Linda,

I'm hanging in there. I had an ENT check up yesterday and everything went well. I'm still struggling with the usual sise effects, taste, neck pain and swallowing isn't great. And you...

Anthony,

You are right, good karma here. Enjoy the Redskin game.

Tim

Tony, have a great time at that game! That is another source of good medicine, doing the things we love! Go Redskins??? What are they??? I know they cant be anything like..."The Texans", Yehaw, Hail to the real football team !!! Enjoy yourself

Tony
Have a blast at the game. Being up in the great frozen North (A.K.A. Canada) our football season ends in late November.

I'm also following the HPV-16 connection closely. Part of me wonders if I'm still looking for something to blame, but another part needs a definitive reason for the cancer, if there's one out there. I too smoked for a lot of years, and quit the day I had surgery. Since I had a bunch of "hiccups" post surgery ( respiratory failure, led to a heart attack) they kept me asleep for 5 days.

By the time I woke up, I already had 6 non-smoking days in so I had no trouble with staying off of the cigarettes at all. I'm sure the tobacco contributed, but I also think there's a lot to learn about the HPV-16 connection.

Here's hoping we hear someday soon that we're among the last oral cancer patients to be treated with surgery, chemo and radiation. I'd be so thrilled to hear that a vaccine would prevent anyone else from going through this nightmare.
Wayne

Hey everyone! Glad to hear from you. I had a great weekend, the skins lost but I really started to get alot of my voice back. I will officially be 2 weeks since my last treatment. It has been tough but I made it. I have been using chloraseptic alot. I don't know if thats a good idea but it stops the pain instantly when I'm attempting to talk. So does anyone know if phenol is known to affect healing, I'm so paranoid about everything. By the way I had a few drinks last night and I know that alot of alcohol is bad but do they know the cutoff or what? Let me know if you've got the time, thanks Tony

Tony, I want to welcome you personally to the site and to ask forgiveness for being the brunt of my Ladies man posts. I think it is great for you and David to have a few beers and celebrate. Drinking beers was something I was very good at prior to my cancer dx. and Quitting drinking is my proudest accomplishment as well as quitting smoking. For me being Drunk and depressed was not a good combination. I guess this is where you often will hear "My cancer was a Blessing". Cancer helped me realize there are somethings that I can beat and things like drinking and smoking that I can't beat.I choose to not drink because when they say you need to enjoy every minute of your life I buy into that and I'm not going to do anything that takes a minute away from those I love. P.S. also I have only been in 2 fights with my wife in 7 yrs, lost those 2 battles. I am so happy without it and forgive me for being so Prudish but my friend David is the CPA so I defer to Him and say the awnser is 3.

Hello Everyone, well I am stumped by what you wrote MD50. What do you mean when you say that your friend David is the cpa and defer to Him and say the answer is 3. If this is cryptic religious talk forgive my ignorance. I'm a recovering catholic and now my true belife is in Karma. You can call it whatever you like but it makes me happy to do good and miserable when I'm selfish or down right bad.I believe you when you say what you say, but it seems to me you beat them both. That is not where I am right now. I don't think I am fortunate to get cancer, I wanted to quit smoking but I didn't want it to be life or death! But they are gone now and so is sitting in a bar smoking and drinking. I will miss that but I really did it to meet women. I like women that go to bars and that probably won't change. Bummer!

Anthony,

I'm glad you asked that question. Being the CPA I was afraid to ask what #3 meant.

I think Mark was attempting to answer the question Tony asked about a drink cutoff, 3 drinks is the way I took his reply.

Tim

Tony, sorry for the misunderstanding. David being an accountant is better at numbers than me and he stated that he had 3 beers the other night to celebrate, No one is fortunate to have cancer but it forced me to make decisions about lifestyle habits (smoking and drinking) that if I was to live I would need to change. I am the type of person that won't stop after a couple. So in my minds way of thinking someone that can have one or two and walk away can beat alcohol and then you have someone like me who will always lose the battle with alcohol. I just think it's important two know yourself. Sorry for the misunderstanding and wish you all the luck in the world.

MD50, Cool that all I wanted to know. I know what that all about. Now getting back to questions about cancer and treatment and how it is affecting all of us, I have some really serious ones. Number one would be what can (your oppinion) I use on my throat to stop the pain. I choose not to use Pharm. just me. Number two, My voice doesn't seem to want to return and that freaks me out! Does anyone have any advise? Number three would be: Is it 3 or 2 or wine or beer or nothing? This goes back to number two, I freaking out alittle and I want to know if I can have a drink to calm me down. I go to the doctor this coming Wednsday (ENT) and Thursday (oncologist. Thanks form all of your input and it is not taken lightly! Tony