Hi Christine, Thank you for the support and concern and the welcome. I would have never thought I would be visiting this site even though as a Retired RN we used to give some of our patients the address.
I guess what has bothered me is the unexplained wt. loss, the large swollen glands in the back of my neck and I do have numbness in the right side of my face and rt. inside lower lip where the lesion is located. I already have a port-a-cath implanted in my left arm for malnutrition even though 5 yrs. ago I weighed 274#. I now barely tip the scales at 112#. I had so many PICC lines, Hickman catheters and developed so many clots from them and a horrific blood infection that grew 5 different types of bacteria. Hospitalized a long long time. At least I have my port so if I need chemo or nutrition, I won't have to have a peg or feeding tube. Thank You so much for the recommendation of cancer centers. I live in Vinton, VA and we have Carilion Clinic (similar to Mayo) and an excellent Cancer Center where they know me well. Have a diagnosis of pre-lymphoma from my bone marrow studies and severe anemia that requires monthly iron infusions. We have a very wonderful medical school here it is the Carilion/Virginia Tech school of Medicine and Research Center. My primary care Dr. has been my dr. for over 18 years and the oncologist/hematologist has been working with me for 7 years. I don't doubt I will get good care but I just feel that before resection/chemo/radiation I definitely want a second opinion from another Cancer Center. One that you have recommended. I guess a lot of my fear is rooted in the fact that I already have this predisposition for cancer cells per my bone marrow studies so I will not be so surprised to learn that it has come full circle. You would think at age 60, I would/could be adult about this but I am scared like a little kid getting a shot. Thank You so very much. You just don't know how helpful you are and I feel I have made an instant friend. I will keep you posted about Wed. They are also sending me for a sleep study on the 20th for 2 nights at the hospital. Something about if there has to be a resection and recovery they need to make sure I am able to breathe OK. Ever heard of that? Seems strange to me. Oh, by-the-way, ETOH is the medical slang for using alcohol. If I can ever be of help to you or anyone on this site, please do not hesitate to let me know. I have already started a binder with my dental records, oral surgeon records, Primary Care and ENT since this started about 4 months ago. Thanks