Hello all.

Much has happened since I last posted. CT showed Stage two and "something" on my left vocal cord. Was scheduled to have all of my teeth pulled in prep for radiation until another doctor determined that surgery would be the best first action to take.

I have Radical Tonsillectomy & Neck Dissection scheduled for Oct 19th, will determine if my vocal cords are affected at the same time. I have no idea how many nodes will be removed as they will freeze biopsy as they go along. Won't know if radiation is to follow until after the surgery.

I'm told that it hasn't gotten too big and that surgery should remove everything. Even prior to this happening, I know that's not something to bank on. Having only had a CT, I'm not comfortable with the initial diagnosis as my throat really hurts much lower than the tonsil area. I'm not a doctor so I guess I'll have to wait and see what the biopsy's show as they get into it. It would appear the best approach would be to removed everything possible during the surgery and then follow up with a PET, schedule radiation to make sure everything was killed off. Again...I'm not a doctor.

I'm having this done at Stroger Hospital in Chicago which is a county hospital but a Level One Trauma Center with excellent resources. Which might be why a PET scan was not ordered, I don't know. I've read that PET scans are the best test for Neck and Head cancers. She told me they can take out the right tonsil at the same time, it wasn't necessary and would just cause more discomfort....is this a wise choice or should I just have it removed at the same time? Would make sense to me to just take that one out as well...it's not needed and just another place for something to appear. Am I wrong in thinking this? I'm going to be in pain anyway...so why not just have it done?

My biggest concern is that the ENT doing the surgery is a senior resident...I'm assuming under the guidance of an attending surgeon. Four years of medical college for the MD, and she's in her last year as a resident. I really wasn't prepared to hear the recommendation to have surgery, so as the meeting went, I didn't even think to ask how many of these she has done. The more I read about the procedure, the more I get worried that nerves and muscles will be damaged beyond recuperation or repair. I have to keep reminding myself that if she didn't know what she was doing, she wouldn't have gotten this far. There is a higher percentage of mortality with this surgery than many others.

On a lighter note, my affairs are all in order, so I guess it's better than having a heart attack, leaving my family to sort things out.

Again, I will find out more in the next week or so. Thanks for all the kind words and concern given me, I don't know any of you but you have helped me cope with this problem like no one else could possibly do.

Please feel free to private message me with any suggestions or just to converse. I don't yet feel as though I have anything to contribute, that's surely about to change. Sorry for rambling!

Thank You Sincerely.

Don