Hi Nate... welcome to the OCF. Sorry you are having to deal with this at such a young age. You will make many new friends here who are willing to share their lives and love.

It is wonderful that you were persistant and found a way to get yourself seen by an MD. Getting that biopsy only 2 months after noticing the problem certainly is in your favor.

As you make your way around the forum, you will find more stories than you can read but I do want to share briefly with you.

My aunt (more like a sister) is 67 years old. She had stage II SCC on the tongue. The dentist screwed around with her for several months diagnosing lichen planus and tongue biting. Finally she saw another doctor who did a biopsy. She had about 1/3 of her tongue and several lymph nodes in her neck removed in Feb. They also made a tongue flap "patch" to reform her tongue made from a muscle in her chest. She came through the surgery beautifully, never requiring a feeding tube or trach. She was in the hospital less than a week.

The pathology results came about a week later and showed perineural invasion (invaded the nerve) but no cancer in lymph nodes. If there had not been perineural invasion surgery would have been the only treatment, but since it had gotten to the nerve they recommended radiation which she completed in May.

You are young and obviously proactive. The new friends here will help you get through whatever treatments are recommended for you.

I do have one suggestion... have your mom and finacee look at this site as well. It has absolutely meant the world to me and enabled me to know what was "normal" and helped me to give my aunt encouragement and support.

We are with you, hon.

D