Steve...what an awful way to find out...there are so many people involved in our treatments that I'm surprised that this kind of thing doesn't happen more often...I just returned from 2 days of tests and am waiting for my evaluation...what was upsetting for me was the dashing of hope that this "mass" on the base of my tongue was much larger than I thought...I had a regular dental visit last Friday, cleaning, xrays and exam...the hygientist said that from what she could see, the tumor only looked as large as an almond...what good news!...I can feel back there, and I thought it was big...so after she told me that, I had high hopes that things wouldn't be so bad...now I'm dealing with what looks like will be stage IV...all I can say to you is, just hang in there...this is such a roller coaster ride, isn't it?...Katie