Well, I suppose I should make a slight correction to my post above. I guess they didn't remove any of the BOT. What had happened was that the cancer in that one node had grown so much that in engulfed my salivary gland and the nerves/muscle controlling my base of tongue movement. They removed all my left neck lymphnodes and my gland/nerve/muscle that was compromised. I got my pathology report back on Monday and they only found one other node with cancer and all margins were clear.

In speaking with the surgeon about his suggestion about radiation, it seems like they would only radiate my left neck and not my oral cavity or right side. That makes me feel a lot better and gives me a better chance of retaining tastebuds & salivary glands, right? The surgeon also suggested I talk to an MO. He said with the cancer's aggressiveness this time, I might consider chemo. He thinks it's almost a toss-up of advantage vs. unnecessary unpleasantness. I'll be seeing my RO on 12/4 and since he's with a CCC, I'll have him suggest a MO to talk to. What do you guys think about chemo knowing my history? I'm sorta on the fence at this point and am looking for some knowledgeable opinions.

All that being said, I'm doing pretty good otherwise. I'm with family today through Friday for the holidays. My tongue still isn't quite working right, so it takes FOREVER to eat anything. At least I won't overeat for Turkey-day.

I also finally started a blog. With radiation coming up, this treatment process is going to be much longer than last time around. If you guys are interested, take a look: http://jensroadtoremission.blogspot.com .

As always, thanks for listening!

-Jen