Dear Frances,
I was recently diagnosed with Oral Cancer in October. It took me 5 months to get a diagnosis. I went to many doctor's who refused to biopsy a lesion on my tongue. Many of the Oral Cancer survivors were diagnosed much later then myself. The most difficult time of dealing with an illness is the waiting for results. The two life lessons I have learned are first is to be your own advocate. You will learn so much by being on this web site. Also ask your doctor about what kind of resources he can offer you. In my situation my doctor's research nurse connected me to an oncologist nurse and a wonderful therapist. It has been a wonderful support system for me. My second lesson that I learned was patience. That is a difficult one, but like I said waiting for test results is so difficult.
I had a neck dissection in November. It was uncomfortable for awhile, but now I feel so much better. I took Roxicet when the discomfort got to be annoying. I found wearing fleece fabrics near my neck to be quite helpful, because my skin were I had the neck dissection was very sensitive. I wish you the best of luck. It sounds like your sister will help you through this journey. My sister was with me when I had my surgery. I feel like she is my guardian angel. If you have any questions please write to me. I will be on vacation from Dec. 28th to Jan. 4th.
Take Care