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#54887 05-21-2004 04:45 PM
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Erik,
That is wonderful news, take the weekend to celebrate!
Love,
Minnie


SCC Left Mandible. Jaw replaced with bone from leg. Neck disection, 37 radiation treatments. Recurrence 8-28-07, stage 2, tongue. One third of tongue removed 10-4-07. 5-23-08 chemo started for tumor behind swallowing passage, Our good friend and much loved OCF member Minnie has been lost to the disease (RIP 10-29-08). We will all miss her greatly.
#54888 05-21-2004 05:47 PM
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Eric,
Before my mom went in for her second surgury she noticed a swollen lymph node in the back of her neck. The nodes in the front had been removed it was really small just like the size of a pea my mom was all prepped up for surgery when she mentioned it to her ENT he stopped the surgery to do a needle biopsy on it. He took 5 samples just to be safe and we went home and waited the 5 days for the results. The longest five days of my life. The results were negative and even after chemo and radiation the node is still there the same size and hasn't changed at all. Her doctor's all tell her that sometimes they may stay swollen for no good reason and maybe it has always been swollen she just never noticed it before. My sister has multiple swollen nodes in her neck and her doctor said they were swollen because she is extremely dehydrated (she's never had cancer).

Your news is awesome.. I am soooo happy for you. Have a terrific weekend.

Dani
laugh


Originally joined OCF on 12/12/03 as DaniO or Danijams
Dani-Mom SCC BOT & floor of mouth surgery-recur then surgery/rads & chemo completed 3/04
surgery 11/06 to remove dead bone & replace jaw w/ leg bone & titanium plate
#54889 05-22-2004 10:28 AM
Joined: Dec 2003
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Eric,

Dani's mom's story reminds me of the huge swollen lymph node under my jaw that started this intense journey for me. It is still over 1 cm after the radiation but it has not shown any cancer on any scan since radiation last October. I got a copy of the medical oncologist's reports and I noticed he made a comment that a neck dissection appeared inevitable back in November because of the still hard mass. I am hoping the biopsy was accurate (and my doctor is, too eek ).

Ed


SCC Stage IV, BOT, T2N2bM0
Cisplatin/5FU x 3, 40 days radiation
Diagnosis 07/21/03 tx completed 10/08/03
Post Radiation Lower Motor Neuron Syndrome 3/08.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis 01/11
Cervical Myelitis 09/12
Thoracic Paraplegia 10/12
Dysautonomia 11/12
Hospice care 09/12-01/13.
COPD 01/14
Intermittent CHF 6/15
Feeding tube NPO 03/16
VFI 12/2016
ORN 12/2017
Cardiac Event 06/2018
Bilateral VFI 01/2021
Thoracotomy Bilobectomy 01/2022
Bilateral VFI 05/2022
Total Laryngectomy 01/2023
#54890 05-22-2004 10:48 AM
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Eric,

I work for a group of radiologists and they don't always get a good speciman to work with. (not enough cells for the pathologist to work with) That's why they sometimes take 2 & 3 samples. Rest easy this weekend. Take one step at a time! Celebrate the small victories.

Lynn


Stage 3, N0, M0 oral tongue cancer survivor, 85-90% of tongue removed, neck disection, left tonsil removed, chemo/radiation treatments, surgery 11/03, raditation ended 1/04, lung mets discovered 4/04,
#54891 05-22-2004 10:52 AM
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Eric
You are doing well.. thank goodness for some good news..and yes biopsies are still only a guide.. the histolgy is only as good as the sample.. my last one was subject to 'cross cutting'which left an undecided result of 'may be' it is not invasive yet.. so ride with it kid..
love and hugs
Helen


SCC Base of tongue, (TISN0M0) laser surgery, 10/01 and 05/03 no clear margins. Radial free flap graft to tonsil pillar, partial glossectomy, left neck dissection 08/04
#54892 05-22-2004 03:44 PM
Joined: Jul 2003
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Erik,

It's about time we got some good news. This week was kind of a bad week for several of us on the board.

