Gail,
Christine is so great about greeting everyone appropriately. I hope you'll look at the lists she gave you.

As far as what you have, I had moderately well differentiated scc (squamous cell carcinoma)on my ventral tongue, so sort of lateral, but more in the mid part of the tongue underneath. I just went through treatment at MD Anderson in Houston. It was 11 hours from my home.

My point would be you don't have to confine your opinions to one doctor. You might want to consider having Sloan-Kettering in NYC take a look because they are considered such a top place, and I don't think you are too far away. I saw that Yale was on the Best Hospital List for cancer also. You never know you might really click with them, but it wouldn't hurt to have another opinion. Hospitals and doctors are used to it, or should be.

I had an oral surgeon remove my lesion also, but then had an ENT look at it (in Kansas)but later went to MD Anderson when I developed a metastasis in one lymph node. Hopefully yours is smaller in size rather than larger, but whatever the case, you need to do just as you are doing and pursue it right away.

Sorry for your diagnosis, but let me know if I can help you.
Anne