserves even a day of this disease. Of course I understand your frustration. I've said this before, but sometimes I have to remind myself, it rains on the just and the unjust alike. Please take care of yourself while this is just a little shower and not a full blown storm.
Best of luck,
Tonya
Sister of 32 year-old oral cancer victim. Our battle is over but the war rages on. My brother passed July 26, 2005. He was a smokeless tobacco user.
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#28004 03-21-2006 09:54 AM | Joined: Jan 2006 Posts: 8 Member | | Member
Joined: Jan 2006 Posts: 8 | Linda,
Hello. I have been through tongue cancer twice & no one asked me anything about sucking on lozenges(or peppermint). What was the resoning behind his assessment or do you know?
I also have several peppermints a day on the average but have never thought at all of that as being any kind of cancer causing thing. Please get another opinion.
Good luck!
Elizabeth | | |
#28005 03-21-2006 11:49 AM | Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 6 Member | | OP Member
Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 6 | I cancelled my next appointment with that oral surgeon but have not made any arrangements to get the biopsy done by anybody else yet. I know I need to do that, but keep putting it off. | | |
#28006 03-21-2006 04:26 PM | Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,912 Likes: 52 OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,912 Likes: 52 | Don't put it off. The earliest possible diagnosis of what the situation actually is will yield the best end results. Do not let this bad experience or fear of the possibilities prevent you from moving forward. You have to get on the phone and make this happen.
Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.
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#28007 03-22-2006 04:29 PM | Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 80 Senior Member (75+ posts) | | Senior Member (75+ posts)
Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 80 | Linda,
Please, please, please do not put this off. I had several biopsies over many years showing dysplastic cells. I always had the areas removed, and it always came back "pre-cancerous". The last time it came back, I was pregnant and didn't want to bother with it. My last doctor had been an idiot (thought it was caused by biting my tongue....funny how it was nowhere near any teeth). I convinced myself it was the same old, same old, and would be a non-event.
If I would have dealt with it right away, it may have been dysplastic still. But, I let it go and by the time I forced myself back to a dentist who knew what to look for, it had made the transformation Brian discussed above and was now a full-blown stage 2, SCC. I was lucky it wasn't in my lymph nodes yet.
DO NOT let this go like I did. Believe me...it is well worth the aggravation, annoyance, time, and money to deal with it now. It's nothing compared with what you will have to deal with if it turns into something worse!!
Your last post reminds me of myself. If I could only go back to that time in my life and make that appointment....how much I would have saved myself and my family..... Please call.
Jennifer "Had my head firmly buried in sand" Gilliard :-)
Jennifer
Stage II (T2N0M0) SCC diag 4/21/05; partial glossectomy & selective neck dissection (good margins and lymyph nodes negative), jaw split, 1/3 of tongue removed, free flap from left forearm - 5/23/05; 42 years old at diagnosis
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#28008 03-23-2006 12:43 AM | Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 6 Member | | OP Member
Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 6 | I have an appointment with another oral surgeon on 4/3. Hopefully this time we can get on with the second biopsy and figure this thing out. Everybody on this board has been so helpful and full of information for me. Thank you! | | |
#28009 03-23-2006 03:27 PM | Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 80 Senior Member (75+ posts) | | Senior Member (75+ posts)
Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 80 | You don't know how happy I am, and I'm sure everyone else is to hear you've made a new appointment. Denial is such a strange thing. It makes it so easy to put off what we know we need to do.
Hang in there Linda. I'm so glad your being proactive!
Jennifer
Jennifer
Stage II (T2N0M0) SCC diag 4/21/05; partial glossectomy & selective neck dissection (good margins and lymyph nodes negative), jaw split, 1/3 of tongue removed, free flap from left forearm - 5/23/05; 42 years old at diagnosis
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