I would be dancing around this weekend If I were you. Enjoy the small victories while you can. We love to hear good news. Here's hoping it's all downhill for you.


Your Friend, Dan


Daniel Bogan DX 7/16/03 Right tonsil,SCC T4NOMO. right side neck disection, IMRT Radiation x 33.

Recurrance in June 05 in right tonsil area. Now receiving palliative chemo (Erbitux) starting 3/9/06

Our good friend and loved member of the forum has passed away RIP Dannyboy 7-16-2006
#54893 05-22-2004 05:39 PM
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Thanks Dan -- you remain in my prayers and thoughts daily...

Eric


Tongue cancer (SCC), diagnosed Oct. 2003 (T2 N0 M0). Surgery to remove tumor. IMRT Radiation 30x in Dec 2003 - Jan. 2004. Recurrence lymph node - radical neck dissection June 2004. Second round of rad/chemo treatments ended Sept. 2004.
#54894 05-25-2004 05:44 AM
Joined: Dec 2003
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Quick update on my front --

The initial biopsy taken last week of my "suspicious" lymph node came back negative for cancer. My ENT feels, considering my history, that this isn't enough evidence to fully convince him that it's not cancer. So he's going to go ahead and take out the whole node and have it checked out.

I'm totally fine with that. Better to be safe and proactive, than to wait around and let it grow if it is cancer. Of course, he's booked until late next week, so I get to play the waiting game for awhile yet before this proceedure is done. In the meantime, he wants me to take antibiotics to see if that might knock out any infections I may have. Nerve-wracking indeed.

Here's another crappy part to all of this. A few days before my initial PET scan that started all of this, I got a job offer from a newspaper in North Carolina, which would put my wife and me much closer to our families than my current situation (we live in Arizona right now). They loved my resume and writing samples. They offered me the job sight unseen. Wow!

But when all these "suspicious findings" showed up on tests and I let them know why we were hedging on accepting the offer, they dropped me faster than all of us dropped our radiation masks after our last rad appointment. It's pretty frustrating, but if I'm going to believe God is in control of my health, then He must know what He is doing with regards to jobs, etc. LOL

I guess it's the lame excuse they gave me as to why they were withdrawing the offer that hurt the most, especially after enduring what I endured nerve-wise the past week or so...

I realize job stuff is petty in light of what many on the boards are going through, but it's a bummer nonetheless...

My love and prayers to all of you... Thanks for listening...

Eric


Tongue cancer (SCC), diagnosed Oct. 2003 (T2 N0 M0). Surgery to remove tumor. IMRT Radiation 30x in Dec 2003 - Jan. 2004. Recurrence lymph node - radical neck dissection June 2004. Second round of rad/chemo treatments ended Sept. 2004.
#54895 05-25-2004 05:52 AM
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Hi Eric
What a bummer...I hope the jerk that dropped you so fast NEVER has to face what you have been through.. Do they not realise that what you have been through is what made you the writer you obviously are today.. Crazy.. hope your week doesn't drag to much.. sooner it's done the better..
prayers.. love and hugs
Helen


SCC Base of tongue, (TISN0M0) laser surgery, 10/01 and 05/03 no clear margins. Radial free flap graft to tonsil pillar, partial glossectomy, left neck dissection 08/04
#54896 05-25-2004 08:06 AM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 162
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Eric,

I'm glad you're being proactive regarding your suspicious lymphnode, but sorry to read about your missed job opportunity and a chance to move back east. I'm affraid that if you share your challanges with other future employers, they may be just as reluctant to hire you, though hopefully not as cheesey about it. There is some debate over how much to share with a prospective employer as we all want to be forthright and honest about our journey, but this may not be the best policy where an employment search is concerned.

-Brett


Base of Tongue SCC. Stage IV, T1N2bM0. Diagnosed 25 July 2003.
Treated with 6 weeks induction chemo -- Taxol & Carboplatin once a week followed with 30 fractions IMRT, 10 fields per fraction over 6 more weeks. Recurrence October 2005.
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