 Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 | I understand your reservations about your finances. Be very cautious with this decision. You need the very best care that you can get if you need treatments --- regardless of cost or location. You cant beat experience!
IF (you dont know yet so its a huge IF at this point) you have cancer you dont need to waste weeks making this decision. Where you get treated is very important. It can mean the difference between life and death. Cancer is so much easier to treat when it is found in the early stages. However, I have seen Stage I patients pass away while some Stage IV will survive (myself included).
Bottom line... get the biopsy done right away so you can know if you have cancer or something that is no big deal. After you know then you can make the big decisions, that is IF you have to do anything else. Its NOT cancer til the biopsy says it is.
ChristineSCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44 2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07 -65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr Clear PET 1/08 4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I surg 4/16/08 clr marg 215 HBO dives 3/09 teeth out, trismus 7/2/09 recur, Stg IV 8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy 3wks medicly inducd coma 2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit PICC line IV antibx 8 mo 10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg OC 3x in 3 years very happy to be alive  | 
