Hi Tammy. No, speech isn't slurred but it has changed some with the extractions and a less mobile jaw.

We, too, were told the aim of treatment is cure. As for prognosis, well...............I DO want to know the TNM classification. I do want to know why some symptoms occur. I do want to know when to ramp up my worry and when not to. And all gut feeling, intuition, medical knowledge (not great in this arena, I admit) is suspended until we find out how he responds to treatment. I'm not all that interested in stats.

Rick seems appreciative of my advocacy efforts so far. Making a few people uncomfortable along the way will probably be entertaining to him, so long as they deserve it. He'll put a lid on me if I am being unfair though. The only one who has seemed ruffled so far is the ENT and he's probably less important at this stage than the GP, dentist, radiation oncologist and medical oncologist (will meet him on 14 Dec.). The ENT is in my bad books already for talking to my husband without me when he was drugged up and coming out from under anaesthetic after the biopsy. "Please explain why the procedure you said would only take 30 minutes took 1 hr 15 min." I can make sense of op notes, you know. I learned then and there that Rick has to say upfront and often that I am to be included, informed, etc.