Hi Erik,
And welcome to the club that no one wants to join. I asked my head & neck surgeon about tonsils growing back and he stated it doesn't happen.

Lymphoma is not neccessarily worse than SCC, some doctors feels that it is very responsive to chemotherapy which SCC isn't. Not that any them are great choices.

You didn't mention in your post about a consult with a radiation oncologist. I had an advanced tonsil cancer and they were able to treat it with radiation and chemo alone.

What is difficult about the early stages of diagnosis and pre-treatment, is that you have to make informed treatment choices when you're in total fear!

And they will keep dropping bombs on you too -that's what we are here for - to walk you through this. We are not doctors - just patients like you. We encourage you to challenge the doctors, ask lots of questions and be your own medical advocate. Always bring someone with you to exams a that is good note taker or get permission to tape it. Doctors say very little but also a lot in a short time period. It is easy to miss key points upon which vital decisions must be made. My oncologist once told me that the doctors basically will tell me all of the tools they have to use in this battle and I have to choose which ones. You also need to ask if they have tumor board and find out who the rest of your team members are. You should have a nutritionist and radiation oncologist as well. They should be a multidisciplary team - I would accept nothing less.

The main focus has to be surviving the cancer -you have to look on the horizon. It's easy to get caught up in the details and horror stories about surgery, radiation, recurrence, etc. Remember that many who come here are suffering unusually severe problems and that those don't report in are doing well and feel guilty for doing well and drift away from the forum. You need to temper what you read here as a result.

Financially, this can be a tough time also. SSDI pays a whopping $1500/mo if you are fully vested in Social Security. There is a 5 month waiting period for start of benefits and it is retroactive to the date of diagnosis so you don't need to run down on Tuesday. I would call and make an appointment. You will need to bring copies of your medical records and certified copy of your birth certificate. The claim is usually based on "cancer fatigue", an inevitable side effect.

Call your mortgage company and tell them your plight - mine had a special 2.95% interest rate for almost 2 years. Call your utility company and phone co. and get the medical and lifeline rates. I even got a disabled placard from the DMV which gave me free parking in many places. I also lined up an equity line of credit ahead of time. Also I found a paralegal (cost around 400 bucks)to set up a living trust, will, advanced directives, durable power of attorney, etc., which we all need anyway. I also gave my wife power of attorney over my accounts there was a while that I was wiped out to pay the bills. It is better to get these things in motion while you have a clear head. I really regret not having insurance to cover credit card and mortgage payments.

If you end up having the surgery and radiation it could take an entire year before your activity levels are back to normal. It took me almost a year with radiation and chemo alone. I have been phasing back in for the past 6 months. Remember that we all recover at different rates and your relatively young age is in your favor. Once in a while you'll read about people who went to work during much of this period, scheduling their radiation late in the day, driving themselves to the hospital, etc. What I am saying is that there is a wide range of response to treatment here so think positive.

This is not the time to let your insurance lapse. My bill for radiation alone was well over $300,000.00 (which my HMO paid 100%).

And always remember - take it one day at a time!